Number of workers on furlough fell by 3,000 last weekStaff writer, with CNAThe number of furloughed workers in Taiwan dropped by 3,020 last week, due mainly to a tentative recovery in domestic tourism. The number of workers placed on furlough programs was 16,872 as of Wednesday last week, down from 19,892 the previous week, while the number of companies implementing unpaid leave programs fell to 2,605 from 2,990 during the period, Ministry of Labor data showed. The number of businesses in the sector implementing furlough programs fell from 325 in the first week of the month to 183 last week, she said. A total of 1,719 workers in the sector are still on furlough, which is 1,907 fewer than the 3,626 in the first week of the month. Although the number of companies implementing furloughs in the manufacturing sector fell from 181 in the first week of the month to 172 last week, the number of furloughed workers increased by 168, raising the number from 2,299 in the first week of the month to 2,467, she said.

Ukraine counteroffensive recaptures more groundAFP, KRAMATORSK, UkraineUkrainian forces yesterday said that their lightning counteroffensive took back more ground in the previous 24 hours, as Russia responded with strikes on some of the recaptured ground. Moscow yesterday announced air, rocket and artillery attacks on reclaimed areas in the Kharkiv region, a day after Kyiv said Russian strikes on electricity infrastructure caused power failures. Service members of the State Security Service of Ukraine inspect ammo and shells left by Russian soldiers in the recently liberated town of Izium, amid Russia`s attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, in this handout picture released September 12, 2022. Eastern parts of Ukraine were hit with widespread electricity blackouts on Sunday evening, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said deliberately hit civilian infrastructure. Images posted by the Ukrainian military showed crates of munitions and military hardware scattered across territory abandoned by Russian forces.

Hsinchu park canal returns to life after restoration projectBy Hung Mei-hsiu and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerA three-stage purification process used in Hsinchu City’s Gangnan Canal Park (港南運河公園) has significantly improved the environment and enlivened the canal, which had much of its life choked off by algae, the Hsinchu City Government said. The improved water conditions have made the park an attraction for canoeing, it added. People paddle canoes in Gangnan Canal Park in Hsinchu City in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of the Hsinchu City GovernmentThe plan was to landscape the entire canal shoreline to make it an attraction in the Hsinchu 17 Kilometer Coastline Scenic Area, which was completed in 2018. After a trial run of canoeing activities in 2019, the city government opened the canal for canoeing during this year’s three-day Mid-Autumn Festival long weekend.

“After Roland Garros, I was, of course, extremely happy, but also humble enough to think that could be my only final of my career,” Ruud said. Casper Ruud of Norway returns to Russia’s Karen Khachanov during their men’s singles semi-final at the US Open in New York on Friday. Russia’s Karen Khachanov returns to Casper Ruud of Norway during their men’s singles semi-final at the US Open in New York on Friday. Moments later came the point of the match, on Ruud’s third opportunity to end that set. “We both just refused to do a mistake, knowing how important that point is,” Ruud said.

Virtue signaling or pragmatism? The case of Israel highlights the more hypocritical aspects of Taiwan’s foreign policy. Taiwan’s strategy in promoting democratic principles as Asia’s so-called “beacon of democracy” is contradictory given its foreign relations. In resolving this contradiction, Taiwan should move away from virtue signaling and adopt a policy of political pragmatism, valuing reality over ideology. That is not to say that democratic values and humanistic principles should be undervalued or permanently discarded in its foreign policy agenda.

Japan and Palau tout peace in Taiwan StraitStaff writer, with CNAJapan and Taiwan’s Pacific ally Palau on Friday spoke of the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait while reaffirming their opposition to unilateral attempts to change the “status quo” in the Indo-Pacific region. Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meet in Tokyo on Friday. A security agreement China signed with the Solomon Islands, which switched allegiance from Taipei to Beijing in 2019, could have a “significant impact” on Pacific security, Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Yoshimasa Hayashi told a news conference during a visit to Palau in May. The US, Australia and New Zealand have also expressed similar concerns over the security pact that was signed in April. Whipps arrived in Tokyo on Wednesday for a four-day visit, his first trip to Japan since assuming office in January last year.

Native education for democracyBy Lee Chuan-hsin 李川信The Ministry of Education in 2002 established the Native Education Committee to draw up a blueprint and propose the development of a policy to implement native cultural education. Founded last year, the Center for Native Education integrates educational resources across Taiwan and publishes journals such as Newsletter of Taiwan Studies (台灣學通訊), Research in Taiwan Studies (台灣學研究) and ChaiTe Homeland Education (在地). To consolidate the foundations of native cultural education formed by the Taiwanese Cultural Association a century ago with the support of Taiwanese democracy pioneer Chiang Wei-shui (蔣渭水), the ministry invited experts and academics to attend a conference intended to be a retrospective of 30 years of native cultural education and to look to the future. Taiwan went through a linguistic dark age when native languages — such as Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese), Hakka and indigenous languages — of different ethnicities were suppressed. The government aspires to cultivate modern citizens with a humanistic spirit through the implementation and promotion of native cultural education.

A stack of floating Disney characters stars at Tainan eventBy Liu Tzu-hsuan / Staff writer, with CNAA 15m stack of inflatable Disney characters floating in a harbor is the centerpiece as the Mickey and Friends Chill in Tainan event began yesterday. The stack of characters from the Tsum Tsum range — a name derived from the Japanese verb tsumu meaning “to stack” — is illuminated at night. Photo: Hung Jui-chin, Taipei TimesThere are other themed exhibits and Disney pop-up shops at the wharf and its surrounding plaza. People are welcome to visit Anping during the Mid-Autumn Festival long weekend to enjoy the beautiful scenery and spend quality time with family, he said. For more information on the event, visit the Travel Tainan Web site or its Facebook page, and Disney Taiwan’s Facebook page and its Instagram account @disney_taiwan.

The Liberty Times Editorial: Taiwan’s cuisine hits world stageThe Michelin Guide, a benchmark in gastronomy, last month released its Bib Gourmand list featuring 141 inexpensive eateries in Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung. With promotion by international media, the quality and status of Taiwanese cuisine are likely to rise again. Taiwanese cuisine has officially arrived on the world stage. Taiwanese cuisine received perhaps its most significant boost when former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was elected in 2000. The inclusion of so many Taiwanese eateries in the latest edition of the Bib Gourmand list should help to foster mass appeal for Taiwanese cuisine.

Sit-ups urged to be ceased at schools on injury fearsBy Yang Cheng-yu and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Sports Administration should abolish sit-ups at schools, citing concerns that the exercise can cause spinal injuries in some, New Power Party Taoyuan City councilor candidate Lu Yu-chen (呂宇晟) said yesterday. Taiwanese are taught since childhood the misconception that sit-ups can train core strength, Lu said at a news conference. New Power Party member and personal trainer Lu Yu-chen, left, assists a person who is doing sit-ups. New Power Party lawmaker and city councilor candidate Lu Yu-chen, left, speaks during a news conference in the city yesterday. An amendment on regulations governing physical education at schools is being drafted specifically to address concerns about sit-ups and to make other changes, Pan said.

Taiwan Statebuilding Party secretary-general Wang Hsing-huan, center, speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. “The sovereignty of Taiwan belongs to all of us here, all the families and inhabitants of Taiwan,” Wang said. The pledge was launched on Monday by World United Formosans for Independence (WUFI) and other sovereignty support groups. This shows our strong resolve to act on our conviction, Wang Hsing-huan said. Wang Hsing-huan and Peter Wang criticized Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and possible presidential candidate for refusing to sign the pledge.

Nvidia gets partial easing on export rules to ChinaNvidia Corp said it has been given licenses to provide support to US customers in China and to allow it to complete development work there on its artificial-intelligence chips, a small concession in Washington’s latest push to shut off that country’s access to advanced technology. The US government has authorized the company to “perform exports needed to provide support for US customers of A100 through March 1, 2023,” a company filing on Thursday said. Nvidia has also been granted permission to transfer necessary technology to China for the development of its upcoming H100 products. These exports are authorized to be conducted

The France-based gourmet publication began evaluating restaurants in Taipei in 2018, with eateries in Taichung included in 2020. Michelin Guide inspectors expanded their culinary search this year by also evaluating restaurants in Tainan and Kaohsiung. Michelin yesterday morning unveiled its list for this year of 38 starred restaurants in Taiwan at the Mandarin Hotel in Taipei. Tainan was the only one of the four cities that did not have a restaurant with a star rating. Instead of expressing disappointment, peopleBy Shelley Shan

華語簡易通 EASY CHINESE FOR YOU! (II)對話 Dialogues玉玲：我打算做宮保雞丁。有沒有人不敢吃辣的？大雄：我最愛吃宮保雞丁，越辣越好吃。玉玲：靜香，妳能不能做一個湯？靜香：當然可以，你們想喝什麼湯？酸辣湯，怎麼樣？玉玲：呣！酸辣湯不錯。大雄：那，我帶一瓶紹興酒和水果。Yuling: I’d like to make Gongbao chicken. Daxiong: I love Gongbao chicken most. How about Sour and Hot Soup? Yuling: Hmm, Sour and Hot Soup sounds good.

Radar extension aims to maintain performance: expertsStaff writer, with CNAA proposal by the US government to extend a contract for an early warning facility in Hsinchu County aims to ensure that the system performs well, a military source said. The proposal involves Leshan Radar Station in Wufeng Township (五峰), the source said, but declined to comment on whether the package would involve upgrades to the system. It is worth watching whether the contract extension will involve upgrades, Lin said. The Leshan station sits at an altitude of 2,620m and can detect missiles fired within a range of 5,000km. It can also track cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, drones and ships within a 2,000km range.