Oil caps third weekly gain with Ida’s impact in viewBloombergOil gained for a third week, as investors focused on the ongoing production shut-ins in the US Gulf of Mexico because more refineries have resumed operations nearly two weeks after Hurricane Ida tore through the region. Brent crude for October delivery was up 2.06 percent at US$72.92 a barrel, posting a weekly increase of 0.43 percent. Photo: ReutersMore than 1 million barrels a day of US offshore crude production remains shut in after Ida swept through the area nearly two weeks ago. Meanwhile, more Louisiana refineries are resuming operations, raising demand for crude oil. China’s bold, but vague declaration to release oil reserves from its massive strategic stockpiles has some traders questioning the lasting impact of such a move by the world’s biggest crude importer.

Aluminum industry frets over supply snarlsBloombergSupply chain snags that have roiled commodity markets and this week helped push aluminum prices to a 13-year high are unlikely to ease any time soon. That was the message coming from producers, consumers, traders and shippers at North America’s largest aluminum conference, which ended on Friday. Compounding matters in the aluminum industry are worker shortages at plants and a lack of truck drivers to deliver what is available. Several aluminum conference attendees said that labor shortages are their biggest problem, and they do not have any idea when the situation will improve. Such a practice has a serious risk if prices fall and you’re carrying extra unhedged inventory.”The surge in aluminum prices comes as producers and consumers negotiate annual supply contracts.

US soccer head vows to ‘equalize’ World Cup paymentsAFP, LOS ANGELESThe US Soccer Federation aims to “equalize” World Cup prize money for its men’s and women’s national teams as part of efforts to settle ongoing litigation with its women players, federation president Cindy Parlow Cone said on Friday. The question of World Cup prize money formed a prominent part of a lawsuit filed by the US women’s soccer team in 2019, which accused the body of “stubbornly refusing” to pay it’s men and women’s players equally. The 2019 lawsuit cited the discrepancy in World Cup prize money payments paid to the two teams in 2014 and 2015. The US men received US$5.375 million for reaching the round of 16 at the 2014 World Cup, while the women received US$1.725 million for winning the 2015 tournament. The federation has said that its hands are tied because the prize money is set by FIFA, which awarded US$38 million to France for winning the 2018 men’s World Cup in Russia, but only US$4 million to the American women for winning the 2019 Women’s World Cup.

The US is “seriously considering a request from Taiwan to change the name of its mission in the US capital from ‘Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office’ [TECRO] to ‘Taiwan Representative Office,’” the paper reported on Friday, citing several anonymous sources close to the matter. The nameplate of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US is pictured in an undated photograph. The ministry yesterday said it has no comment on the report. The government would continue to steer Taiwan-US relations pragmatically, and in accordance with mutual trust and shared interests, it said. The office, to be named “the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania,” is to be located in Vilnius, Wu has said.

National Day celebrations to be smaller this yearStaff writer, with CNADouble Ten National Day celebrations would this year have fewer participants than last year and the general public might be excluded, Deputy Minister of the Interior Chen Tsung-yen (陳宗彥) told a news event on Wednesday to unveil the logo for the celebrations. Banners for the Double Ten National Day celebrations in Taipei are pictured on Wednesday last week. Moreover, the number of participants in a National Day evening banquet in Hsinchu City on Oct. 9 would be limited, he said, without giving a specific figure. People attending the National Day fireworks in Kaohsiung on Oct. 10 would have to remain in designated areas, Chen said. The logo also bears the words “Taiwan National Day 2021,” which has drawn criticism from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) over the omission of the country’s formal name, the Republic of China.

Greek winemakers delve the depths of underwater agingBy Vassilis Kyriakoulis / AFP, NAOUSSA, GreeceWinemakers in northern Greece are diving into the unknown by plunging hundreds of bottles of their wine into the depths of a local river. As a band ceremoniously played traditional Greek songs, a crane lowered a large metal crate holding about 500 bottles of wine from off the riverbank. A metal crate containing 500 bottles of Xinomavro wine is lowered into the Arapitsa River in Naousa, Greece, on Sept. 5. Photo: AFPAbout 22 makers of Xinomavro, a wine made from a dark-skinned grape variety, proudly watched, hoping the water cellar will broaden the varieties of the products. About 5,000 tonnes of Xinomavro wine are produced there annually.

Dollar gains with Treasury yields as Fed policy in focusReuters, NEW YORKThe US dollar on Friday rose in line with higher US Treasury yields, as investors focused on when the US Federal Reserve is likely to begin reducing its asset purchases. The greenback has risen from a one-month low on Friday last week after jobs data for last month showed that jobs growth slowed, while wage inflation rose more than expected. Fed officials are grappling with rising price pressures while jobs growth remains below their targets. The Wall Street Journal wrote that Fed officials would seek to make an agreement at the Fed’s meeting this month to begin paring bond purchases in November. The euro on Friday fell 0.07 percent to US$1.1816, a day after the European Central Bank said it would trim emergency bond purchases over the coming quarter.

FEATURE: Cat abuse case puts spotlight on animal rights lawsStaff writer, with CNAAfter 11 days of intensive care, Tea Tea (茶茶), a tabby cat in New Taipei City, succumbed to his injuries on Aug. 28. Tea Tea was scalded so badly that he had lost a lot of his fur and his ears were curled, Fan said. The low conviction rate was a result of improper law enforcement, namely a lack of animal protection police, animal advocates said. Cheng’s office said that there are three categories of people, either full-time or part-time staff, handling animal protection affairs: animal shelter staff, veterinarians stationed at shelters and animal protection inspectors. Increased civic participation, including help from animal groups, is needed to raise awareness about animal protection and curb abuses, she said.

Afghan women could still play, board chairman saysAFP, SYDNEYWomen could still be allowed to play cricket, the chairman of Afghanistan’s Cricket Board on Friday told an Australian broadcaster in an apparent backflip on the Taliban’s hardline stance. “We will give you our clear position on how we will allow women to play cricket,” he told SBS Radio Pashto, the broadcaster reported on its English-language Web site. Under International Cricket Council (ICC) regulations, nations with Test status must also have an active women’s team. Despite reports that many of the women’s team were in hiding in Kabul and that members of the Taliban had come looking for them, Fazli insisted they were safe. “The women cricket coach Diana Barakzai and her players are all safe and living in their home country,” he told SBS.

Ethan Hayter wins stage, takes Tour of Britain leadAFP, LONDONEthan Hayter on Thursday won stage five of the Tour of Britain in a reduced sprint to move back into the overall lead of the race. Wout van Aert was caught on the wrong side of the incident in the leader’s jersey and so with the bonus seconds Hayter moved back in front overall, eight seconds ahead of the Belgian. “On this stage, I know so many of the roads, and it’s the Tour of Britain, so it’s amazing to win as a British rider,” Manchester-based Hayter said. “I owe it to my teammates.”Thursday’s 152km stage from Alderley Park took the peloton into the Peak District, but a sprint finish was always anticipated given the long flat run into Warrington. “I didn’t actually get a great run at the finish, I couldn’t quite believe the situation, but I just put it in the biggest gear and it was enough,” Hayter said.

COVID-19: CECC reports seven cases, two localSCHOOL SCARE: The center said that a key task was to monitor the situation at a junior-high school in Taipei’s Songshan District after a case linked to Banciao emergedBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported two local cases and five imported cases of COVID-19. A man submits to COVID-19 testing at a site in New Taipei City yesterday. Chen said yesterday that no new cases were added to the cluster, which has 27 cases linked to it. The other local case is a man in his 60s who lives in New Taipei City, the center said. In other developments, the CECC said that another batch of 458,000 doses of government-procured AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday afternoon.

Pangolin aged 23 dies at Taipei ZooBy Tsai Ya-hua and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerTaipei Zoo’s pangolin Chuanpang (穿胖), the world’s oldest and most virile scaly anteater on record, died on Wednesday of kidney failure, the zoo said yesterday. Chuanpang was 23 years and nine months old at the time of his death, the zoo said. The pangolin had kidney problems since 2018, when veterinarians first noticed that it was losing weight, the zoo said. Pangolin named Chuanpang is pictured at Taipei Zoo in an undated photograph. “Chuanpang lived a legendary life as a key contributor to pangolin conservation, in addition to being our pride and joy,” zoo spokesman Eric Tsao (曹先紹) said in a statement.

AmCham China wants summit progress on tradeBloombergUS firms in China are hoping for a meeting between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) this year, a survey showed, as they look for relief from trade barriers raised during the administration of former US president Donald Trump. Another 47 percent wanted the removal of tariffs, with more than three-quarters of companies complaining that measures levied during the trade war were impacting their operations. Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and US President Joe Biden are pictured in a combination of photographs from July 3, 2019, and May 17 respectively. About 54 percent of respondents called for “regularized government-to-government communication” to rebuild relations, while 38 percent wanted a Biden-Xi summit this year. The survey suggested that companies were feeling more pain from tariffs.

As of 2pm yesterday, Chanthu was centered 1,330km southeast of Olaunpi (鵝鑾鼻). It was moving northwest at 21kph, with maximum sustained winds of 173kph. The typhoon’s radius had expanded to 120km, the bureau said. Bureau forecaster Wang Chun-shian (王君賢) said that a sea alert for Typhoon Chanthu could be issued tonight or early tomorrow morning as it is expected to pass through the Bashi Channel. “As the typhoon’s radius is onlyBy Shelley Shan

Eslite Spectrum’s online sales double amid level 3 alertBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterEslite Spectrum Corp (誠品生活), which runs the Eslite bookstore chain and department stores, has seen e-commerce sales double from June to last month compared with a year earlier, it said on Thursday, as online shopping soared during a nationwide level 3 COVID-19 alert earlier this year. The boost in online sales came as strict disease prevention regulations in May to curb local COVID-19 infections affected sales at traditional retail outlets. Eslite in December last year launched a new Web site and mobile app to further tap into the e-commerce market. Black card status is awarded to “gold card” members who make NT$50,000 in purchases, they said, adding that this low barrier to entry led to the rapid increase of black card members. Black card members on average make 1.2 purchases per week, both online and at retail outlets, they said.