Nonprofit SneakCoeurZ is in the business of sorting the shoes to check which ones can be resold or redistributed and which have to be rejected. It says it collected 30,000 pairs of used sneakers last year and resold 2,000 pairs and wants to scale up that process. Refashion, the French government-approved eco-organization for clothing, household linen and footwear, says 259 million pairs of shoes were sold in France in 2024. At its workshop in Champs-sur-Marne, workers for SneakCoeurZ inspect the used shoes and check which can be salvaged. Used sneakers are stored in a room of SneakCoeurZ on Wednesday before they go on to find a new life.

Tech firms are increasingly involved in helping the US Department of Defense with everything from cloud computing to artificial intelligence (AI) powered drones. Anduril president Matthew Steckman said Monday that it was providing “one of the main defense systems” against Iran’s low-cost, long-range Shahed drones. Investors and tech companies have “moved from being hostile to skeptical to neutral, from neutral to positive on the idea that Silicon Valley, like every other part of industry, has to support the warfighter,” Karp said. Last year, private equity invested a record US$49 billion in defense technology companies, nearly twice 2024’s US$27 billion, PitchBook said. Funding has never been an issue for the US Department of Defense, which has the world’s largest defense budget by far — US$962 billion for this fiscal year.

India only has three true luxury malls: two in New Delhi — the Emporio and the Chanakya, owned by real estate developer DLF, and the Jio World Plaza in Mumbai, owned by the Reliance conglomerate. A woman walks inside Galeries Lafayette, the French luxury department store, in Mumbai, India, on March 10. The shortage of high-end mall space has resulted in notable gaps in India’s luxury market. Several leading brands such as Patek Philippe and Loro Piana have no physical stores in India. It is not uncommon for brands to have 40-50 stores in China, including Louis Vuitton and Gucci.

Court convicts pair over sale of data of ChineseBy Pao Chien-hsin and Jason Pan / Staff reportersThe Kaohsiung branch of the High Court has convicted a man surnamed Liu (劉) and a woman surnamed Hong (洪) for online purchases and resales of the private data of Chinese citizens. Liu and Hong were sentenced to five months and six months respectively for contravening the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法), the court said. They purchased the data from a Chinese contact who used the handle “Baoma Database” (寶媽數據庫), it said. Police were investigating a fraud complaint submitted by a man surnamed Tseng (曾), who implicated the trio, the court said. Authorities searched a rented premises in Kaohsiung in September 2021, seizing material pertaining to the investigation, including devices containing the personal data, it said.

The ministry a day earlier unveiled an online platform to promote reuse of shopping bags. Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming, fourth left, attends an event at Jianguo Holiday Flower Market in Taipei yesterday. Jianguo Flower Market Vendor Council director Chang Hsueh-tan (張學潭) said the market has been promoting shopping bag reuse in cooperation with the ministry since August last year. The ministry’s plastic reduction plan is not a mandatory policy, but a simple practice that people can apply in everyday life, he said. At least 15,000 people brought their own shopping bags to the market over the period, 5,000 reusable bags at the market were taken, while the market collected more than 10,000 bags, the data showed.

Famed forensic scientist Henry Lee dies at 87APHenry Lee (李昌鈺), the famed forensic scientist who helped bring modern crime scene investigation into the public spotlight through his involvement in high-profile cases such as the O.J. Simpson murder trial, has died. Lee rose to fame after his testimony in Simpson’s 1995 trial, in which he questioned the handling of blood evidence. Henry Lee inspects a bullet hole in Tainan on April 9, 2004, on the car then-president Chen Shui-bian was riding on during an attempted assassination a few weeks before. Lee visited Taiwan in April 2004 to conduct his own forensic analysis of the assassination attempt on then-president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and then-vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) which had happened a few weeks earlier.

Rail services resume after major faultNEW TAIPEI CITY: Taiwan Railway said that 201 services were affected, resulting in cumulative delays of 342 hours, 30 minutes, adding that tickets can be refundedBy Wu Liang-yi / Staff reporter, with CNATaiwan Railway Corp resumed normal services yesterday after major delays the previous day due to an electrical fault between Shulin (樹林) and Yingge (鶯歌) stations in New Taipei City. Services were suspended at 9:17am on Friday after a fault was reported at Shanjia Station (山佳), it said. Taiwan Railway Corp personnel work on a line between Shulin and Yingge stations in New Taipei City on Friday. In addition, Taiwan High Speed Rail dispatched two trains with non-reserved seats to run during rush hour. Taiwan Railway said that 201 services were affected by the fault, resulting in cumulative delays of 342 hours, 30 minutes.

He made the remarks at the Civil Defense Convention in Taipei hosted by civic organizations. Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim, fifth right, Deputy Minister of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan, fourth right, and other people pose for a photograph at the Civil Defense Convention in Taipei yesterday. Taiwan would remain vulnerable to such tactics if the armed forces, police, firefighters and civil defense capabilities work separately, with no communication or cooperation, he said. In response to that, the Ministry of the Interior has been promoting interoperability since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, he added. Kuma Civil Defense Education Association chair Liu Wen (劉文) said that nearly 100,000 Taiwanese participated in the academy’s civil defense training since 2021, coalescing grassroots efforts to defend the nation against foreign aggression.

Crew sentenced in drugs smuggling case near PratasBy Huang Chia-lin / Staff reporterA joint Taiwan-US operation last year uncovered a drug trafficking case valued at over NT$2 billion (US$62.74 million), with the suspects sentenced recently. Crew members were observed throwing bagged items into the sea, apparently attempting to destroy evidence, they said. The coast guard boarded the vessel, the sources said, adding that 53 bags of suspected drugs were seized and five bags of suspected drug remnants were recovered from the sea. Two Taiwanese men, Yeh Chun-yu and Wang Wei-tse (王偉哲), as well as nine Burmese crew members were arrested, the sources said, adding that methamphetamine and ketamine were recovered. The other eight crew members were convicted as accomplices and each sentenced to three years in prison, after which the foreigners would be deported, it said.

Monkeys defeat Brothers to open CPBL’s 37th seasonStaff writer, with CNAThe 2026 edition of Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) season opened with the Rakuten Monkeys winning 3-2 against the CTBC Brothers at the Taipei Dome yesterday. That title marked the Monkeys’ eighth CPBL championship and the first since Rakuten took over the team in 2020. More than 40,000 fans attend the opening game for the Chinese Professional Baseball League’s 37th season, a clash between the Rakuten Monkeys and the CTBC Brothers at the Taipei Dome yesterday. The Rakuten Monkeys won 3-2. Currently, the Taipei Dome has planned to host 58 games for the 2026 season, with the Saturday Monkeys-Brothers match being the opener.

No action on Taichung airport project, councilor saysBy Su Meng-chuan, Chang Hsuan-che and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writerThe Taichung City Government should be admonished for its inaction over the Taichung International Airport Gateway Project, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taichung City Councilor Yang Tien-chung (楊典忠) said on Friday during a review of the project. International flight routes serving Taichung have increased to 26 and there has been a steady rise in travelers using the airport, Yang said. Democratic Progressive Party Taichung City Councilor Yang Tien-chung holds documents at the Taichung City Council on Friday. Some Taichung councilors have complained that public transportation serving the city’s central Fengyuan District (豐原) is severely lacking, he said. DPP Taichung Councilor Wang Li-jen (王立任) said that the lack of progress on the project, despite the growth in travel to Taichung, highlights the city government’s failure to keep up with demand.

Mexico rushing stadium reopenREUTERSWorkers are hammering, cranes are swinging and seats are being bolted into place — but the clock is ticking. Mexico City’s famous Azteca stadium, reborn as Estadio Banorte, is in a frantic race to be ready for its grand reopening on Saturday. Banorte Stadium, formerly Azteca Stadium, in Mexico City is to host the FIFA World Cup opener between Mexico and South Africa on June 11. Workers at Banorte Stadium in Mexico City work to complete renovations to the stadium on Thursday before a game scheduled days away. Photo: BloombergIt would become the first stadium to host matches at three World Cups, having done so in 1970 and 1986.

Coast guard says Taiwanese boat in Xiamen, crew safeStaff writer, with CNAThe Coast Guard Administration confirmed yesterday that a Taiwanese fishing vessel was docked at Zhangzhou Port in China’s Xiamen City, but did not comment on reports that the boat had been involved in illegal activities. 8 departed Taiwan’s Magong Harbor at noon on Monday with seven crew members aboard — three Taiwanese and four Indonesians — the coast guard said in a statement. It issued the statement after the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported that the Taiwanese boat had appeared off the coast of Xiamen and had been escorted into Zhangzhou Port by a China Coast Guard ship. The Coast Guard Administration did not respond to those allegations, saying that the boat owner and relatives of the crew members had no information about the situation. The Mainland Affairs Council said that information from the coast guard indicated that the vessel was impounded by Chinese authorities, but its crew were safe.

Mercedes set up for hot Japanese Grand PrixAFPKimi Antonelli takes pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix ahead of team-mate George Russell on Saturday as Mercedes tightened their stranglehold on the new Formula One season. The Silver Arrows have claimed one-two finishes at both grand prix races so far this year and they were again ahead of the field in dry conditions in Suzuka. Mercedes` Andrea Kimi Antonelli, right, celebrates after qualifying in pole position with teammate George Russell, left, in second place. “Super-happy with the session, it was a good one, it was a clean one,” said Antonelli, who won in Shanghai for his maiden grand prix victory. Max Verstappen, who has won the Japanese Grand Prix for the past four years, dropped out in Q2 and starts 11th on the grid.

Cabinet defense budget good for regional security contribution: GreeneStaff writer, with CNAThe United States’ representative to Taiwan reiterated his support for the NT$1.25 trillion (US $39 billion) special defense budget proposed by the Cabinet in a recent TV interview, saying it would help Taiwan adapt to modern warfare and contribute to regional security. In an interview with TVBS that aired yesterday, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Raymond Greene said he perceived cross-party commitment to Taiwan’s security, and he hopes Taiwan’s Legislature will review defense budgets in the same spirit. Photo: Screengrab from TVBS’ YouTube channelThose include integrated air and missile defenses, distributed command and control, communications facilities, and anti-ship or anti-armor capabilities, Greene said. Asked to comment on Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s (蕭美琴) recent remark that the special budget, which includes drone production and other local initiatives, was the result of extensive consultations between Taipei and Washington, Greene confirmed Hsiao’s statement. The special budget was planned with “changing character of warfare” in mind -- for example the war in Ukraine, he said.