The art world’s female revolutionWoman artists are finally getting the recognition they deserve at the world’s top art museums, though non-Western artists are still under-represented. AFP, PARISIt was a relatively promising start for gender equality when London’s Royal Academy of Arts was set up in 1768, with two women artists included among its 40 founding members. “With each rehang at each of Tate’s four galleries, the gender balance improves,” said Polly Staple, head of Tate’s British Art collection. But with women increasingly welcomed into art courses from the late 20th century onwards, the tide is turning here, too. Women artists, such as Italy’s Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1656) or Flemish painter Clara Peeters, were “known during their lifetime but have been erased over the centuries”, she said.

Army Colonel Hsiang Te-en, right, and retired lieutenant Shao Wei-chiang, whose faces have been digitally obscured, hold a written pledge of allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party in an undated photograph. Shao is a retired lieutenant who had until June 2019 worked as a Kinmen regional reporter for China Television. Implicated military personnel are being investigated by the Ministry of National Defense, the office said. The incident highlights the threat that Chinese intelligence operations pose to the military, the ministry said, adding that its preventive measures are effective. The ministry would also work closely with national security agencies to thwart Chinese intelligence-gathering efforts, it added.

Ceremony marks handover of new coast guard vesselStaff writer, with CNAA 1,000-tonne patrol vessel christened the Changhua (彰化), built by domestic shipbuilder CSBC Corp, was officially handed over to the Coast Guard Administration at a ceremony at the company’s shipyard in Keelung on Wednesday. The vessel is the longest and largest in Taiwan’s fleet, and can better handle large waves than earlier 1,000-tonne frigates, it said. The 1,000-tonne coast guard patrol vessel Changhua is pictured in Kaohsiung on Wednesday. The new frigate is also equipped with four high-pressure water cannons with a horizontal range of 120m, enabling coast guard officers to repel vessels in rough waters during monsoons, CSBC said. The vessel is also equipped with two security rescue boats with maximum speeds of 35 knots, which can be used to conduct rescue and anti-smuggling tasks, which improves the ability of crews to conduct law enforcement and rescue missions in Taiwan’s waters, it said.

Yuen Foong Yu joins investment scheme with NT$1.9bnBy Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterYuen Foong Yu Consumer Products Co (永豐餘消費品實業) has pledged to invest NT$1.9 billion (US$60.96 million) in Taiwan to expand its capacity to manufacture toilet paper, inner layers for masks and cleaning products, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said on Friday. Yuen Foong Yu, a unit of YFY Inc (永豐餘控股), sells its products in Taiwan and China. The company is the largest household paper maker in Taiwan, owning the brands Mayflower, Delight and Tender. A man walks past tissue paper products at a supermarket in Taipei on Feb. 7. Yuen Foong Yu posted revenue of NT$7.39 billion in the first three quarters of this year, up from NT$7.25 billion a year earlier, while net profit fell to NT$552.48 million, from NT$832.04 million.

COP27 summit strikes historic dealAFP, SHARM EL-SHEIKH, EgyptA fraught UN climate summit yesterday wrapped up with a landmark deal on funding to help vulnerable countries cope with the devastating effects of global warming — but there was also anger over its failure to push further ambition on cutting emissions. Photo: Reuters“We have struggled for 30 years on this path, and today in Sharm el-Sheikh this journey has achieved its first positive milestone,” she told the summit. People nap during the closing plenary at the COP27 climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, yesterday. European Commission First Vice President Frans Timmermans said the EU was “disappointed,” adding that more than 80 nations had backed a stronger emissions pledge. “What we have in front of us is not enough of a step forward for people and planet,” he said.

Infected voters face up to two years in prison: CECCStaff writer, with CNAPeople who vote in the local elections on Saturday despite being ordered to quarantine risk a two-year prison term or a significant fine, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said on Friday, estimating that 50,000 to 70,000 eligible voters would have to quarantine due to COVID-19 that day. Earlier on Friday, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝), who heads the CECC, told a news briefing that 50,000 to 70,000 eligible voters would be in mandatory quarantine on election day. People who have a fever or respiratory symptoms — which might be due to COVID-19 — should use designated passageways at polling stations to socially distance from other voters, he added. An earlier updated version of the original Moderna COVID-19 vaccine was adapted only to the Omicron BA.1 subvariant, the center added. However, with Omicron remaining dominant, also in other countries, both Moderna vaccines are more effective against the disease than earlier COVID-19 vaccines, it said.

The EVs of the future — those arriving after 2025 — could shift to sodium-ion or lithium-sulfur battery cells that could be up to two-thirds cheaper than today’s lithium-ion cells. Sodium-ion batteries do not yet store enough energy, while sulfur cells tend to corrode quickly and do not last long. China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (新能源科技) has said it plans to begin producing sodium-ion cells next year. Michigan-based Amandarry and British start-up AMTE Power are developing sodium-ion batteries using sodium chloride — basically table salt — as the main cathode ingredient. Battery developers hope they can add sodium ion and lithium sulfur batteries to the range open to the auto industry.

Luxgen received 15,000 orders for its n7 sport utility vehicle 32 hours into the preorder period that began in September, and Yulon Motor Co vice president Li Chien-hui (李建輝) said that number has risen to about 25,000 since then. Yulon Motor Co chairperson Lilian Chen attends the launch of electric vehicle n7 in Taipei on Oct. 20. Photo: CNAShipments to fulfill the orders for 25,000 vehicles would begin that same quarter and continue into the first quarter of 2024, Li said. Yulon Motor has built close business ties with Hon Hai in electric vehicle development through the MIH Consortium led by the Taiwanese tech giant. While upbeat about the future of Luxgen’s electric vehicle, Lee was cautious about the domestic auto market’s near-term prospects after having stagnated for much of this year.

Election rumors run rampantWith one week remaining before the nine-in-one elections, the CEC and fact checkers are working overtime to keep disinformation at bayBy Noah Buchan / Staff ReporterDoes voting while wearing disposable gloves invalidate a ballot? From a post by that claims that only the Nauru flag was being hung from the Presidential Office. Photo courtesy of the Taiwan FactCheck CenterThe CEC says whether a person wears gloves to vote is their personal preference, and therefore legal. The Taipei Election Commission says that election officials will stand at the end of the line with a sign reads: “voting line ends” (投票排隊終點). “What kind of flag is this?” the Facebook user wrote, apparently referring to the Nauru flag.

Ann Kao, boyfriend suspects in payroll deduction fraudBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterLegislator Ann Kao (高虹安) was listed as a suspect yesterday after former legislative assistants of the Hsinchu mayoral candidate for the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) accused her of making illegal payroll deductions and personal gains from public funds. Lee Chung-ting (李忠庭), who is reportedly Kao’s boyfriend, was also listed as a suspect by the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office, which said it opened the case after completing a preliminary assessment. Hsinchu mayoral candidate Ann Kao leaves a news conference at Taiwan People’s Party headquarters in Taipei on Monday. Photo: CNAThe Ministry of Justice’s Investigation Bureau passed the material and testimony on to prosecutors, the office said. More serious charges might arise from the wage fraud allegations linked to Lee’s role in the legislative office, the bureau officials said, adding that Kao might have contravened Article 5 of the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例).

Hsinchu candidates share plans for region at forumStaff writer, with CNAFive candidates for the Hsinchu City mayoralty attended a televised forum on Wednesday to present their visions for the city, ranging from promoting city-county integration to introducing an accident insurance program to cover all residents. Chinese Nationalist Party Hsinchu mayoral candidate Lin Ken-jeng speaks at a news conference in the city yesterday. Photo: CNAAfter meeting with Hsinchu County Magistrate Yang Wen-ke (楊文科), who is running for re-election with the Kuomintang (KMT), they reached a consensus about her plan, she said. Lin also blamed former Hsinchu mayor Lin Chih-chien (林智堅) for the indefinite closure of the Hsinchu Baseball Stadium over the summer due to safety concerns after an extensive renovation, saying that the reopening was rushed. Under the leadership of Lin Chih-chien, the Hsinchu City government had undertaken more than 1,000 infrastructure projects, including a specialized children’s hospital and a new social housing complex, Shen said.

More than 240 candidates pledge to never surrender the nation to ChinaBy Chen Yu-fu and Jason Pan / Staff reportersMore than 240 candidates running in the local elections on Saturday next week have signed pledges to defend Taiwan and never surrender, leaders of pro-independence groups said yesterday. Chen said the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) mayoral candidates for Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung have signed the pledges. Among the city councilor candidates who have signed them, most represent the DPP, with some also running for the Taiwan Statebuilding Party. Fifteen councilor candidates of the Taiwan Obasang Political Equality Party have also signed, Chen said. Twenty-one candidates for Taipei city councilor have signed, as well as 21 city councilor candidates for New Taipei City, nine for Taoyuan, 31 for Taichung, 20 for Tainan and 35 for Kaohsiung, he said.

‘Reset has arrived’ for tech industry, investors warn‘NEW WORLD’: Some start-ups’ valuations have dropped 30% to 50%, with China being especially hard hit due to crackdowns on the private sector, venture capitalists saidBloombergThe technology industry is facing a fundamental overhaul with rising geopolitical tensions and dwindling investor appetite for money-losing start-ups, a panel of leading venture capital partners said. “The reset has arrived,” GGV Capital managing partner Jenny Lee (李宏瑋) said. The venture capitalist said that money is harder to come by for start-ups and valuations have dropped 30 percent to 50 percent in some cases. The sentiment was echoed by other investors on the panel at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum. The value of venture capital deals in the country tumbled 44 percent to US$62.1 billion through last month, compared with the same period last year, research firm Preqin said.

New drones to boost military’s capability: instituteBy Jake Chung / Staff writer, with CNAThe Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology yesterday unveiled its newest tactical close-range rotary-wing uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV), saying that once it enters service, it would be tasked with tactical reconnaissance and monitoring of littoral and coastal areas. A Teng Yun uncrewed aerial vehicle is displayed at the Chungshan Institute of Technology press event in Taichung yesterday. A new tactical close-range rotary-wing uncrewed aerial vehicle is demonstrated to reporters at the Chungshan Institute of Technology and Science’s Taichung campus yesterday. Photo: Lo Pei-te, Taipei TimesThe institute also introduced the Teng Yun, or “Cloud Rider,” a large UAV designed to focus on range and digital intelligence gathering, the institute said. Once fielded, the Teng Yun would allow the military’s drone fleet to be guided and controlled via satellite, the institute said, adding that it has completed development evaluations and is to undergo combat evaluations next year.

Firm facing sanctions for equipment sales to RussiaStaff writer, with CNA, WASHINGTONThe US Department of the Treasury has included a Taiwanese firm in its expanded list of companies and individuals facing possible sanctions for supplying or helping to finance the sale of military technology to Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Photo: Taipei Times file photoThe new sanctions “designated 14 individuals and 28 entities,” including Taiwan’s Sharp Edge Engineering Inc (銳元科技), “and identified eight aircraft as blocked property,” the statement said. Sharp Edge, based in Taipei’s Neihu District (內湖), began operations on Dec. 13, 2016, and is an electronic components wholesaler, OFAC data showed. The Ministry of Economic Affairs said in a statement yesterday that Sharp Edge is a one-person company established by a Russian national in Taiwan. Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the US has imposed a series of sanctions against Moscow to prevent it from acquiring the military equipment and components needed to support its military, blocking US-related companies from selling equipment and components to Moscow.