Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) yesterday said it was imperative that her ministry and the mask companies alleged to have received kickbacks received justice. Former minister of the interior Lee Hong-yuan speaks at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei in an undated photograph. Photo: Chen Cheng-yu, Taipei TimesAppearing on a livestream with Internet celebrity Holger Chen (陳之漢) on Sept. 26, Lee said the government-appointed mask companies received a massive amount of kickbacks. Wang said the ministry would investigate whether it should launch a defamation suit against Lee. The associations demanded that Lee apologize and urged the public not to put stock in statements made by those with ulterior motives.

Limits of China’s sway in IsraelBy Sumit KumarThe killing of more than 1,300 innocent Israelis and other nationals in an unprecedented brutal terrorist attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, as well as the kidnapping of more than 150 soldiers and civilians, including women and children, has shaken the world. The genesis of the conflict between Israel and Palestine goes back to 1948, when the creation of Israel as an independent nation out of the British Mandate for Palestine led to the first Arab-Israel war. Although the international community has remained a votary of the establishment of an independent and sovereign state of Palestine, Hamas’ outrageous terrorist act has drawn worldwide condemnation. It is in this context that Taiwan has established a working group to draw lessons from the Hamas attack. While lessons from the Hamas attack can help Taiwan’s retaliatory capabilities, China’s cold-handed approach to the crisis in the Middle East and the US-led global support to Israel will be a big deterrent for Taiwan against China.

Former envoys disciplined over sexual harassmentUNWELCOME ADVANCES : A former representative to Manila was given a major demerit, while a former envoy to Thailand’s case is to be referred to the Control YuanStaff writer, with CNAFormer representatives to the Philippines and Thailand faced disciplinary action after the government said that sexual harassment allegations against them were credible, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. Former representative to the Philippines Michael Hsu (徐佩勇) was given a major demerit after the ministry’s sexual harassment complaint review committee found that an allegation against him from his tenure in Manila was credible, ministry spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) said. Former representative to the Philippines Michael Hsu is pictured in an undated photograph. Former representative to Thailand Chuang Suo-hang is pictured in an undated photograph. Chuang has denied engaging in sexual harassment.

EDITORIAL: Transparency in party politicsRepresentatives of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) met on Saturday to discuss a possible “blue-white alliance” to defeat the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in January’s presidential election. Transparency is a good thing, and the two sides were certainly being transparent about their intentions. His party stands to gain more legislative seats, and therefore political influence, if he makes a moral stand as an independent candidate. If Hou is the vice presidential candidate, the KMT would have become the third party, a corroboration of its terminal decline. For the KMT, Ko taking the presidential ticket is a non-starter; it would almost certainly prefer to walk away from the alliance.

India court declines to legalize gay marriagesAFP, NEW DELHIIndia’s top court yesterday declined to legalize same-sex marriages, but said the country had a duty to acknowledge LGBTQ relationships and to protect them from discrimination. A five-judge constitutional bench — set up to consider important questions of law — began hearing submissions seeking the legalization of same-sex marriages in April, with arguments completed in May. LGBTQ community supporters leave the Supreme Court after it ruled against legalizing same-sex marriages in New Delhi yesterday. “It lies within the domain of parliament and state legislatures to determine the law on marriage,” Supreme Court Chief Justice D.Y. However, the Hindu nationalist government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has staunchly opposed same-sex marriage, and said that any change was up to parliament, not the courts.

Ecuador’s youngest-ever president vows to ‘restore peace’AFP, QUITOCar horns in Quito blared in celebration on Sunday as banana empire heir Daniel Noboa, 35, became Ecuador’s youngest-ever president-elect, vowing to “restore peace” to a country ravaged by a bloody drug gang war. Supporters of Ecuadoran presidential candidate Daniel Noboa celebrate the results of the presidential runoff in Quito on Sunday. On Sunday, Noboa told supporters in his home town of Olon in the southwest his goal was “to restore peace ... to bring back education to the youth” and create jobs. Noboa is the son of one of Ecuador’s richest men, who himself has five failed presidential bids to his name. The president-elect, whose only political experience is two years as a lawmaker, calls himself “center-left,” but embraces neoliberal economic thinking.

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 DayBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterAhead 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 lower bone mass, and people are typically unaware that they have the disease until they break a bone, it said. The HPA offered four tips for maintaining bone mass: keeping a healthy diet with plenty of calcium, exercising, getting sufficient sunlight exposure and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. In addition, the HPA encouraged people to maintain a healthy body weight, avoid smoking and cut back on alcohol consumption to slow bone mass loss and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.

He said that although the enactment of the Development of National Languages Act (國家語言發展法) in 2019 had already ensured the national status of all local languages, the government should continue to make more constructive plans to keep these languages alive and thriving. This policy aims to guarantee students’ right to choose any national language they wish to learn, including Taiwan Sign Language. He said that as Taiwanese Hoklo, Hakka and all indigenous languages have already been declared national languages, public institutions should provide services in these languages to promote language equality. In February last year, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) promised to make all national languages more commonly spoken among families and local communities. All major political parties unanimously agree that local languages need saving.

China’s connection to Israel attacksBy Antonio GraceffoThe recent Hamas attack on Israel, with indirect financial support tied to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), raises questions about China’s positioning in the Middle East. It also highlights the ongoing significance of international backing for nations such as Taiwan, Israel and Ukraine. Furthermore, in addition to financial support from Iran, Hamas imposes taxes on all imports and exports in Gaza, further complicating the livelihoods of its citizens. In addition to providing military aid to Israel and Taiwan, the US has been funding the defense of Ukraine. Therefore, backing all three nations — Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan — becomes a highly effective strategy for upholding global peace.

Look to India on Chinese infiltrationBy Paul Lin 林保華On Oct. 3, police in New Delhi raided and searched the residences of several staff members of the NewsClick online news site and detained several of them for interrogation. It is one of the most active countries with respect to blocking suspicious Chinese companies. Consequently, the safest and most effective way for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to spread its propaganda in India is through US citizens. They are not economically and militarily strong enough to resist Chinese infiltration. If it were not for the US’ support, Taiwan would long ago have ceased to exist as a country, as Chinese infiltration would have turned it into something else.

Siraj rises from rickshaw driver’s son to Cup starAFP, AHMEDABAD, IndiaPaceman Mohammed Siraj said he feared his humble roots as the son of an auto-rickshaw driver would shatter his dreams of playing at the ICC Cricket World Cup. He dismissed opener Abdullah Shafique lbw for 20 and later claimed the prize wicket of Pakistan captain Babar Azam who had made 50. India’s Mohammed Siraj, left, celebrates after taking the wicket of Pakistan captain Babar Azam, right, during the ICC Cricket World Cup match in Ahmedabad, India, on Saturday. “To be honest I never thought that I would play a World Cup because I have come from so low” background, Hyderabad native Siraj told reporters. Siraj, whose rickshaw-driving father died in 2020, rose from his humble beginnings to play in the cash-soaked Indian Premier League.

On Sept. 28, Tsai launched the first of a new class of Republic of China (ROC) Navy SSKs, designated the Hai Kun class (SS-711). The Huilong weighs about 100 tonnes compared with the 2,500 to 3,000-tonne IDS vessels, and is 30m long and 3.6m wide compared with the IDS vessels, which are 70m long and 8m wide. With up to eight new ROC Navy submarines to be launched, it could wreak havoc on hostile forces around Taiwan, including its outlying islands. In a hypothetical PLA joint firepower strike operation, the submarines could target PLA Navy ships and submarines that could launch missiles at Taiwan. They could help protect Taiwan’s territorial waters by patrolling and sinking PLA Navy vessels that enter.

TPP rejects KMT’s primary proposalNEGOTIATIONS: As TPP presidential candidate Ko Wen-je’s office listed issues with the primary proposal, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi said it is scientific and democraticBy Huang Ching-hsuan / Staff reporterTaiwan People’s Party (TPP) chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) campaign office yesterday listed three issues with an open primary system proposed by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Hou You-yi’s (侯友宜) office, saying it respects the suggestion but cannot accept it. An open primary election would have three issues, namely under-representation, listing issues and limited preparation time, Ko’s office said. It is also difficult for the two parties to create a primary election list with accreditation and sufficient security in such a short time, it added. According to the KMT’s suggested timetable, the primary election should be completed by Nov. 10, which is 26 days away, it said, adding that the DPP adopted the same open primary system in 1995, and it took over six months to prepare to collect about 300,000 votes. Earlier yesterday, Hou said the open primary election has been used in many democratic countries for many years, including the US, France and South Korea.

Couple pose in front of Nantou trash heap to raise awarenessStaff writer, with CNAA Nantou County couple on Saturday took their wedding photographs in front of a “garbage mountain” to raise awareness of waste management problems in the mountainous central county. A Nantou couple pose for a wedding photograph in front of a pile of trash in Nantou County’s Puli Township on Saturday. Nantou Environmental Protection Bureau Director Lee Yi-shu (李易書) yesterday said that multiple townships in Nantou do not have landfills or permanent facilities for garbage. To truly resolve the issue and get its “garbage mountain” removed, Puli Township needs to designate space for a permanent landfill, he said. With a population of 477,000, Nantou produces about 2.62 million tonnes of garbage each day, it said.

Washington’s decision to stop approving licenses for US firms to export most chipmaking technology to Huawei elevated the US-China trade dispute to new heights. Further, the European Commission has demonstrated its resolution to protect its core technologies with a list of 10 critical technologies crucial to economic security. Koo said that the policy would elevate critical technology in supply chain and semiconductors to the level of national security, enabling it to face closer scrutiny. Therefore, the publication of a list of key Taiwanese technologies would provide a safety net and help ensure and protect Taiwan’s national security and economic interests. So far, the free world’s strategy to push back against China has been centered on national security, economic resilience, and democracy and sustainability.