EDITORIAL: Ko, education ministry out of touchThe Ministry of Education this week repeatedly apologized for a video it released last month promoting the government’s “National Childcare Policy for Ages 0-6,” which had triggered strong reactions from anime, manga and figurine fans who said it disrespected people’s hobbies and preferences. In the 30-second video, a married couple with their two young children visit the husband’s mother, whom he secretly hands some cash, asking her to pay the delivery person when the action figure he ordered arrives. The ministry on Saturday last week took the video down and apologized the next day. Many online commenters and legislators have criticized Ko and the ministry for showing ignorance and discrimination against anime and manga fans, and a general disdain for personal interests and hobbies. To win over young adults, politicians and government agencies should first show respect for diversity and be willing to listen and learn about their situations and needs, rather than unilaterally deciding what is best for them.

Taiwan People’s Party residential candidate Ko Wen-je’s campaign chief of staff Vivian Huang, second right, and executive officer of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Hou You-yi’s office King Pu-tsung, second left, show a joint agreement reached in their meeting in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei TimesThe TPP suggested that opinion polls should be used to determine who is the strongest candidate. The polls — conducted by five agencies — should be conducted half via landline interviews and half via cellphone, the TPP said. The polls should compare the favorability of the KMT and TPP candidates against top candidates from other parties, with a decision made by averaging the results, it said. Vice President William Lai (賴清德), the DPP’s presidential candidate, is prepared, but said the TPP and the KMT are fomenting panic.

Pakistan’s poor return to villages as prices spiralBy Zofeen Ebrahim and Waqar Mustafa / Thomson Reuters Foundation, KARACHI and LAHORE, PakistanSalma Faheem has not spoken to her husband, Mohammed, since June. “I loved it in Karachi.”People shop at a market in Karachi, Pakistan, on June 26. Cash-strapped Pakistan’s US$350 billion economy is in meltdown with low growth, a weak currency and spiraling prices. His wages as a water filter and sanitary fittings installer could no longer cover rent, utilities, medical expenses and tuition in the city. “These are responsive systems, which we do not yet have and would need to work towards,” Gazdar said.

The ministry cited Ministry of Health and Welfare statistics on the top 10 causes of death last year as the basis for its calculation. If malignant tumors could be removed, life expectancy could increase to 83.16 years, it said. Heart disease ranked second in the top 10 causes of death last year, with life expectancy rising by 1.37 years if it were eradicated, the interior ministry said. The COVID-19 pandemic ranked third and if the disease could be removed entirely, life expectancy could rise to 80.64 years, or an increase of 0.8 years. Men are more prone to die from malignant tumors, heart disease, COVID-19, pneumonia, cerebrovascular diseases, accidents and chronic lower respiratory diseases, data showed.

De Kock stars as Proteas rout AustraliaAFP, LUCKNOW, IndiaQuinton de Kock on Thursday hit his second successive century at the World Cup as South Africa sent five-time champions Australia crashing to a 134-run defeat. After the Proteas had made 311-7, Australia lost six wickets with just 70 on the board and then focused solely on attempting to limit the damage to their net run rate. South Africa’s Quinton de Kock plays a shot against Australia in their ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup match in Lucknow, India, on Thursday. Photo: AFPFor South Africa, it was a second win in two games, while Australia have lost both of their matches. Australia, who lost by six wickets to India in their opener, saw five catches dropped when South Africa batted.

Nanya reports biggest loss in a yearWAITING FOR AI: Nanya Technology attributed losses to costs for idle manufacturing equipment, but said it has seen signs that the slump is nearing its bottom Nanya Technology Corp (南亞科技) yesterday reported its biggest quarterly loss in about a year, but the DRAM chipmaker said it has seen nascent signs indicating that the slump is close to bottoming out as rising demand is propping up chip prices. Nanya Technology expects an improvement in demand for advanced DDR5 memory chips driven by growing demand for artificial-intelligence (AI) computing for enterprise cloud centers. The company expects to see a rebound in smartphone sales in China this quarter and better PC demand following the launch of new chips by Intel Corp, it said. Strong demand for Huawei Technologies Co’s (華為)By Lisa Wang

Boosting Taiwan’s reading cultureBy Jerome C. Su 蘇正隆There has been extensive discussion recently about Cheng Da bookstore’s decision to close all of its branches. The campaign’s organizers hoped that the presidential candidates, by purchasing and reading books, could set an example for the public to follow, while generating policies favoring the publishing industry and thinking of ways to elevate reading culture more broadly. In 2014, after 10 years of development, South Korea implemented a fixed book pricing system, and the policies have now been in effect for the better part of a decade. According to this system, books are generally not discounted within the first 18 months of publication. The fixed book pricing system was accompanied by a coordinated set of measures, including the establishment of a supervisory board responsible for inspecting violations and ensuring reasonable prices.

Indigenous people underrepresentedBy Kuo Chun-yen 郭俊巖Taiwan’s major political parties are engaged in intense campaigning for next year’s presidential and legislative elections. From the perspective of Taiwanese ethnic groups, every time there is an election, indigenous people can do little but watch from the sidelines. After elections, the inaugurations of new presidents, legislators and ministers seem to have nothing to do with them, with the exception of whoever wins the six indigenous legislative seats and whoever becomes minister of the Council of Indigenous Peoples, which are normally allocated to indigenous people. No matter which party is in power, the disadvantages indigenous people face in political participation does not improve. The idea of legislators-at-large is to allow parties to recommend experts or representatives of underrepresented groups to uphold the ideal of taking care of disadvantaged people and ethnic minorities.

Israel readies ground operation, targets Hamas headsAFP, JERUSALEMThe Israeli army yesterday said it was preparing for a ground assault on Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, but that the country’s political leaders had not yet taken a decision. It said the military’s campaign against Hamas was also aimed at “taking out” the group’s senior leadership, including top government officials. “We are waiting to see what our political leadership decides about a potential ground” incursion, army spokesman Richard Hecht told reporters. Photo: AFP“This has not been decided yet ... but we are preparing for a ground maneuver if it is decided,” he added. Israel’s air campaign has also so far killed at least 1,354 people in the Gaza Strip, the Hamas-affiliated health ministry said.

The city’s government has said it will sell iron manhole covers to members of the public for the first time, according to the Mainichi Shimbun. According to media reports, new manhole covers cost around ￥60,000 each. In 2018, it came up with the idea of commercializing the items when it invited firms to advertise on manhole covers in an attempt to finance its heavily indebted sewage management system. Japan’s artistic manhole covers are embellished with thousands of colorful illustrations of everything from local landmarks, famous natives, festivals and flora and fauna. According to Kyoto’s water supply and sewerage bureau, the city is home to about 160,000 manhole covers.

Rohit hits record century as India beat AfghanistanAFP, NEW DELHICaptain Rohit Sharma on Wednesday surpassed compatriot Sachin Tendulkar with a record seventh World Cup century to lead India to a crushing eight-wicket win over Afghanistan. India’s Rohit Sharma hits a four against Afghanistan in their ICC Cricket World Cup match at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters“Special to get a World Cup hundred. Rohit hit the ball to all parts of the ground as he reached 1,000 World Cup runs and then went past Chris Gayle’s record of 553 sixes across all international formats. Jasprit Bumrah posted his best World Cup bowling figures of 4-39.

The average number of hospitalized moderate-to-severe COVID-19 cases last week was 39 per day, slightly higher than the average of 35 per day the previous week, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳) said. One of the severe flu cases reported last week was a four-month-old boy, marking the youngest severe case of this flu season, CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said. There were 2,537 new local dengue cases reported last week, with 2,248 cases in Tainan, 168 in Kaohsiung, 50 in Yunlin County, 21 in Chiayi County, 15 in Pingtung County and cases in eight other administrative regions, Lee said. One of the severe cases is a 17-year-old girl who had no underlying health issues, Lin said. The CDC reported 12,643 hospital visits for enterovirus infections last week, higher than the epidemic threshold of 11,000 visits per week.

KMT, TPP to hold talks, Hou saysBy Shih Hsiao-kuang and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) have agreed to hold talks on cooperation ahead of next year’s presidential election, the KMT’s presidential candidate New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, adding that his campaign keeps an “open mind on all issues.”Speaking on the sidelines of a campaign event in Taipei, Hou told reporters that his office and KMT leaders spoke yesterday morning with representatives of TPP Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲). New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi, center, the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei TimesSeparately yesterday, Ko’s campaign spokesman Tai Yu-wen (戴于文) told reporters that the two sides are stuck on whether to publicize their talks. The KMT has already sent some of its top leaders for negotiations, “what more do you want?” he asked, urging the TPP leader to drop his preconditions. The KMT has many vice chairs, so his effect in that role would be limited, Jaw said.

Protecting the important industriesBy Chang Meng-jen 張孟仁Amid increasing concerns over China’s global rise, the EU has demonstrated its resolution to bolster economic security with the European Commission’s Chips Act, a list of 10 critical technologies crucial to economic security and an investigation into subsidies for imports of battery electric vehicles from China. Like the US, Japan and other like-minded areas, the EU is wary of China’s advanced technological development and has implemented de-risking strategies. They have prevented advanced technologies from military and civilian use in China, and have been pouring resources into the digital and green industries, as well as identifying flaws in their own systems and diversifying. Similarly, the EU’s risk assessment report could lower the risk of an outflow of its advanced semiconductor, AI, quantum and biological technologies to rival countries. The EU has also moved to partner with allies to form closer collaborative ties and de-risk value chains.

The Liberty Times Editorial: Taiwan joining the UN a vital taskOn Sept. 22, the UN General Assembly wound up its 78th annual General Debate in New York City, again excluding Taiwan. For this, the US House of Representatives in July passed the Taiwan International Solidarity Act, which states that Resolution 2758 does not apply to Taiwan. Taiwan’s participation has never been more crucial, especially in regard to geopolitical trends in the global community. On behalf of the G7 foreign ministers, Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Yoko Kamikawa underscored their collective support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations. Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi’s (王毅) absence caused murmurs, with speculation that the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs is still in disarray after former minister Qin Gang’s (秦剛) sudden departure.