Give a choice in vaccine brandBy Wang Fong-yu 王宏育Every year, Taiwan purchases about 7 million doses of influenza vaccines. By the end of the year, about 5 million to 6 million doses would have been used. This year, due to the “immunity debt” factor, a lot of people have recently been coming down with the flu, and there is quite a strong demand for flu vaccines. This year, a flu vaccine marketed by Taiwan’s Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp has been added to the list. The authorities have only bought 700,000 doses of the Medigen vaccine this year.

Ko to suggest cross-party committee to Hou, ChuStaff writer, with CNATaiwan People’s Party (TPP) presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) would communicate with New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, about forming a cross-party consultative committee before Thursday, Ko’s office said. Chen said Ko would talk to Hou and KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) about the planned consultative committee before Thursday to form a cross-party stance. Photo: CNAChen did not mention if Ko, Hou and Chu would meet in person. Chen said the proposed cross-party consultative committee would aim to ease concerns among KMT members that the TPP would take the entire government for itself, if the opposition camp wins the presidential election. However, further talks are unlikely to be arranged after Thursday if the KMT and Hou continue to insist on a primary instead of polling to select a presidential candidate, Chen added.

Nestle among companies facing back taxes in IndiaBloombergSeveral multinationals doing business in India are on the hook for significant back taxes, interest and potential penalty payments after the Indian Supreme Court overturned a lower court’s interpretation of tax treaty implementation. The companies were covered by tax treaties between India and the Netherlands, France and Switzerland — all three Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development members with a similar most favored nation clause in the treaties. Lower taxes paid or withheld based on the earlier interpretations might need to be topped up. “This will raise once again the issue of the lack of certainty for MNCs [multinational corporations] operating in India,” tax advocate Rohan Shah said. “Not notifying beneficial clauses or partly notifying or notifying after a length of time effectively amounts to a unilateral treaty override,” Kanabar said.

Supporters of former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif wave flags as they await his arrival at a park in Lahore yesterday. Photo: AFPIsrael says that about 1,500 Hamas fighters were killed in clashes before its army regained control of the area under attack. The crossing — the only one into Gaza not controlled by Israel — closed again after the trucks passed. “Much more” aid needs to be sent, he told a peace summit in Egypt yesterday. US President Joe Biden said he was “overjoyed” and thanked Qatar, which hosts Hamas’ political bureau, for its mediation in securing the release.

NTU votes against plan to establish new collegeAUTONOMY AT RISK? The plan is still up for discussion, but NTU representatives were worried that companies funding the college might exert their influence on itStaff writer, with CNANational Taiwan University (NTU) faculty and student representatives yesterday voted 59-51 to shelve a proposal to establish a college of international political economy, pending further discussion. NTU president Chen Wen-chang (陳文章), who proposed setting up the college on the university’s Taipei campus, told reporters after the vote that he was dismayed by the result. The plan was to establish degree programs focusing on the political economy, finance and the education of top executives — with all courses taught in English, he said. The NTU campus on Xuzhou Road, which used to house its College of Law and College of Social Sciences, has since been unused and needs to be revitalized, he added.

The impact was not merely discomfort; it is a wake-up call to the profound changes under way in our climate system. Like other island nations in the Pacific, Taiwan is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The El Nino experience this year should trigger the international community toward cooperation and concerted action, as no region is immune to the hostile impacts of climate change. Heightened public awareness and fully-fledged action against climate change are immediate needs. His research interests are climate change and non-state political violence.

The KMT farce: dreaming of NankeBY Fang Fu-chuan 方復權Ever since Taiwan held its first direct presidential election in 1996, there has been no democratic backsliding or public knavery of sharing political spoils for over a quarter of a century. Due to both parties’ uncompromising positions, the KMT has been subjected to the Taiwan People’s Party’s (TPP) humiliating and affronting behavior without daring to utter a complaint. As hopes of collaboration dwindle by the moment, the KMT is now accusing the TPP of refusing to cooperate. Has the KMT forgotten that it is the culprit and the one that landed itself in this quagmire in the first place? In a dream, he married the daughter of the Great Kingdom of Ashendon and became the governor of Nanke, achieving success in love and his career.

Ko, Gou and Hou are the three main opposition presidential candidates. Blue is the KMT’s party color, while white refers to the TPP. From left, New Party legislative candidates You Chih-pin, Wang Wan-pang and Mikakag Lifuk hold a news conference in Taipei yesterday. It would be dangerous for the KMT to even consider pursuing a KMT-TPP partnership without Hou in the picture, Jaw said, adding that Hou enjoys a support rating of at least 15 percent. “If he did, people need not vote for him; they can just vote for the DPP,” Jaw said.

Gaza conflict in class discussionsBy Liu Yung-chien 劉永健The Palestinian Islamic militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, leading to Israel’s declaration of war on and retaliation against Hamas. Many comments have been made from the perspectives of national defense, international relations and so on, with arguments supporting either side. In primary and secondary education, it could be a discussion topic for teachers to guide students to think deeply about the matter. Since most students have learned about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through various media formats, timely integration of the issues into discussions should facilitate their further understanding. I believe it would provide insight into our own history, as well as help students to better learn about international affairs.

Ko deceiving public with his fiscal boast, DPP saysBy Lin Che-yuan and Jason Pan / Staff reportersThe Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday accused Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) of financial mismanagement when he was Taipei mayor, rebutting the latter’s claim that he is the best in maintaining fiscal discipline and safeguarding taxpayers’ money. “Ko is deceiving the public, touting his abilities to govern, save taxpayers’ money and pay off the city government’s debt, while accusing the central government of profligate spending,” DPP spokesman Chang Chih-hao (張志豪) told a news conference in Taipei. Taiwan People’s Party Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Ko is known for his “eight big project failures,” which cost taxpayers more than NT$400 million, Chang said. Fourth is pursuing fiscal discipline, including stopping tax collections that have resulted in large surpluses in recent years.

Google eyes India for smartphonesAFP, NEW DELHIGoogle plans to manufacture its flagship Pixel 8 smartphone in India, Google chief executive officer Sundar Pichai said on Thursday, joining a growing list of global technolgy companies limiting their supply chains’ dependence on China. “We shared plans at #GoogleforIndia [event on Thursday] to manufacture Pixel smartphones locally and expect the first devices to roll out in 2024,” Pichai wrote on X. Google senior vice president Rick Osterloh said that the firm sees “an even greater opportunity to make Pixel smartphones available to more people” in India. The company intends to “start with the Pixel 8, and will partner with international and domestic manufacturers to produce Pixel smartphones locally,” the statement said. India, which is home to the second-highest number of smartphone users in the world after China, has set a target of producing about US$300 billion of local electronics and smartphones by 2025-2026.

Palestinians await aid trucks as Israel pounds GazaHUMANITARIAN CRISIS: US President Joe Biden announced a deal to provide aid for Gaza, starting with an initial 20 trucks carrying relief goods from EgyptAFP, GAZA CITY, Palestinian TerritoriesPalestinians in the war-torn Gaza City yesterday awaited the arrival of aid trucks promised under a deal US President Joe Biden struck with Egypt and Israel as the army struck more Hamas targets. Thousands of tonnes of aid bound for Gaza remained on the Egyptian side of the border on October 19, after US President Joe Biden struck a deal with Egypt and Israel to allow relief in. Trucks of a humanitarian aid convoy are parked outside border gate between Egypt and Gaza, in Rafah, Egypt, 19 October 2023. Volunteers from humanitarian aid organizations continued their sit-in in front of the Rafah border gate demanding the opening of the crossing and allowing humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. More than 100 trucks carrying aid goods have been queued for days on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing, the only entry or exit point to Gaza not controlled by Israel.

Muneo Suzuki’s Russian misstepsBy Chen Yung-chang 陳永昌At the beginning of this month, Japanese Councilor Muneo Suzuki, who is known for his pro-Russia stance, visited Moscow. Although it was his opinion, Suzuki’s controversial statement could become propaganda for Russia. His daughter, Takako Suzuki, who has been a Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker for four terms, is also an important figure. The Yomiuri editorial said that Muneo Suzuki had more than once advocated for appeasing Russia, but his party did nothing to intervene or discipline him. As the editorial said, it was precisely because of the cadre in the JIP that Muneo Suzuki was given free rein, allowing him to become increasingly arrogant and opinionated.

Four tips to prevent osteoporosisSUNLIGHT AND CALCIUM: The Health Promotion Administration offered four tips to help people slow the loss of bone mass in observance of World Osteoporosis Day Ahead of World Osteoporosis Day, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) yesterday said that people reach their peak bone mass around age 30 and it might slowly begin to drop afterward, so it offered four tips for people to maintain bone mass and prevent osteoporosis. World Osteoporosis Day is marked on Oct. 20 each year and this year’s campaign theme is “Building Better Bones Throughout Life,” the HPA said, adding that developing a higher peak bone mass at a younger age provides better protection against osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is considered a “silent” disease, which causes bones to become weak and brittle with lowerBy Lee I-chia

US academic wrong about TaiwanBy Gerrit van der WeesOn Monday, the New York Times published an analysis piece by Stanford University academic Oriana Skylar Mastro, titled “This is what America is getting wrong about China and Taiwan.”Regrettably, Skylar Mastro herself got some fundamentals wrong. Skylar Mastro is right that a delicate balance of deterrence and reassurance has been upset, but her solution of “easing China’s concerns” is headed in the wrong direction. One other important aspect is that Skylar Mastro presents her case as if the US and China can decide the fate of Taiwan between themselves only. A Taiwan controlled by China would represent an undesired sea change for those countries. Beijing needs to accept Taiwan as it is, and the international community needs to work harder to bring Taiwan into the family of nations, from which it has been excluded unfairly and unjustly.