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.

MediaTek CEO sees manufacturers expanding supply chain beyond TaiwanBy Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterTensions between the US and China are causing some manufacturers to discuss moving some of their supply chain away from Taiwan, although the pace is “incremental,” Reuters reported yesterday, citing MediaTek Inc (聯發科) chief executive officer Rick Tsai (蔡力行). “I think in those cases, we will have to find multiple sources for the same chip if the business warrants that,” Tsai said. MediaTek chief executive officer Rick Tsai speaks to reporters in Taipei on Nov. 18, 2020. Photo: Ann Wang, ReutersReuters said MediaTek’s most advanced smartphone chips are made at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) plants in Taiwan, with some older smartphone chips being made by GlobalFoundries Inc in the US and Singapore. With TSMC constructing a US$12 billion plant in Arizona, MediaTek would also be producing chips there when it begins production, Tsai said.

CECC’s home care policy prevented overburden: groupStaff writer, with CNAA government policy of providing home care for people with cases of mild and asymptomatic COVID-19 was successful in limiting hospital admissions as the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) sought to effectively allocate health resources, the Taiwan Medical Association said on Sunday. The CECC introduced the policy after the daily number of COVID-19 cases rose past 1,500 on April 19. Local governments then activated their home isolation schemes, in accordance with the CECC’s guidelines for home care management of confirmed mild and asymptomatic COVID-19 cases. The medical home care of confirmed COVID-19 cases includes remote consultations with doctors, and the remote prescription and home delivery of medicine, Chuang said. “In the absence of such services, the number of deaths could have been much higher during the latest wave of COVID-19 infections,” he said.

Photo: ReutersInnumerable commentaries draw lessons for Taiwan from the Ukraine war, few discuss the peace that might follow a war for Taiwan. Yet, the idea of peace in Ukraine, and whatever peace is made between Ukraine and Russia, will likely have lessons for Taiwan as well. Calls for “peace” in Ukraine are common, especially from pro-Putin leftish organizations, which, not by coincidence, are also pro-China. RESISTANCE CRUCIALThere are lessons for Taiwan here: as long as resistance is continued, a peace that sells the island out can be avoided. The rock on which all calls for peace founder: what peace would the invader be willing to accept and abide by?

Local defense firms urged to seek US certificationJOINT PRODUCTION RUMORS: The defense ministry should urge compliance with US cybersecurity standards in contracts with the Taiwanese military, an expert saidStaff writer, with CNATaiwanese defense companies should seek certification from the US government cybersecurity program, a defense expert said on Friday. The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program uses advanced standards on safeguarding sensitive information, Institute for National Defense and Security Research analyst Tzeng Yi-suo (曾怡碩) said, adding that it also allows third-party assessment of defense contractors that handle controlled unclassified information. Photo: ReutersTaiwanese defense contractors working with the US military, as well as those who are planning to do so, would have to obtain certification, Tzeng said. Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and other strategic partners of the US have urged their defense companies to seek certification since the program was launched in 2020, he said. Tzeng said the Ministry of National Defense should also encourage the country’s defense contractors to comply with the standards set by the US program in bids for defense contracts with the Taiwanese military.

Taiwan in Time: The many faces of a famous architectDespite his primary focus on arts education, Han Pao-teh was also known as a prolific writer, historic preservationist and museum curatorBy Han Cheung / Staff reporterNov. 14 to Nov. 20Han Pao-teh (漢寶德) must have been feeling quite good when he returned to Taiwan in 1967. The Minnan-style Youth Activity Center in Kenting, designed by Han Pao-teh. Academia Sinica’s Institute of Ethnology, designed by Han Pao-teh. A 2006 portrait of Han Pao-teh. It was the turning point of his life, Han writes.

Cambodia telecom job fraud suspects indictedStaff Writer, with CNAPingtung County prosecutors yesterday said they had indicted four people for their alleged involvement in recruiting people to work for a Cambodia-based telecoms fraud operation. The suspects allegedly used fake job advertisements promising base salaries of NT$40,000 to lure Taiwanese to Cambodia, they said. The three female suspects each played different roles, ranging from recruiting new hires to personnel matters, prosecutors added. Prosecutors have identified 10 people as having been duped by the suspects into going to Cambodia. After receiving approval from the Pingtung District Court, the four suspects remain in custody pending further investigation, prosecutors said.

During the first three quarters, Adimmune accumulated net profits of NT$230 million, an improvement from losses of NT$251 million made during the same period last year, company data showed. Adimmune earlier this year won a government bid to supply 3.27 million flu vaccines to the Ministry of Health and Welfare for NT$786 million. The third quarter was the peak season for the delivery of flu vaccines, it said. The company also gained more orders for flu vaccines and flu vaccine ingredients from overseas markets, such as eastern Europe and Thailand. “It is an achievable target, as we will continue delivering flu vaccines to local governments and begin shipping flu vaccines to China, and gain more revenue from our contract manufacturing business,” it said.

Or that there’s a concealed opening on the bottom of each booth so that election workers can remove votes for certain candidates? People can verify the information they receive via Taiwan Fact Check Center’s LINE account. Recent election disinformation warns people that there’s a higher chance of their ballot getting rigged if they vote in the morning. Photo: Chang Hsuan-che, Taipei TimesDisinformation pertaining to the nine-in-one election on Nov. 26 began appearing around June, Chen says. TFCC last month provided a rundown of common election “rumor scripts” (謠言劇本) on its Web site, which include verified election procedural guidelines.

Taipei probing preschool over abuse allegationsStaff writer, with CNAThe Taipei Department of Education on Tuesday said that it has launched an investigation into allegations that two teachers slapped and held children upside down at a quasi-public preschool in Nangang District (南港). Taipei City Councilor Chung Siao-ping (鍾小平) and the parents of two of the allegedly abused children at a news conference released video footage to support their claims. Taipei City Councilor Chung Siao-ping, left, on Wednesday at a news conference in Taipei looks at video footage recorded at a quasi-public preschool accused of abusing children. Chung said the abuse, allegedly carried out by two teachers on the same day, need to be thoroughly investigated by the Taipei City Government. The preschool could face fines or more serious consequences if it is found guilty of major violations, Chen said.