The solar charkhas — which feature 12 spindles, double the number on her old wheel — are equipped with a motor and battery pack, and provided along with a 400 watt solar panel. Many women work at home, while others do so at production hubs in their villages which are run by local nonprofits. It is not just cotton spinners and weavers who are benefiting from solar energy in Uttar Pradesh. The Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA) said it had installed about 700 megawatts (MW) of solar off-grid capacity. Nonetheless, in the case of the solar charkhas initiative, he hailed their effects on local women in a short space of time.

EDITORIAL: Developing a better defense systemChina’s launching of missiles over Taiwan during military drills earlier this month was “irresponsible,” and something that must be contested, a senior US Navy official said on Tuesday. In Taiwan, news of the missiles went public only after a report by the Japanese Ministry of Defense, as five of the missiles landed in Japanese waters. That leaves the question of what can be done to prevent further ICBM launches over Taiwan. Such a system could also benefit South Korea and Japan, which face missile threats from North Korea. It is imperative that Taiwan work with the US and other friendly nations to take concrete actions now to prevent that from happening.

Women’s soccer in India faces an uncertain futureAFP, NEW DELHIIndia’s female soccer players are in despair and uncertain about the future after a FIFA ban saw the country stripped of a major international tournament and left its best team in limbo. The world soccer governing body has suspended the All India Football Federation until it regains full control of its daily affairs. Photo: ReutersThe indefinite suspension had an immediate impact on Indian soccer, men and women, from professional down to grassroots. They only learned about the FIFA suspension when their flight landed in Tashkent and have been barred from competing. The national team are ranked 58th in the women’s global rankings — the men are 104th — and Gokulam last year became the first Indian women’s team to qualify for the an AFC club competition.

PTT urges changes to proposed digital actBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterNoncommercial online platforms should not be regulated by the digital intermediary service act, the Professional Technology Temple (PTT) bulletin board system yesterday said in an information session organized by the National Communications Commission (NCC). Representatives of commercial platforms said that there are practical issues they would encounter should the draft act be enforced. “We believe that only the court has the authority to decide whether a certain message is disinformation or illegal content. Meta Platforms, which owns Facebook, told NCC officials that the draft act should establish an agency that is responsible for handling accountability issues of multiple stakeholders. Enforcement rules related to the draft act must be clear and effective, and conform to the principle of proportionality, while accountability mechanisms should be flexible to strengthen the digital economy, Meta said.

Advocates urge pardon in ‘compassionate killing’ caseBy Wang Chien-hao and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writerDisability advocates yesterday called for a presidential pardon for an elderly man convicted in a “compassionate killing” case, while asking for more support for people with cerebral palsy and their caregivers. Chen’s daughter, then 50 years old, was bedridden since childhood due to severe cerebral palsy and mental disability. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Charles Chen, center, and cerebral palsy advocates call for a presidential pardon for an elderly caregiver at a news conference at the legislature in Taipei yesterday. Huang said she fears that Chen’s case would be the “straw that breaks the camel’s back” that makes families of people with cerebral palsy lose hope. This case “was not the first, nor will it be the last,” Kaohsiung City Cerebral Palsy Association founding chairwoman Wang Kang-feng (王岡鳳) said.

NCC informs Meta of Cambodia-linked job opening scamsADS REMAINED ONLINE: A Taipei city councilor misrepresented the NCC’s authoritiy when she accused it of enabling the schemes, the agency saidBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterThe National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said it had communicated with Meta Platforms about a rising number of scam messages on Facebook. Ying said the ads remained online even though police have notified Meta about them. NCC Department of Broadcasting and Content Affairs Director Huang Wen-che (黃文哲) said that the councilor’s statement misrepresented the commission’s authority. The draft act authorizes the creation of a specialized organization to coordinate among different stakeholders, which ensures that such matters can be handled in a timelier manner,” he said. The commission said in a statement that controversies and illegal content on social media should be jointly tackled by government agencies.

Ministry urged to scrutinize Apple Daily data conductBy Chen Yu-fu and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Ministry of Culture should look into allegations that the new owner of the Apple Daily’s local branch is planning to transfer sensitive data to a new platform, Economic Democracy Union convener Lai Chung-chiang (賴中強) said yesterday. He is expected to offer Apple Daily employees contracts through his newly established local firm Long Cheng Creative Co Ltd (龍丞創意). If the local Apple Daily branch is to close down, it would have to remove all personal information from archived files, Lai said, citing the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法). If Phua seeks to “authorize” other entities to use the data, the Apple Daily would have to ask all people it has interviewed for consent to the transfer of their data, Lai said. Any unauthorized use of archived personal data gathered through research, subscriber data and Web domain names would breach the act, Lai said.

Nantou County commissioner candidate Hsu Shu-hua responds to plagiarism allegations in the county yesterday. Ho’s master’s degree also came under scrutiny, because the official election candidates’ information bulletin in 2014 showed that he only graduated from elementary school. However, he received a master’s degree from Asia University’s Department of Bioinformatics and Medical Engineering in 2016. The content of his master’s thesis was similar to that of his secretary’s at the time and they had the same adviser. He would accept the decision if the university revokes his master’s degree, because he was elected as councilor and speaker for his services and has gained people’s recognition.

Pilot union urges easing of restrictionsBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterThe Taoyuan Union of Pilots (TUP) yesterday called for a further easing of restrictions on aircrew members when they are at outstations, as many countries have adjusted or relaxed disease prevention policies against COVID-19. The union sent a letter with the request to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) and the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA). The union conducted a survey among members on Monday last week, Lee said. “This shows that a large percentage of aircrew contracted the disease in Taiwan rather than in other countries. “Aircrew have been subject to such strict disease prevention regulations for more than two years.

The agency made the remarks after an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Committee convened earlier in the day to discuss the plant’s plan to import more Australian coal. The plant has been searching for new sources of coal since a self-imposed ban on coal imports from Russia and Indonesia’s ban on coal exports have reduced the nation’s coal supplies. Photo: Wang Chun-chi, Taipei TimesThe plan to import more Australian coal would be necessary to maintain the plant’s operations, it said. The plant estimates that the firing process of Australian coal, which contains a high level of coal ash, would lead to a one-third increase of bottom ash and fly ash byproduct. To modify an already approved EIA, the plant would need to show that the total amount of pollutants would not increase when using more Australian coal.

China cuts rates amid weak recoveryLOCKDOWN TOLL: Weak retail sales were due to COVID-19 disruptions, as Beijing’s strict virus policy was expected to continue depressing consumer activity, an analyst saidAFP, BEIJINGChina’s central bank yesterday slashed key interest rates in a bid to kick-start the country’s stuttering economic recovery, as data showed factory output and retail sales for last month came in weaker than analysts’ expectations. The People’s Bank of China cut its policy rates, bringing its seven-day reverse repurchase rate — a key rate at which the central bank provides short-term liquidity to banks — to a new low. Photo: AFPThe world’s second-biggest economy saw a bounce in business activity as some COVID-19 restrictions eased in June, but the boost is fading and Beijing remains welded to a “zero COVID-19” policy of snap lockdowns and long quarantines, which has battered sentiment. Retail sales grew at a slower-than-expected 2.7 percent from a year earlier, down from 3.1 percent in June, while the urban unemployment rate fell to 5.4 percent, the bureau said. The country’s economic growth was just 0.4 percent on-year in the second quarter — its slowest rate since the initial COVID-19 outbreak.

Southeast Asia safety net needed for travelersBy Jeng Shann-yinn 鄭善印It is disconcerting to learn of employment scams in Cambodia, in which some Taiwanese were “sold,” sexually assaulted, locked up and beaten. I once met an overseas liaison officer the bureau had sent to Japan. Once an emergency occurs to a Taiwanese in Southeast Asia, other than Thailand, they might not be able to find help. Police liaison officers are less politically sensitive than other liaison officers from the diplomatic, legal, military and security agencies, as they are responsible for handling criminal affairs only. With their experience in the field, strong physique and discipline, police liaison officers could be a low-cost diplomatic force.

Taiwanese doubt war with China is imminent‘ORDINARY PEOPLE’: A man watching Taiwanese military drills said that there would be nothing anyone could do if the situation escalates in the Taiwan Strait Many people in Taiwan look upon China’s military exercises over the past week with calm resignation, doubting that war is imminent and if anything, feeling pride in their nation’s determination to defend itself. After a visit to Taiwan last week by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, China has sent ships and aircraft across an unofficial buffer between Taiwan and China’s coast and missiles over Taipei and into waters surrounding the nation since Thursday last week. However, Rosa Chang, proudly watching her son take part in Taiwanese military exercises that included dozens of howitzers firing shells into the Taiwan Strait offBy Ann Wang and I-Hwa cheng

Indian investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala dies at 62Reuters, MUMBAIStock investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, dubbed “India’s Warren Buffett” with an estimated net worth of US$6 billion, died early yesterday at age 62, his family said. Billionaire investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala poses for a photograph after an interview in Mumbai, India, on Nov. 14, 2017. The promoter of India’s newest airline, ultra low-cost Akasa Air, Jhunjhunwala appeared days ago at its public launch. They include Tata Motors Ltd, watchmaker Titan Co Ltd, Tata Communications Ltd and Indian Hotels Co, which runs the Taj hotel brand. “Rakesh Jhunjhunwala was indomitable,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on Twitter.

Asia analysts expect biggest profit drop since 2018BloombergAsian stocks just cannot catch a break. Earnings per share for MSCI Asia Pacific Index members slid 16 percent in the three months through June from a year earlier, the steepest decline in eight quarters, analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg Intelligence showed. Photo: AFPThe prospect of dwindling profits adds to the negatives that have dragged the MSCI Asia Pacific Index down almost 16 percent this year, putting it on course for its worst annual performance since 2018. “All the elements are not in place for a sustainable up-move,” said Rajat Agarwal, an Asia equity strategist at Societe Generale SA. A slowdown in China is one of the major factors pushing down regional earnings, particularly as Chinese firms make up about 20 percent of the MSCI Asia gauge.