More BRICS or Chinese checkers? Ideally, BRICS should have balanced itself against Chinese hegemony by reviving the spirit of India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA), which predated BRICS. As in the SCO, and so in BRICS, India understands that it could be isolated. While promoting Africa, South Africa is itself not supporting African preferences. The push for setting criteria is actually a battle to choose partners that would be more amenable to current BRICS members.

US-China dialogue is still possibleBy Paul Lin 林保華US President Joe Biden has been in politics for 50 years, and he is putting that experience toward organizing a united front to take on China and Russia. Will US-China relations change? One of the reasons was that Chinese Minister of National Defense Li Shangfu (李尚福) was sanctioned by the US government in 2018 for buying Russian weapons. After the recent two incidents, the US has been acting cautiously to avoid any trouble, with the hope that Beijing and Washington can restart a dialogue. The third confrontation was in a US-China exchange carried out earlier this month.

EDITORIAL: Preschool drugging unacceptableEight preschool children at a private preschool in New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋) have tested positive for barbiturates and benzodiazepines. Prosecutors in the past few days have questioned teachers at the school, who parents accused of drugging their children. The incident sparked a massive public outcry, not only toward the school, but also toward the Taipei City Government, with many saying its response to the incident was too slow. After the news conferences drew public attention, the New Taipei City Department of Health on Monday conducted drug tests at the preschool. The emergency services in New Taipei City were blamed for responding too slowly.

Kipyegon and Girma star in night of world recordsAFP, PARISKenya’s Faith Kipyegon made it two world records in a week after delivering a masterclass in the women’s 5,000m at the Paris Diamond League meeting on Friday, while Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma smashed the 19-year-old record in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase. However, it was Kipyegon who stole the show just seven days after shattering the women’s world record in the 1,500m in Florence. When I saw that it was a world record I was so surprised. I just wanted to improve on my personal best, the world record was not my plan,” she said. The 22-year-old Norwegian, already the world record holder for 1,500m indoors, clocked 7:54.10 in an incredible display in the seldom-run event, which is not an acknowledged Olympic or world distance.

Nigeria’s start-up king seeks unicornsAFP, PARISIyinoluwa Aboyeji might not have the personal wealth of Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg, but his level of success as an African entrepreneur bears comparison with any Silicon Valley tech titan. By most counts, Africa has produced only seven unicorns compared with more than 700 in the US. Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, cofounder of fintech firm Flutterwave and training platform Andela, poses for a photograph in Lagos, Nigeria, on Tuesday. I played well.”His Future Africa firm, one of the continent’s biggest start-up funds, is preparing to launch a new round of investing. The global economic downturn has seriously hampered African tech start-ups.

Djokovic into 7th Roland Garros finalSHE IS BACK: After an 18-month break, Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei reached the French Open women’s doubles final for the first time in nearly 10 years with new partner Wang XinyuAFP, PARISNovak Djokovic on Friday reached his seventh final at Roland Garros in dramatic circumstances when world No. Serbia’s Novak Djokovic returns to Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz during their men’s singles match at Roland Garros in Paris on Friday. That’s the truth.”Ruud thrashed Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 to make his third Grand Slam final in his past five tournaments. He was runner-up to Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros last year and then lost to Alcaraz in the US Open final. “I know anything can happen so I just try to enjoy and push my partner to do everything on the court,” she told Roland Garros, jokingly.

Ko says he will ask China about ‘1992 consensus’Staff writer, with CNAChina has never clearly stated its interpretation of the so-called “1992 consensus,” Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said, adding that he would ask Beijing to do so if he is elected. Taiwan People’s Party Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je speaks to reporters in Kaohsiung yesterday. Photo: Lee Hui-chou, Taipei TimesThe Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) rejects the “1992 consensus,” saying that agreeing to it implies acceptance of China’s claim over Taiwan. “The problem is that China itself has not made clear its definition of the ‘1992 consensus,’” Ko said in the interview, adding that if he is elected president, he will ask Beijing to give a clear, official interpretation of the consensus. Asked how Taiwan and China could peacefully coexist, Ko said it was important to remember that “the current China is not how China will be forever.”“China will change,” Ko said.

ProLogium to continue expanding, CEO saysStaff writer, with CNAElectric vehicle (EV) battery maker ProLogium Technology Co (輝能科技) would continue to expand its operations in Taiwan despite announcing it would build a new “gigafactory” in France, company founder and chief executive officer Vincent Yang (楊思枏) said yesterday. “It is clear that we are rooted in Taiwan, and [we are] expanding overseas on a foundation built in Taiwan,” Yang told a news conference cohosted by the French Office in Taipei. ProLogium Technology Co chief executive officer Vincent Yang holds a battery made by the company at an event in Taipei yesterday. He declined to provide details on the subsidies to be provided by the French government, saying talks on the issue were still being finalized. Francois Cotier, director of Business France Taiwan, later told reporters that France welcomes Taiwanese investment in the nation, especially investment focused on biotechnology, e-mobility and other advanced technologies.

Cultivate talent based on abilityBy Lin Cheng-wu 林政武The keynote speech by Nvidia Corp cofounder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) at National Taiwan University’s (NTU) commencement ceremony has prompted reflection on several issues. Even though there are multiple avenues of admission to high schools, the Comprehensive Assessment Program for Junior-High School Students has remained the key to entering top-ranking institutions. A student with three types of intelligence tends to be more popular and would feel like a fish in water. Parents in Taiwan believe that if their child wants to be an athlete, it is highly unlikely that they would become a superstar. Parents want their children to study hard because it is the most common path and seems safer.

Hot Cheetos get a loaded origin story, one that’s worth the crunch‘Flamin Hot’ is a winning tale of perseverance, family love, proud heritage and blue-collar success, told with a winkBy Mark Kennedy / APFlamin’ Hot Cheetos get an origin story worthy of any Marvel superhero with Hulu’s totally engrossing Flamin’ Hot. You’ll wish Flamin’ Hot was accurate because it’s a winning tale of perseverance, family love, proud heritage and blue-collar success, told with a wink, some Cheetos dust and a ton of love by Eva Longoria, in her directorial debut. From left, Brice Gonzalez, Annie Gonzalez, Jesse Garcia and Hunter Jones in a scene from Flamin’ Hot. Jesse Garcia, left, and Dennis Haysbert in a scene from Flamin’ Hot. That’s a lot of stuff to put in a bag of chips, even if it’s all made up.

EDITORIAL: Politics’ #MeToo moment beginsEven though the #MeToo movement was started by US activist Tarana Burke in 2006, Taiwan’s political world has just begun to see its first #MeToo reckoning. The #MeToo movement gained traction when a former gymnast accused a former coach of sexual assault while she was a junior-high student. In response, different parties have unanimously condemned sexual harassment and vowed to mete out penalties if the accusations proved to be true. The mindset of the women who lived through these movements is different from the previous generation — and they refuse to put up with grievances such as sexual harassment. However, as Taiwan’s #MeToo movement has coincided with the election season, there are concerns that it could be used by political parties to trade accusations, and fail to trigger far-reaching reforms.

Lai apologizes to sex abuse victims#METOO MOVEMENT: A woman who formerly worked at the TPP said that she was repeatedly harassed by a party deputy secretary last year and it was covered up Vice President and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman William Lai (賴清德) yesterday announced new party procedures for filing complaints and investigating reports of sexual misconduct in response to more accusations of negligence against the party in handling reports of sexual abuse. In what local media dubbed Taiwan’s #MeToo movement, more people went public yesterday with allegations about the DPP, other parties and local governments. Lai said he deeply regrets the situation and apologized to the victims, while also praising them for having the courage to come forward. “When facing bullying and violations in the workplace, it is most important to stand up toBy Jason Pan

Taiwan should ‘hide’ military assets for protection: expertBy Wu Su-wei and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerTaiwan would likely be targeted by Chinese precision missile strikes in the event of a war and should disperse its military assets to prevent their destruction, Institute for National Policy Research senior consultant Chen Wen-jia (陳文甲) said yesterday. Military units could be “hidden” among the public during peacetime and deployed to the field in the event of a conflict, Chen said. The military could use mountainous areas, bridges, culverts, factories and underground facilities to hide its assets. It said that China’s Dong-Feng 15C ballistic missile is capable of striking reinforced underground targets such as command centers, and fuel and munitions reserves. The article suggested that missile defense systems should go hand-in-hand with passive defense systems, such as reinforced concrete, to mitigate threats posed by penetrating weapons.

Taiwan faces its #MeToo momentBy Samuel Tung 董昱輝The #MeToo movement was started by activist Tarana Burke, who coined the term in 2006. However, it gained traction in 2017, when actress Alyssa Milano urged victims of sexual harassment and assault to share their stories on social media. This provides an opportunity to assess and expel unfit politicians, and address social issues such as gender inequality and the abuse of power. In the #MeToo movement, victim-blaming should be the last thing on people’s mind. Perhaps this is a God-given opportunity for Taiwan to tackle sexual inequality and the abuse of power prevalent in the workplace by incorporating sexual issues into the curriculum or making legal amendments.

Ministry aims to quadruple total green electricity mixBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterThe Ministry of Economic Affairs aims to quadruple the nation’s share of electricity from renewable sources to 90 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) by 2030, it said yesterday, as a growing number of local enterprises set goals to achieve carbon neutrality. The world’s biggest contract chipmaker joined the global corporate renewable energy initiative RE100 in 2020, committing to use only electricity from renewable sources by 2050. Only 10 percent of the electricity available for local businesses is sourced from renewable energy, he said. The chipmaker purchased 900 million kWh of electricity from renewable sources last year, Liu said. About 120 companies sourced 2.55 billion kWh of renewable energy last year, it said.