Indian doctors call off protest hunger strike over murderAPPEAL: The victim’s parents expressed their worries about the fasting junior doctors’ health, as well as defunct healthcare services affecting hundredsReuters, KOLKATA, IndiaJunior doctors in India’s eastern city of Kolkata on Monday called off a 17-day-old hunger strike launched in protest against the rape and murder of a colleague, in response to an appeal by the victim’s parents. People take part in a mass protest to show their solidarity with junior doctors on hunger strike over a rape and murder in Kolkata, India, on Tuesday last week. The doctors said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee agreed to most of their demands when she met them on Monday. Government hospitals across India lack basic amenities such as restrooms for doctors, security personnel and closed circuit television cameras, doctors say. The Indian Supreme Court also took up the matter, but junior doctors say its efforts have not been sufficient to ensure justice.

Modi meets Putin and calls for quick end to Ukraine warAFP, KAZAN, RussiaIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday said that he wanted the Ukraine conflict to be resolved peacefully and “quickly” as he met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the BRICS summit in Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, embraces Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their meeting on the sidelines of BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, yesterday. New Delhi has walked a diplomatic tightrope since the Ukraine conflict began, pledging humanitarian support for Kyiv, while avoiding explicit condemnation of Russia’s offensive. The Kremlin has touted the BRICS summit as a diplomatic triumph that shows Western attempts to isolate Moscow over the Ukraine conflict have failed. The US has dismissed the idea that BRICS could become a “geopolitical rival,” but has expressed concern over Moscow flexing its diplomatic muscle as the Ukraine conflict rages.

US, Canadian warships transit Taiwan StraitINTERNATIONAL WATERS: Lin Chia-lung said that freedom of navigation fits not only the national interest, but also the common interest of the Indo-Pacific regionBy Ben Blanchard / ReutersA US and a Canadian warship on Sunday sailed through the Taiwan Strait together less than a week after China conducted a new round of war games around Taiwan. The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins conducts bilateral operations with Royal Canadian Navy Halifax-class frigate HMCS Vancouver, front,in the Taiwan Strait on Sunday. Photo: Mass Communications Specialist 3rd Class Trevor Hale / US Navy via AP“The international community’s navigational rights and freedoms in the Taiwan Strait should not be limited. “China firmly opposes any country provoking and threatening China’s sovereignty and security in the name of ‘freedom of navigation,’” Lin added. The US and Canadian navies last sailed such a joint mission in November last year, while the US last transited the Taiwan Strait on Aug. 22 when the USS Ralph Johnson passed through.

S Korea demands N Korean troops in Russia withdrawAP, SEOULSouth Korea yesterday demanded the immediate pullout of North Korean troops allegedly deployed in Russia as it summoned the Russian ambassador to protest deepening military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow. The Russian embassy quoted Zinoviev as saying that the cooperation between Russia and North Korean is not aimed against the security interests of South Korea. Yoon said South Korea would send a delegation to NATO to exchange information about Russian-North Korean cooperation, Yoon’s office said. Russia earlier denied using North Korean troops in its war with Ukraine. Ukrainian officials released a video allegedly showing North Korean troops lining up to collect Russian military clothes and bags at an unknown location.

China central bank cuts two key interest ratesAFP, BEIJINGChina’s central bank yesterday said it had cut two key interest rates to historic lows, in the latest move by Beijing to boost sluggish spending and kickstart the world’s second-largest economy. The economy grew 4.6 percent year-on-year in the third quarter, its slowest rate in a year and a half, Chinese government data released on Friday showed. The country’s top banks on Friday cut interest rates on yuan-denominated deposits for the second time this year in another potential boost to spending. Months of sluggish spending have raised fears that China would dip back into deflation after it ended a months-long stretch of falling prices early this year. The real interest rate in China is too high,” he said.

India is testing its friends’ trust over killing of Sikh activistBy Mihir Sharma / Bloomberg OpinionIndia’s friends and partners are clearly feeling a growing sense of disquiet right now. First, separatist activists that India views as dangerous extremists are allowed to thrive in Canada, and even given space within the formal political spectrum. The problem for New Delhi is that its official denials have only imperfectly distanced the nation from Nijjar’s killing. If India is doing things like that, the West would think, then this is a relationship without trust. As disquiet about India grows, trust in India dies.

G7 defense chiefs criticize China drillsTROUBLED WATERS: The ministers also said they opposed China’s obstruction of freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and the militarization of disputed featuresBy Lin Che-yuan and Lee I-chia / Staff reportersG7 defense ministers in a joint statement on Saturday singled out China over a number of concerns, including its “provocative actions” near Taiwan. The defense ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US gathered in Naples, Italy, from Friday to yesterday for the group’s first ministerial meeting dedicated to defense. In the joint declaration, they stressed “enduring unity and common determination to address, in a cohesive and concrete manner, security challenges, at a time in history marked by great instability.”Italian Minister of Defense Guido Crosetto, back row, center, speaks during a morning roundtable as part of the G7 defense ministers summit in Naples, Italy, on Saturday. The declaration also expressed concern about the situation in the South China Sea. “There is no legal basis for China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea, and we are strongly opposed to China’s repeated obstruction of freedom of navigation, militarization of disputed features, and coercive and intimidating activities, as well as the dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels in the South China Sea,” it said.

Asian IPOs set for blockbuster weekBloombergAsia’s stock markets are gearing up for their busiest week of listings in more than two years, offering a crucial test of demand as companies rush to raise money before the US presidential election next month. Signage for Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd is pictured at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Sept. 17. Their success might spark a broader revival of Chinese share sales in Hong Kong, once a busy — and lucrative — segment of the IPO market. The stakes are also high in India, with a trading debut on Tuesday for Hyundai Motor India Ltd’s US$3.3 billion listing, the country’s biggest-ever IPO. In Japan, Tokyo Metro Co’s US$2.3 billion listing is scheduled for Wednesday.

Investments in nature will decide our futureThe banking sector plays a key role in financing necessary climate projectsBy Ambroise FayolleIt is easy to think of humans as existing separately from nature. However, the greatest threats to humanity come from crises affecting nature, not least climate change, biodiversity loss and rampant pollution. Moreover, such investments not only improve our resilience to climate change, but they also would help to prevent future pandemics. This would help de-risk investments, prepare projects, and deliver impact at scale for climate, nature and inclusive economic development. In Ivory Coast, we are gearing up to support sustainable cocoa farming, in which forests are preserved rather than cut down.

Musk promises US$1m each day to signers of petitionReuters, HARRISBURG, PennsylvaniaBillionaire Elon Musk on Saturday promised to give away US$1 million each day until the US presidential election on Nov. 5 to someone who signs his online petition supporting the US Constitution. Elon Musk speaks at Life Center Church in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Musk started America PAC, a political action organization he founded in support of Trump’s presidential campaign. The petition Musk is asking people to sign reads: “The First and Second Amendments guarantee freedom of speech and the right to bear arms. Trump in turn has said that if elected he would appoint Musk to head a government efficiency commission.

Japanese workers turn to resignation agencies to quit jobsBy Justin McCurry / The GuardianMari was just two months into her new job when she decided she had had enough. The Tokyo-based agency Momuri reports soaring demand since it started offering proxy resignation services two-and-a-half years ago. Some force workers to find their own replacements before accepting their resignations or rip up their resignation letters in front of them. One in six workers in Japan used resignation agencies to change their jobs in the 12 months to June this year, said Mynavi, an employment information provider. “The job was way more physically demanding than I’d been told, so I decided to quit,” said Iida, who is now in between jobs.

An exploration of ‘ROC aesthetic’By Cheng Mu-Chun 鄭睦群The Double Ten National Day celebrations again brought up the question of the display of uniquely Taiwanese elements compared with the “Republic of China [ROC] aesthetic.”Any discussion on how we are to understand the ROC aesthetic requires clarification on several points. Third, what were the factors behind constructing the “ROC aesthetic?” Finally, does a refined “ROC aesthetic” exist? What we call the “ROC aesthetic” never really existed in China; it gradually formed only after the ROC forces relocated to Taiwan after World War II. As a result, we have to conclude that a “Republican era aesthetic” is not the same as the “ROC aesthetic,” as it was developed only after the relocation to Taiwan. Aesthetic beauty was beside the point, the focus was the expression of an ideology, and for this reason we should probably not talk about the “ROC aesthetic,” but the “ROC ideological aesthetic.”Cheng Mu-Chun is the executive director of the Lee Teng-hui Foundation.

TSMC plans more Europe fabs: officialAI AIM: The chipmaker wants joint research and development programs with the Czech Republic, and the government is considering supporting investments in a Czech location Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is planning to build more plants in Europe with a focus on the market for artificial intelligence (AI) chips as the chipmaker expands its global footprint, a senior Taiwanese official said. “They have started construction of the first fab in Dresden; they are already planning the next few fabs in the future for different market sectors as well,” National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) told Bloomberg TV in an interview that aired yesterday. Wu did not specify a timeline for TSMC’s further expansion in Europe. TSMC in an e-mailed statement said it

China’s economy grows at weakest pace since last year as more stimulus urgedReuters, BEIJINGChina’s economy grew at the slowest pace since early last year in the third quarter, and although consumption and factory output figures beat forecasts last month a tumbling property sector remains a major challenge for Beijing as it races to revitalize growth. The world’s second-largest economy grew 4.6 percent in the third quarter, official data showed, a touch above a 4.5 percent forecast in a Reuters poll, but below the 4.7 percent pace in the second quarter. “Based on our comprehensive assessment, the economy in the fourth quarter is expected to continue the stabilization and recovery trend that occurred in September. “The recently announced stimulus measures could cushion the downside risks to next year’s growth, but are unlikely to reverse the structural downturn,” she said. A Reuters poll showed China’s economy is likely to expand 4.8 percent this year, undershooting Beijing’s target, and growth could cool further to 4.5 percent next year.

India’s space strategy: data and tiny satellitesBy leveraging its tech start-up culture, India can become a key player in outer spaceBy Nivedita Bhattacharjee / Reuters, BENGALURUIndia has a plan to carve out a beachhead in the battle for commercial space, officials say: crunching space data, building small satellites and launching them cheaply into orbit, rather than challenging heavyweights such as SpaceX head-on. Illustration: Mountain People“The world has gone from satellites the size of a Boeing plane to the size of a laptop,” Indian Space Association director-general Anil Kumar Bhatt said. Indian companies such as Bellatrix Aerospace, Pixxel, Agnikul Cosmos, Dhruva Space and others are already building, or have launched, small satellites or satellite components. India’s space agency, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), last month completed the third and final developmental flight for its Small Satellite Launch Vehicle. The space downstream market is, at the end of the day, a software play,” Terrawatch Space founder Aravind Ravichandran said.