European Parliament member Raphael Glucksmann, president of the European Parliament’s Special Committee on Foreign Interference in all Democratic Processes in the EU, including Disinformation, speaks at a news conference in Taipei on Friday. Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, EPA-EFEAlthough it was not the first time that European Parliament members have visited Taiwan, it was the first official delegation sent by the European Parliament, Glucksmann said. Asked how supporting Taiwan benefits the EU, Glucksmann said that supporting democracies against authoritarian regimes is in the long-term interest of the EU and is an issue of principle. It is also because of China’s aggression that Europe has stepped up its cooperation with Taiwan, he added. Glucksmann said that he would continue to push for closer ties between the EU and Taiwan, and advocate for a bilateral investment agreement.

Ministry working to fight Chinese cognitive warfareALREADY COVERED: All scenarios in a Reuters report on a possible Chinese attack have already been discussed by the defense ministry and Pentagon officials, an analyst saidBy Wu Su-wei and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer and CNAThe Ministry of National Defense yesterday said that it is combating Chinese Communist Party (CCP) cognitive warfare efforts against Taiwan. The ministry said it has submitted guidelines to the Legislative Yuan to define cognitive warfare efforts by foreign powers and to outline the military’s actions to combat it. Photo: EPA-EFE / the Ministry of National DefenseThe CCP engages in cognitive warfare with Taiwan through the use of propaganda, fake social media accounts, content farms and Taiwanese collaborators, it said. The possible scenarios regarding a Chinese attack discussed in the report have all been previously discussed between the ministry and US officials at the Pentagon, he said. “Taiwan should also play to its strengths in information technology, and invest more in its electronic warfare capabilities,” he said.

John J. Tkacik, Jr. On Taiwan: Taiwan’s ‘meaningful participation’Ironically, October 25, 2021, was a milestone in Taiwan’s “meaningful participation” in the international community. In fact, the United States voted against China’s admission under Resolution 2758 explicitly because the resolution also expelled Taiwan. And now, the US insists on Taiwan’s “meaningful participation” in international organizations. But what, pray tell, is “meaningful participation”? Not only is the US lending weight to Taiwan’s international aspirations, Europe’s parliaments, Australia and the new government in Japan are also supportive.

Oil falls for second week as US, Saudi Arabia sparBloombergOil pared its weekly loss as Saudi Arabia cranked up prices for its global crude exports and the US demurred on a potential release of oil from the strategic reserve. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) shaved its weekly loss to 2.75 percent, rising sharply late in the session on Friday, after Saudi Arabia raised the official selling price of all the nation’s crudes to buyers around the globe. Photo: AFPSaudi Arabia boosted its prices just days after refusing to concede to US pressure to pump more oil. The increase in Saudi Arabian Oil Co prices suggests Saudi Arabia sees demand still improving, particularly in Asia where a resurgence in COVID-19 cases seeded doubt about the recovery’s strength, she added. For months, Biden has led calls for OPEC+ to add more barrels to tame high oil prices.

From Nigeria to India, Gen Z uses apps to investBy Nivrita Ganguly / AFP, MUMBAI, IndiaThere are a new generation of investors in town. College student Ishan Srivastava checks stocks on his computer while trading on apps on his smart phone in Ghaziabad, India. Photo: AFPSrivastava uses a handful of Indian trading apps from companies including Zerodha and Upstox, and often recevies his financial advice from YouTube. Trading apps have lowered the barriers to entry for youngsters in part by offering fractional trade. Some young investors have already been burned.

US senators introduce resolution to back Lithuanian efforts to boost Taiwan tiesStaff writer, with CNA, WASHINGTONTwo US senators on Friday introduced a resolution to support Lithuania’s efforts to bolster its ties with Taiwan as China increases pressure on the Baltic state for improving its relations with Taipei. The resolution was proposed by US Senator Jim Risch, a Republican and a member of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and US Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat and chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation. The resolution commends Lithuania for boosting its ties with Taiwan, recognizes the bold steps it has taken to highlight the malign actions of China, and encourages nations around the world to support Lithuania and confront Chinese coercion. The resolution says China has blocked Taiwan from meaningfully participating in international organizations with the goal of diplomatically isolating the nation. It is the latest effort by Washington to support Lithuania’s improving ties with Taiwan.

Covid-19: Indonesia’s economic growth slows amid outbreakBloombergIndonesia’s economy decelerated in the third quarter as harsh lockdowns to contain a record spike in COVID-19 cases outweighed higher commodity prices and trade. That below the median estimate of 3.88 percent in a Bloomberg survey of economists and the government’s projection of 4.5 percent. People work in a tofu production facility in Jakarta, Indonesia, yesterday. Meanwhile, the global economic recovery improved, including in trade partner countries, while commodity prices rose, he said. Exports in the third quarter rose 51 percent from a year ago to US$61.4 billion, the statistics office said, while imports rose 47 percent to US$48.2 billion.

Cabinet approves bill to extend tax exemption for EVsStaff writer, with CNAThe Cabinet on Thursday approved a draft amendment to the Vehicle License Tax Act (使用牌照稅法) that would extend a tax exemption for electric vehicles (EVs) for four years until the end of 2025. Article 5 of the act stipulates that municipal, county or city governments can exempt electric vehicles from the tax until Dec. 31. The amendment would extend that exemption until Dec. 31, 2025, the Ministry of Finance said in a statement. The ministry also submitted a proposed draft amendment to the Commodity Tax Act (貨物稅條例) to the Cabinet for approval, Su said. The amendment would similarly extend a commodity tax exemption for electric vehicles and motorcycles, which expires on Dec. 31 this year, for another four years until the end of 2025.

Sudan military to free ministersINCOMING ‘TECHNOCRATS’: An adviser said the military in Sudan has no problem with a return of the prime minister, but the pre-coup situation must not be reinstalledAFP, KHARTOUMSudan’s army chief on Thursday ordered the release of four civilian ministers detained since he led a military coup last month as international pressure mounted to restore the democratic transition. “The government formation is imminent.”Hours later, Sudan TV said that Burhan had ordered the release of four officials: Hashem Hassabalrasoul, Ali Geddo, Hamza Baloul and Youssef Adam. South Sudanese presidential adviser Tut Gatluak, who heads a mediation delegation, said that the order to free the ministers came after separate meetings with Burhan and Hamdok, who remains under effective house arrest. Sudan has since August 2019 been ruled by a joint civilian-military council as part of the now derailed transition to full civilian rule. On Thursday, small gatherings of protesters rallied in neighborhoods across Khartoum chanting: “Down with military rule.”

Chinese ex-official forced tennis star into sex: PengReuters, BEIJINGFormer world No. The Chinese State Council Information Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment, including for comment from Zhang. Discussions of the hashtag surged around the time of Peng’s post, but later plummeted as posts on the topic were deleted. While Peng’s Sina Weibo account remained available, with earlier posts visible, the comment and repost functions were disabled. Peng was the world No.1 doubles player in 2014, the first Chinese player to achieve a top ranking, after she and Hsieh, also No.

Bulgaria miners brace for shutdownAFP, STARA ZAGORA, BulgariaNikolay Dinev, 34, has worked as a coal miner for 12 years, but now faces an uncertain future as an EU-wide exit from coal is discussed at the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland. The closure is inevitable,” Dinev told Agence France-Presse on the outskirts of the Maritsa East complex in central Bulgaria. Sheep graze in front of the Maritsa East II coal-powered plant in Kovachevo, Bulgaria, on Friday last week. Miners’ trade unions protested in the capital, Sofia, calling for the government to save the sector that employs about 30,000 people. The planned shutdown is likely to affect Bulgaria as a whole.

NSB’s Chen says no negotiation ‘under threat of force’By Aaron Tu and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerTaiwan would not negotiate with China under the threat of force, National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Chen Ming-tong (陳明通) told lawmakers yesterday. Chen cited the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例). “However, this government will never take part in a negotiation under the threat of military force, even if it had been duly authorized to do so,” Chen said, adding that Taiwan would by no means give up its pride. While a limited war over the Pratas Islands was part of the PLA’s strategic plan, the communist leadership rejected it following an internal debate, Chen said. It is the duty of soldiers to lay down their lives for the country if necessary, Chen said.

The 13-person delegation is visiting Taiwan on a three-day trip, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Premier Su Tseng-chang, seventh right, meets members of a 13-person delegation from the European Parliament in Taipei yesterday. This year, the European Parliament has passed 12 resolutions friendly to Taiwan, showing that Taiwan-EU relations are becoming ever closer, Chang said. European Union Centre in Taiwan executive director Marc Cheng (鄭家慶) told the Taipei Times by telephone that while other European lawmakers have visited, this group got more attention due to the timing and nature of the visit. While the European Parliament is playing an increasingly important role in the bloc and can influence its budget, whether its resolutions can sway the EU’s overall policies remains to be seen, he said.

Facebook to scrap facial recognition, kill user dataThe GuardianFacebook is to delete the “faceprints” of more than 1 billion people after announcing that it is shutting down its facial recognition system due to the “many concerns” about using the technology. In a statement, Meta, Facebook’s parent company, said that it would shut down facial recognition on the platform over the coming weeks and delete 1 billion facial recognition templates. “Amid this ongoing uncertainty, we believe that limiting the use of facial recognition to a narrow set of use cases is appropriate.”If users have opted into the face recognition setting, the faceprint used to identify them is to be deleted. If the face recognition setting is turned off, Meta said that there is no faceprint to delete. Complaints had also been filed with the US competition regulator and in 2012, a Facebook application to introduce facial recognition in the EU had to be withdrawn because no provision had been made to gain European users’ consent.

Gaming giant Epic to shut down Chinese version of ‘Fortnite’ following crackdownAFP, BEIJINGUS tech giant Epic Games Inc has said it would shut down its popular survival game Fortnite in China, months after authorities imposed a series of strict curbs on the world’s biggest gaming market as part of a sweeping crackdown on the technology sector. “Fortnite China’s Beta test has reached an end, and the servers will be closed soon,” Epic Games said in a statement. The move brings an end to a long-running test of Epic’s version of Fortnite specifically created for the Chinese market, where content is policed for excessive violence. The Chinese test version was released in 2018, but Fortnite never received the government’s green light for a formal launch as approvals for new games slowed. The announcement about Fortnite was met with sadness from fans in China, who took to social media to mourn the loss of the game.