The school principal said that the school does not specifically teach students such traffic etiquette. For such unreasonable cases, the MOTC has continued to adopt the principle of “pedestrians first” while imposing heavy penalties on drivers for deterrence purposes. Some people have suggested that the “pedestrians first” clause is a poor solution. With complementary traffic policies and rules for pedestrians, it would then be able to build a safe and fair traffic environment. Apart from fair laws and policies, the solution for Taiwan’s traffic chaos also lies in road planning, educational promotion and even improving the public’s road etiquette.

Lai touts support for women’s issuesUNION CONFUSION: A former TPP legislator said that if the KMT and TPP were to form an alliance, Ko should lead that coalition, given his popularity in recent pollsBy Chen Yun and Kan Meng-lin / Staff reportersVice President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday touted his support of women’s issues at the launch of a group for female supporters of the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) candidate for president. Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei TimesDuring President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) seven-and-a-half years in office, Taiwan has excelled in evaluations, he added. Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi, fourth left, gestures at a campaign event in New Taipei City yesterday. Taiwan People’s Party chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je, center on stage, welcomes supporters at a meet-and-greet event in Taipei last night. A TVBS poll last month showed that Ko had a support rate of 33 percent, surpassing that of Lai for the first time.

Part-time jobs up 23 percent from last yearStaff writer, with CNAPart-time job openings in Taiwan this month have increased 20 percent from a year earlier, with the food and beverage and lodging sector particularly eager to fill growing staffing needs in the post-COVID-19 era, the online 104 Job Bank said. Information in its databank showed that there are almost 190,000 part-time job openings in Taiwan this month, up about 23 percent from a year earlier, the job bank said, adding that 85,000 of the openings are in the food and beverage and lodging sector — the most of any industry. The retail sector has about 37,000 part-time openings this month, also due to a recovery in domestic spending in the post-COVID-19 era, the job bank said. The culture and education sector had about 18,000 part-time openings as parents are sending their children to after-school classes, cram schools and summer camps during the summer vacation, it said. Offers for part-time home appliance cleaners ranged from NT$1,000 to NT$4,000 an hour, while pay for part-time interpreters speaking Thai, Vietnamese or other Southeast Asian languages ranged from NT$800 to NT$1,000, it said.

Longer military service is a needBy Dino Wei 魏世昌According to reports, on Monday, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, said that if elected president, he would return the compulsory military service period to four months. I am disappointed with the younger generation who find the prospect of military service so distasteful. Given that Taiwanese get to enjoy the benefits the state provides, it is only right that those eligible for military service do their duty. The government reinstated mandatory military service to one year only after careful consideration, due to the increase in cross-strait tensions and the necessity of developing all-out defense. Meaningful military service provides a great opportunity for young people to train their physical strength, even though the training might become more arduous due to its extension to a full year.

TTC to bolster Internet against disaster and warINTERNET PROGRESS: The TTC is to establish 21 satellite Internet terminals and nine backhaul links in Taiwan, along with one terminal in a foreign countryStaff writer, with CNAThe Ministry of Digital Affairs on Friday announced that it has selected the Telecom Technology Center (TTC) to head a project to improve the resilience of the nation’s digital communications network. The ministry said it had asked research and academic institutions to submit proposals on “response or wartime applications of new technology to strengthen digital communications resilience,” including through the use of non-geostationary satellite Internet. The TTC must also establish 21 satellite Internet terminals and nine backhaul links in Taiwan, along with one terminal in a foreign country for testing purposes by the end of the first quarter of next year. The project would also stress test the emergency application capabilities of disaster warning systems, roaming functionality and information security infrastructure, it added. This is designed to ensure that the government can retain considerable communication capabilities during times of disaster or war.

Tech needed to bolster spying cases: law expertPENALTY LIMITS: People charged with spying for China should face tougher sentences, a professor said, adding that it is sometimes hard to collect evidenceBy Lu Yi-hsuan and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerHigh-tech methods should be used in investigations into Chinese spying to help solidify cases, a criminal law expert said on Friday. National Taiwan University professor of law Lin Yu-hsiung (林鈺雄) told a seminar at the Mainland Affairs Council in Taipei that punishments for people convicted in espionage cases are often perceived as being too lenient. Figurines with computers are pictured in front of Taiwan’s and China’s flags in an illustration created on Aug. 6 last year. The government should increase the penalties for spying and enhance investigations with high-tech methods when cases affect national security, especially when there are difficulties collecting evidence and dealing with statutes of limitation, he said. “We will continue to make amendments as necessary to safeguard our national security,” he said.

Mayor Hou outlines nuclear power planStaff writer, with CNANew Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, supports reactivating or extending the use of Taiwan’s three completed nuclear power plants and using the unfinished fourth plant pending a safety evaluation, a spokesperson for his campaign told a news conference on Thursday. The Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County’s Hengchun Township is pictured in an undated photograph. Specifically, Hou would reactivate the nuclear power plants in New Taipei City’s Shihmen (石門) and Guosheng (萬里) districts pending safety inspections, and grant them 20-year operating permits, she said. Hou also supports extending the life of the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County, which has two reactors set to be shut down, one next year and the other in 2025, Lee said. If enacted, Hou’s proposals would mark a sharp break with the policies of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which, since taking office in 2016, has prioritized phasing out nuclear power by 2025.

In addition to the lead investors in previous funding rounds, such as Monoful Venture Partners, KDDI Open Innovation Fund and Airbus Ventures, Telexitence said it has also secured financial support from HH-CTBC Partnership, Softbank Group (SBG) and Globis Capital Partners. People gather at the Foxconn booth at 2035 E-Mobility Taiwan, an annual electric and autonomous vehicle trade show in Taipei, on April 13. Photo: Ann wang, ReutersHH-CTBC Partnership is also known as Foxconn Co-GP Fund, which was set up by Hon Hai and Taiwan’s CTBC Financial Holding Co (中信金控). However, Telexistence, a developer of remote-controlled robotics, did not disclose other financial details about the latest funding round. After obtaining funds from Hon Hai, Telexistence would initiate its collaboration with Hon Hai to establish a production technology to carry out commercial production for its next-generation robotics model, “Ghost,” the company said.

US is committed to Taiwan’s self-defense: AIT chairStaff writer, with CNAThe US has deep respect for Taiwan’s democracy and is committed to supporting its self-defense, even in the face of loud complaints from Beijing, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chair Laura Rosenberger said on Thursday. American Institute in Taiwan Chair Laura Rosenberger speaks to reporters in Washington on Thursday. Rosenberger also spoke briefly about her trip to Taiwan last month, when she met Taiwan’s presidential candidates and some of their advisers. “I’m sure all the presidential candidates who are here tonight would agree with me without hesitation. Thursday’s reception marked the first time Tsai attended the reception in person since assuming office in May 2016.

Green building labels beat ESGBy Chen Wen-ching 陳文卿Recently, companies have been pointing out their environmental, social and governance (ESG) credentials and communicating their ESG standards. The most straightforward way to ensure that construction firms make environmental protection a top priority would be for “green building labels” to be awarded for using sustainable building materials. The Taiwan Green Building Council has investigated waste and carbon emission reduction in the production of green building materials. If construction companies use recycled green building materials, they could record the benefits they created to their ESG disclosures, such as pollution reduction, and carbon emissions and raw materials procurement. Chen Wen-ching is a director of the Taiwan Green Building Council and a convener of the Taiwan Sustainable Green Construction Union.

Domestic and international clients largely maintained a cautious inventory approach and preferred to place rush orders when necessary, Tsai said. The official last month predicted a retreat of 14 to 16 percent. Shipments of electronics, notably chips, fell 21.3 percent annually to US$13.58 billion, as demand for chips failed to peak despite the arrival of the high season, the official said. Exports of information and communications technology products shed 6.2 percent to US$5.04 billion, snapping two months of gains, Tsai said. Demand for non-tech products fared worse, with declines of 30 to 50 percent for plastic, chemical, mineral and textile products, it said.

Hague court rejects India’s objections over water treatyReuters, AMSTERDAM and NEW DELHIThe Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague on Thursday rejected India’s objections to a Pakistan-initiated procedure over water use in the Indus River basin, reopening a procedure that had been blocked for many years. India called the arbitration proceeding illegal as a neutral expert was also looking at the issue and the World Bank-brokered treaty prohibits parallel proceedings. Fishers pull a fishing net as they catch fish along the Indus River in Hyderabad, Pakistan, on June 11, 2017. India has boycotted The Hague court proceedings and questioned the competence of the court. Pakistan’s Foreign Office said that it remained fully committed to the implementation of the Indus Water Treaty and its settlement mechanism, which it termed a “foundational agreement” between the two countries.

Suspects detained in identity theft probeCROSS-STRAIT RING: The CIB said the alleged criminal ring damaged the financial order and transaction framework of Taiwan, and stole data from many other nationsBy Chiu Chun-fu and Jason Pan / Staff reportersFifteen people have been detained or questioned in connection with a cross-strait criminal ring specializing in identity theft, including Chen Wei-chih (陳韋志), allegedly the head of the group, law enforcement officials said yesterday. Photo: CNAChen, 31, who has a Taiwanese ID as well as US citizenship, used the code name “Cola,” investigators said. Once a person’s details were entered into the fake site, the suspects had access to their account details, which they would use to make purchases, it said. “Chen’s criminal ring colluded with hackers in Taiwan and China to make illicit gains, which damaged the nation’s financial order and transaction framework,” the CIB said. “The suspects stole data from many countries around the world,” it said.

Taiwan to build new India officeBy Liu Tzu-hsuan / Staff reporterTaiwan aims to establish a Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in Mumbai by the end of the year to further deepen exchanges and cooperation with India, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday. The center would be the third Taiwanese office in India, following the opening of one in New Delhi in 1995 and one in Chennai in 2012, the ministry said in a news release. As India boasts an enormous market and considerable business opportunities, the center could help further expand trade and investment opportunities between Taiwan and India, the ministry said. Separately, Taiwan is still negotiating with Fiji to restore the Taipei Trade Office in Fiji to its former name, the Trade Mission of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to the Republic of Fiji, Chen said. Taiwan hopes Fiji could honor its original note verbal to allow the name change, Chen said.

Rubbish-clearing divers come to rescue of ‘pearl of Kyrgyzstan’The huge flow of visitors and the rubbish they leave behind are endangering the vast lake, a UNESCO heritage site and a home for wolves and eaglesAFP, ISSYK KUL LAKE, KyrgyzstanOn the shores of Lake Issyk Kul in mountainous Kyrgyzstan, a group of divers show off their haul for the day — a boat engine, car tyres, bottles, clothes and plastic items. A group of volunteer divers work last month to collect waste from the bed of Lake Issyk Kul in Cholpon-Ata, some 250 km from Bishkek. People last month enjoy summer time on the shores of Lake Issyk Kul in Cholpon-Ata, some 250 km from Bishkek. It’s about not dumping rubbish in the first place.”The emergency situations ministry has also sent divers to help Shamsuddinov and his team of volunteers. We want everything to stay clean,” said Argokova, who was staying at the “Blue Issyk Kul” sanatorium, decorated with Soviet-era statues including one of Lenin.