title: CNA suspends reporter over spying claims

people: 王定宇 陳時中 黃國昌 梁文傑

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The state-affiliated Central News Agency (CNA) yesterday said it has suspended a judiciary reporter while it investigates their alleged involvement in covert operations to surveil politicians and officials.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Yi-chuan (王義川), who was among the allegedly targeted politicians, yesterday accused Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) of being the mastermind behind the surveillance.

He vowed to file a lawsuit against Huang for infringing on privacy rights and related legal contraventions.

Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Huang Kuo-chang is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo: Taipei Times

DPP legislators Hsu Chih-chieh (許志傑) and Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) called the case “Taiwan’s Watergate,” drawing parallels with the 1970s US scandal in which government officials hired operatives to undertake secretive and unlawful actions to “find dirt” on political opponents.

CNA president Hu Wan-ling (胡婉玲) told reporters that she convened meetings in recent days and has launched an internal probe, after reports said that the reporter at the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office had been involved in Huang’s alleged covert operations to surveil, track daily activities, and take photos of DPP legislators and government officials.

“In reports by Mirror Daily News and other media outlets, it is said that a reporter working at state-affiliated media, who is also chairperson of the Taipei Judiciary Journalist Association and works for the CNA covering events at the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office, was involved in surveillance of politicians,” CNA said in a news release.

“In our internal meeting, it was decided to immediately suspend the reporter in question and transfer them to another unit. At the same time, we have formed a task force to initiate an internal probe into the case to verify if the mentioned reporter has violated news work ethics and code of conduct,” it said.

Wang Yi-chuan said he filed a judicial complaint last year after finding that he was being followed.

The court filing said that people working for Taipei-based Kai Ssu International Co rented cars and camera equipment to surveil him for nine days in June last year.

Earlier this week, Wang Yi-chuan said several people in the surveillance operation were affiliated with the TPP and had direct links to Huang, including a woman named Lee Yu-chin (李郁衿), who had worked in his election campaign, and Chang Chin-yuan (張晉源), a key figure at Kai Ssu International who cofounded the Taiwan Anti-corruption and Whistleblower Protection Association.

Chinese-language media yesterday reported that the surveillance team consisted of up to seven people, mainly journalists and photographers, and the alleged CNA reporter coordinated with Huang to issue instructions.

DPP legislators said that other pan-green camp figures had been secretly surveilled in recent years, including Control Yuan members deemed close to the green camp, as well as former minister of economic affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝), former minister of health and welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑), and former DPP spokesman Cho Kuan-ting (卓冠廷).

The Association of Taiwan Journalists in a statement criticized the alleged actions.

“We demand Taiwan’s politicians to stop using fake news and media exposure to engage in political struggles, and infringing on privacy rights,” it said.

“If any media workers come under undue pressure, feel threatened, or are enticed by money from politicians to do a job, they can make a complaint to our association, and we shall protect the rights of all media workers, defend media freedom, and seek support from international journalist groups,” the statement said.


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By Chen Chih-cheng and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer

The missile systems of Taiwan’s military could be integrated into a cohesive network in light of a Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST) deal to introduce Northrop-Grumman’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS) at the Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition last week.

During the three-day show, the CSIST inked deals to collaborate with six North American defense contractors to bring in drones, anti-drone systems, and work together to increase Taiwan’s military research and development capabilities.

The IBCS on Monday was part of a live-fire, operational demonstration by the Polish Air Force’s 37th Air and Missile Defense Squadron in Ustka, Poland, under its WISLA program, which saw the successful interception of a cruise missile by the MIM-104 Patriot Advanced Capability II Guidance Enhanced Missile-Tactical at a range of 25km.

An air force Patriot missile system is deployed at a park in Taipei on July 11, on the fourth day of the Han Kuang military exercise. Photo: I-Hwa Cheng, AFP

The Polish WISLA program hopes to modernize its missile defense system, including its Mala NAREW short-range anti-aircraft missile system, which primarily uses MBDA UK’s Common Anti-Air Modular Missile family of missiles, as well as the Polish Very Short Range Air Defense anti-aircraft missile and artillery system, the PSR-A Pilica, with the incorporation of the IBCS.

Poland aims to integrate legacy Patriot system components with other systems to form a cohesive, modern anti-air defense system.

Throughout the demonstration, the Polish 37th Squadron tracked and identified incoming targets using the Patriot missile system’s in-built AN/MPQ-65 radar, the information from which was then handled by the IBCS and passed on to the 37th Squadron, allowing them to fire at and destroy the target.

According to the Polish Ministry of National Defense, the exercise was a part of this year’s Iron Defender exercise.

Taiwan’s incorporation of the IBCS is intended to integrate the Patriot system with newer National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System and domestically developed missile systems.

The CSIST said it would be working with Northrop-Grumman to realize such goals, and allow for seamless integration between Taiwan-built and US-made missile systems.

title: CSIST aiming to integrate missile systems with tech


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By Chiu Chih-jou and Sam Garcia / Staff reporter, with staff writer

The Ministry of Health and Welfare yesterday said it has identified about 75 imported drugs that would be significantly affected by US tariffs on pharmaceuticals, although the overall impact would be limited.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced that starting on Wednesday next week, imported brand-name and patented drugs would be subject to a 100 percent tariff, with exemptions only for drug manufacturers that have production facilities in the US.

Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) yesterday said that US drug tariffs mainly target brand-name drugs and new drugs that are still patent-protected, and exclude active pharmaceutical ingredients and generic drugs, so the overall effect on drug prices would be limited.

The impact on domestic drug exports is not significant, as Taiwan mainly exports active pharmaceutical ingredients, which are not subject to the new tariff, and does not export many new patent-protected drugs, Shih said.

Regarding imports, which directly affect people’s medications, Shih said that once a brand-name drug’s patent expires, most can be replaced with generics, so the impact would be fairly limited.

However, there are about 75 out of 214 patented imported drugs that have no alternatives, which would likely be the biggest impact, he said.

A special resilience budget has already allocated contingency funds that could be drawn on if needed to stabilize drug prices, he added.

The ministry would closely monitor drug prices and make adjustments to the National Health Insurance system as necessary, Shih said.

title: Drug tariffs impact not significant, minister says


title: Draft nuclear regulations criticized

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Civic groups yesterday urged the inclusion of more specific and comprehensive risk assessment criteria in draft amendments to nuclear facility regulations proposed by the Nuclear Safety Commission.

The commission last month announced draft amendments to the Regulations on the Application for an Operating License of Nuclear Reactor Facilities (核子反應器設施運轉執照申請審核辦法).

The bill would cancel the operating license renewal deadline of five to 15 years prior to the originally scheduled retirement date, but would require operators to submit evaluation reports on seismic safety and radiation hazards, in addition to age-related degradation, for extended use of the facilities.

Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association attorney Tsai Ya-ying, second left, speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times

However, civic groups yesterday told a news conference that such requirements were too loose and failed to consider threats from extreme weather and protection of indigenous people’s rights.

Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association attorney Tsai Ya-ying (蔡雅瀅) said concerns that would advise against license renewals should also be specified in proposed revisions.

For example, nuclear facilities in areas with high geological risk, such as volcanic regions, active faults, land subsidence and potential debris flow, or with coastal hazards, such as tsunami, storm surges, coastal erosion or rising sea levels, should have their renewal denied, Tsai said.

The same should apply to nuclear facilities that are not cost-effective or located within 50km of reservoir watersheds or in areas where residents within a 30km radius could not be evacuated after a nuclear accident, she said.

Tsai also suggested necessitating two-phase environmental impact assessments (EIA) in license renewal applications in line with the retirement procedure.

“The three previously serving nuclear plants have all undergone two-phase EIA reviews when they were retired, and extending a nuclear plant’s service life would pose hazards no less than shutting them down,” she said.

Tsai also cited National Taiwan Ocean University Earth sciences researcher Wang Shou-cheng (王守誠) as saying that the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission requires an EIA on extreme weather conditions such as floods, extreme heat and sea-level rise in license renewal applications.

Tzu Chi University public health associate professor Hsieh Wan-hua (謝婉華) said the risk and long-term impact of potential radioactive contamination on local residents should also be considered.

Operators seeking license renewal should be required to simulate scenarios of composite disasters caused by extreme weather and conduct graded disaster response drills, she said.

They should also plan long-term, periodic health checks for residents, given that radioactive contamination’s impact on human health can last for decades, Hsieh said, adding that such reports could be submitted as supplementary documents to simplify regulatory procedures.

Association for Taiwan Indigenous Peoples’ Policies president Yapasuyongu Akuyana said that informed consent from local indigenous people should be necessitated in any proposed extension of nuclear facilities that are in indigenous traditional territories.

The commission should take its responsibility as the license granting authority by enforcing Article 21 of the Indigenous Peoples Basic Act (原住民族基本法), he said.


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HOMOPHOBIC REMARKS: An online survey revealed that 51.7 percent of students have heard the word ‘gay’ being used as a negative term at school

Taiwan must include gender equality education in teacher training, as a study showed that 61.9 percent of students have heard homophobic remarks from teachers, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Fan Yun (范雲) said on Thursday.

At a news conference cohosted by the Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association at the legislature in Taipei, Fan said that the Ministry of Education should make nondiscrimination against LGBTQ+ students a core part of teacher training.

Department of Student Affairs and Special Education head Hsui Hui-chin (許慧卿) said the ministry is mulling including gender-equality training programs a part of performance metrics for private and public universities.

Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Fan Yun, second right, presides over a news conference at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei on Thursday. Photo: CNA

The survey showed that Taiwan has made some progress in making schools friendly to LGBTQ+ students, but many challenges remain, including a lack of teaching materials and teacher training, Fan said.

She urged the government to incorporate gender equality education as a core part of teacher training and conduct official polls to obtain reliable data on discrimination in schools.

The survey on Taiwanese students’ experience with gender and sexual preference-based discrimination revealed that 51.7 percent of respondents have heard the word “gay” being used as a negative term, association representatives said.

Grooming and uniform standards on campus have become more tolerant of transgender students compared with 2020, when the poll was last conducted, they said.

However, transgender students continue to encounter limits in using restrooms, locker rooms and dormitories appropriate for their identified gender, the representatives said.

Although 86.9 percent of schools have implemented anti-discrimination education, only 44.5 percent of the programs included gay equality-related issues, they said.

According to the survey, 14.2 percent of respondents said that their school has policies supporting LGBTQ+ students and 6.4 percent of respondents said student associations at their school are friendly to the LGBTQ+ community, the representatives said.

The poll showed that 26.4 percent of gay students and 19.4 percent of gender nonconforming students felt unsafe on campus, down from 35.6 percent and 24.4 percent in 2020, they said.

The online survey was conducted between September 2023 and June last year, with 1,716 valid samples.

title: Gender equality training urged for schoolteachers


title: African swine fever risk higher at Mid-Autumn Festival

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Instances of illegally bringing pork products into Taiwan have dropped by 80 percent since 2019, the Central Emergency Operations Center said yesterday, although the risk remains high for products infected with African swine fever entering Taiwan via China and Southeast Asia.

The risk increases during peak travel and mailing periods such as the Mid-Autumn Festival, it said, with many contraventions involving moon cakes containing pork.

The center since 2018 has continuously tested pork products that illegally enter Taiwan’s borders, testing a total of 9,076 samples as of Aug. 31 and identifying 949 positive cases originating from China, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and other neighboring nations.

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency Acting Director-General Du Li-hwa, second right, and other quarantine officials observe a detection dog sniffing for pork products at the Taipei Mail Processing Center yesterday. Photo: CNA

That is a 10.46 percent positivity rate, with 806 cases from China accounting for 84.9 percent of the total, it said.

Beginning in May 2022, the center began to impose fines on mailed parcels containing unlicensed pork products of NT$200,000 (US$6,548) for a first offense and NT$1 million for each subsequent offense.

In the year up to last month, a total of 14 parcels were found to contravene the regulations, it said, a marked decrease on previous years.

Since April 2023, enforcement measures have been implemented at international airports and seaports under a customs clearance system that sorts passengers incoming from nations with higher risk of African swine fever, using the same fine structure.

The number of fines issued per 10,000 passengers has dropped from an average of 3.77 cases before the implementation of the measures to 0.79 cases, a nearly 80 percent reduction compared with the same period in 2019, the center said.

However, the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine has continued to find traces of African swine fever nucleic acid in agricultural products carried illegally by incoming travelers, and in express parcels and international packages, it said.

The center convened a meeting with ministries to review border control and domestic measures to prevent African swine fever infections ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival, it added.


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The use of smartphone apps to digitally store receipts has reduced donations from receipt lotteries to 40 percent of previous levels in a blow to social welfare groups, the Genesis Social Welfare Foundation said on Thursday last week.

The foundation said that lottery-winning receipts given away by consumers at convenience stores and restaurants have been a mainstay of the nonprofit group’s revenue since its founding.

The rise of receipt-storing apps is threatening the charity’s long-standing sustainment model, it said.

Receipts from the May-to-June 2019 period are pictured in an undated photograph. Photo: Taipei Times

Over the years, Taiwanese donated to the group a total of 1.75 billion lottery-winning receipts, worth a total of NT$1.89 billion (US$61.9 million), the foundation said.

Revenue from the receipt lottery winnings for the foundation fell from NT$1.4 billion in 2008 to NT$51.36 million last year, the foundation said.

In response, the foundation last week launched a drive to encourage people to donate receipts in digital form, it said.

Members of the public who want to give away their digital receipts for a good cause can obtain a bar code sticker for their phones to use at vendors nationwide, the foundation said.

The foundation supports 800 Taiwanese with post-coma unresponsiveness who have no money to pay for their care, it said, adding that upkeep for each person is between NT$50,000 and NT$70,000 per month.

title: Digital store receipts are threat to funding: charity


title: Millet being promoted in about 30 schools: agency

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About 30 schools nationwide have incorporated Taiwan-grown millet into school lunches to promote diet diversity and indigenous culture, the Agriculture and Food Agency said on Thursday.

Agency Deputy Director Huang Chao-hsing (黃昭興) said the Ministry of Agriculture collaborated with the Council of Indigenous Peoples to promote millet and revitalize the value of the important cash crop.

The program has been implemented in about 30 schools across Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung and Hualien counties.

Dishes made with millet are pictured at Zhangshu Elementary School in New Taipei City’s Sijhih District yesterday. Photo: CNA

Given aggravated extreme weather, millet is an ideal crop that can add diversity to school lunches aside from rice, Huang said.

Council Deputy Minister Adralriw Abaliusu said millet is not only a healthy food, but also has cultural significance.

“Millet is a means for most indigenous people to connect and communicate with their ancestral spirits,” he said.

New Taipei City Indigenous Peoples Department Director Siku Yaway said that Zhangshu Elementary School in New Taipei City’s Sijhih District (汐止) was chosen to start the program, as it is an urban school with students of various indigenous backgrounds.

“It [the program] is important, as children would have more confidence and understanding of their own culture when they see their indigenous lifestyle and fellow people are incorporated into daily life,” she said.

Millet is good for digestive health, as the food is rich in nutrients such as dietary fiber, protein, iron, magnesium and vitamin B, the agency said.

It can help prevent students from consuming too much refined starches, and teach them about healthy diets and the spirit of cherishing locally grown crops, it said.

Millet dishes served in schools include chicken broth noodles with millet, millet curry with meat sauce, baked vegetables with millet, and corn soup with millet, the agency said.


title: World Expo pavilion wins bronze award

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A pavilion curated by Taiwan’s Tamayama Digital Tech Co Ltd for this year’s World Expo in Osaka, Japan, has won a bronze award at the World Expolympics.

The Tech World Pavilion’s “Life Theater” received a bronze trophy in the Best Exhibit/Display category during a ceremony on Tuesday at the USA Pavilion, the Taiwanese pavilion said in a statement.

The Life Theater, in the pavilion’s first exhibition area, features visual and audio effects produced by 560 interactive installations and a giant projection screen, the organizers said.

People walk past Taiwan’s Tech World Pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, on April 22. Photo: Lin Jing-hua, Taipei Times

In addition, the Taiwanese pavilion was named a finalist in three other categories — Best Detail or Element, Director’s Choice and People’s Choice — tying the US and Italian pavilions with four nominations.

The Saudi Arabian and Spanish pavilions led the field with six, followed by Singapore and the Czech Republic with five each.

Taiwan External Trade Development Council executive vice president Felix Chiu (邱揮立) said the result reflected the “infinite creativity and sweat” invested by the team.

The pavilion has attracted nearly 1 million visitors since opening in mid-April, showing that the team’s efforts are paying off, Chiu said.


content_text: Animal rights advocates protest a proposed ban on feeding stray dogs and cats in front of the Ministry of Agriculture in Taipei yesterday. They urged the government to instead focus on managing owners and increasing penalties for abandoning pets.

title: Stray supporters


content_text: A large inflatable sculpture titled “Mossmo” by artist Chen Pu is pictured at the Argenna Shipyard in Keelung yesterday on the opening day of the Keelung Ciao arts festival, which runs until Oct. 26.

title: Ahoy Keelung


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10-YEAR OUTLOOK:  The revision reflected the decline in power consumption in the first half this year, as traditional businesses were affected by a business slump

The Ministry of Economic Affairs yesterday revised down the nation’s power consumption growth forecast to 1.7 percent over the next decade, as major investments from semiconductor firms and into artificial intelligence (AI) technologies were diverted mainly overseas.

That compares with a forecast compound annual growth rate of 2.8 percent during a 10-year period from last year to 2033.

The revision is also due to a lower base this year, as power consumption declined in the first half of this year as a business slump in the traditional sector cut electricity usage, Energy Administration Acting Director-General Lee Chun-li (李君禮) told a news conference.

The government’s energy conservation initiatives also helped, the official said.

The measure is expected to save 20.6 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity over four years, or about 5TWh annually, Lee said.

The revised power consumption growth forecast is comparable to rival countries’ projected growth — 0.6 percent in Japan and 1.8 percent in South Korea, Lee said.

Although Taiwan’s GDP expanded 6.75 percent in the first half of this year, power consumption dropped 1.1 percent from a year earlier, the ministry said.

The growth of 7 to 8 percent in power consumption of heavy users such as semiconductor firms was offset by declines of 2 to 10 percent in heavy industries such as steel, cement, papermaking and petrochemicals, resulting in a decline during the period, he said.

The Energy Administration expects peak load demand to expand to about 42.2GW at night in 2030 from 36.88GW this year.

State-run Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) would focus on diversifying green energy sources to help ensure stable and sufficient electricity supply, Lee said.

The company is expanding solar energy and wind power supply, accelerating the development of geothermal and small hydropower projects to maximize the use of renewable energy, he said.

The ministry reiterated that renewable energy is to account for 20 percent of total power supply in November next year, after the government pushed back the goal three times.

By the end of 2030, green energy is projected to make up about 30 percent of total power supply, up from last year’s estimate of 25 percent, as the government plans to expand geothermal, biomass, small hydropower and marine energy capacities, the report said.

Taipower projected its reserve margin would improve to 19.6 percent after 2030 from 14.2 percent this year. That figure is expected to climb to 27.7 percent in 2033, indicating that its electricity capacity would outgrow demand, or capacity adequacy, it said.

title: Energy use forecast lowered to 1.7%


title: TSMC denies investment or partnership discussions

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Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday reiterated that the company has not entered discussions with any company about potential investments or partnerships amid ongoing rumors of ailing Intel Corp seeking TSMC’s participation.

In a statement, TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, dismissed a report by the Wall Street Journal, saying that Intel had approached TSMC soliciting investment in Intel’s manufacturing operations or a partnership.

The company said it has never entered into talks with any company on establishing a joint venture or engaging in the licensing or transfer of technology.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co chairman C.C. Wei answers questions during the company’s annual shareholders’ meeting in Hsinchu on June 3. Photo: I-Hwa Cheng, AFP

That stance was similar to previous statements made by TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) on several occasions when asked about a potential partnership with Intel.

Rumors about TSMC’s possible acquisition of a stake in Intel have been circulating for months.

After the Wall Street Journal report surfaced, TSMC’s American depositary receipts (ADRs) fell 1.44 percent overnight in the US, caused by fears that the Taiwanese chipmaker could lose the trust of its clients and see a fall in orders if it were to work with Intel, analysts said.

TSMC’s investments in Intel could help the US company improve its technology, which would create a stronger competitor for TSMC, while a partnership could result in technology leaks from the Taiwan side, analysts said.

Intel, which has been unable to keep up with TSMC on semiconductor manufacturing technologies, has secured investment from the US government, Japan’s Softbank Group and California-headquartered Nvidia Corp to support Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan’s (陳立武) bid to turn around the ailing chipmaker.

After the US government took a 10 percent stake in Intel, the US chipmaker last month received US$2 billion in investment from Softbank and then a US$5 billion pledge last week from Nvidia.


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Trump slaps new US tariffs on drugs, trucks, furniture

US President Donald Trump on Thursday unveiled a fresh round of punishing tariffs on a broad range of imported goods, including 100 percent duties on branded drugs and 25 percent levies on heavy-duty trucks, set to come into force next week.

The latest salvo, which Trump said was to protect the US manufacturing industry and national security, follows sweeping duties on trading partners of up to 50 percent and other targeted levies on imported products such as steel.

The barrage has cast a pall over global growth and paralyzed business decisionmaking around the world, while the US Federal Reserve has said it is also contributing to higher consumer prices in the US.

Trucks drive past cargo shipping containers at the Evergreen shipping terminal at the Port of Los Angeles in California on Saturday last week. Photo: AFP

Trump’s latest announcements on Truth Social did not mention whether the new levies would stack on top of existing national tariffs. However, recently struck trade deals with Japan, the EU and the UK include provisions that cap tariffs for specific products like pharmaceuticals.

Tokyo said it was still analyzing the potential impact of the new measures, which Canberra called “unfair” and “unjustified.”

Trump also followed through on a pledge to “bring back” the US’ furniture business, saying he would start charging a 50 percent tariff on imported kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities, and a 30 percent tariff on upholstered furniture. All the new duties take effect from Wednesday next week.

“The reason for this is the large scale ‘FLOODING’ of these products into the United States by other outside Countries,” Trump wrote.

Stocks of pharmaceutical companies across Asia fell as investors reacted to the news, with Australia’s CSL hitting a six-year low, Japan’s Sumitomo Pharma tumbling more than 3 percent, and pharmaceutical indices in Hong Kong and India down more than 1 percent.

An index tracking Chinese-listed furniture makers also dropped about 1 percent.

The new actions are seen as part of the Trump administration’s shift to better-established legal authorities for its tariff actions, given the risks associated with a case before the Supreme Court on the legality of his sweeping global tariffs.

The new 100 percent tariff on any branded or patented pharmaceutical product would apply to all imports unless the company has already broken ground on building a manufacturing plant in the US, Trump said.

Industry group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America said that companies “continue to announce hundreds of billions in new US investments. Tariffs risk those plans.”

The Trump administration has opened a dozen probes into the national security ramifications of imports of wind turbines, airplanes, semiconductors, polysilicon, copper, timber and lumber, and critical minerals to form the basis of new tariffs.

Trump this week announced new probes into personal protective equipment, medical items, robotics and industrial machinery. He previously imposed national security tariffs on steel and aluminum and derivatives, light-duty autos and parts, and copper.

Trump has made the levies a key foreign policy tool, using them to renegotiate trade deals, extract concessions and exert political pressure on other countries.

His administration has played down the impact on consumer prices and touted tariffs as a significant revenue source, with US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent saying Washington could collect US$300 billion by the end of the year.

Some economies that have already struck deals might get a reprieve on the latest duties.

The EU’s deal with the US stipulates it would pay a 15 percent tariff on goods including pharmaceuticals, while Japan has an agreement that its tariff rates would not exceed others, including the EU, Tokyo’s trade negotiator Ryosei Akazawa said yesterday.


title: China Steel posts fifth straight month of pre-tax losses

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China Steel Corp (中鋼), Taiwan’s biggest steelmaker, yesterday reported a fifth straight month of pre-tax losses as its offshore wind power subsidiary’s financial performance worsened and steel demand slumped.

Pre-tax losses ballooned to NT$1.29 billion (US$42.23 million) last month, compared with pre-tax losses of NT$840 million in July, the Kaohsiung-based company said in a statement.

In August last year, the company posted a pre-tax income of NT$240 million.

An undated photograph shows rolls of steel in a China Steel Corp factory in Kaohsiung. Photo courtesy of China Steel Corp

China Steel attributed the wider losses last month to a reduction in power generation by Zhong Neng Offshore Wind Farm (中能離岸風電), and lower non-operating income, mainly from a mining affiliate, whose operating costs rose, it said.

During the first eight months of the year, pre-tax losses amounted to NT$3.7 billion, compared with a pre-tax profit of NT$4.32 billion during the same period last year.

“Cumulative losses before income tax worsened from the same period last year mainly due to declines in steel sales and lower average selling prices, leading to revenue falls and higher operating losses,” the company said.

China Steel shipped 4.94 million tonnes of steel during the January-August period, down 5.18 percent from 5.21 million tonnes shipped a year earlier. Revenue shrank 12 percent year-on-year to NT$217.4 billion during the same period.

However, the company is quite positive about the outlook for next quarter, on the back of a seasonal pickup in steel demand and an improving macroeconomic environment.

Besides, destocking on the customer side is nearing an end, it said.

Demand for global commodity products is picking up, as businesses became less conservative about spending amid a respite in US tariff policy uncertainty and potentially key interest cuts by the US Federal Reserve by the end of this year, China Steel said.

On the supply side, global steel supply is stabilizing, as Beijing recently launched strict curbs on new steel output, it said, adding that it would help the global steel industry get back on track.

China is the world’s biggest steel producer.

Given the positive developments, China Steel raised price quotes for a second time for its major products for domestic deliveries this month and in the fourth quarter.


title: Import threat

content_text: A French farmer holds a box of imported chicken meat in a wholesale self-service outlet during a protest organized by the FNSEA and Jeunes Agriculteurs unions against unfair competition from imported agricultural products and the Mercosur free-trade agreement, in Mont-de-Marsan, France, yesterday. Farmers are targeting the draft free-trade agreement between the EU and the Latin American Mercosur countries, with Brussels launching the ratification process early this month.


content_text:
The National Land Management Agency on Tuesday announced that it was considering adding exterior wall inspections to routine building safety evaluations to tackle the ongoing issue of loose tiles falling from structures. The move followed the Control Yuan censuring the Ministry of the Interior over a lack of comprehensive regulations and oversight on the inspection and maintenance of exterior wall finishes, a shortcoming that has contributed to recurring incidents of falling tiles from aging buildings.

Ministry data showed that nearly 59 percent of residential properties — about 5.5 million homes nationwide — are more than 30 years old and face aging-related risks. The issue is especially acute in Taipei, where nearly half of the homes are more than 40 years old, with almost one in five exceeding 50 years. Meanwhile, urban renewal efforts have not kept pace with the growing number of aging buildings.

These structures were built before the modern earthquake-resistant standards implemented in 1999 following the 921 Earthquake. As a result, they are more vulnerable to structural damage from natural disasters. When a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Hualien last year, it damaged 430 buildings nationwide. While most of the damage was in Hualien, one red-tagged building was in Taipei — far from the quake’s epicenter.

However, as the Control Yuan’s censure highlighted, the dangers of aging buildings go beyond structural integrity or earthquake resistance. Falling tiles and crumbling concrete from deteriorating exteriors frequently cause injuries and property damage, underscoring the urgent need for improved maintenance and inspections. In March, a piece of concrete fell from a building on Linsen N Road in Taipei, hitting a car’s roof and injuring a child in the backseat.

Although the government has introduced financial incentives and urban renewal programs to replace or upgrade aging structures, progress remains slow. Meanwhile, the number of homes aged 30 years or older increased by nearly 400,000 — almost 4 percent — in the past three months alone. Redevelopment is costly and complex, especially in Taipei, where high property values and strict zoning laws discourage many owners from renovating.

Taiwan’s rapidly aging population complicates the situation. Many older residential buildings lack elevators, creating serious accessibility issues for elderly residents and others with mobility impairments. Taipei is now a “super-aged” city, with more than 90 percent of its districts having at least 20 percent of residents aged 65 or older. Nationwide, more than half of Taiwan’s 368 administrative regions have reached this status. Without renovations to include elevators or barrier-free designs, many elderly residents face daily hardships navigating their homes and communities.

A comprehensive strategy is needed to address the growing safety risks and accessibility challenges posed by aging buildings. Not only should the National Land Management Agency follow through with requiring regular inspections of exterior wall finishes, but property owners who fail to carry out mandatory inspections or repairs should face stricter penalties, including fines or liability in the event of injuries or damage. Incentive programs should also be expanded and improved to encourage timely renovations and reconstruction. Policies should tackle the economic and bureaucratic barriers deterring property owners from upgrading. Subsidies, tax breaks and streamlined approval processes could reduce costs and accelerate redevelopment, especially in dense urban areas where delays are most significant.

Taiwan faces a complex housing challenge marked by aging buildings, growing safety risks, poor accessibility and stalled redevelopment. Addressing these challenges is a matter of public safety, and key to promoting social equity and improving quality of life. Rather than quick fixes, a clear timeline and coordinated policies on effective urban renewal are needed.

title: EDITORIAL: Enhancing building safety oversight


title: Mitigating harm from barrier lakes

taiwan-subdivisions: 鳳林 光復 南化 萬榮

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In July, heavy rainfall brought by Tropical Storm Wipha triggered a large-scale landslide in the upper reaches of the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in Hualien County. The ground fractured and shifted, forming a natural dam nearly 200m high, with an estimated water storage capacity of about 86 million cubic meters — equivalent to the Nanhua Reservoir (南化水庫).

In just two months, repeated heavy rainfall caused the water level to rise to nearly the top of the barrier. As the outer bands of Super Typhoon Ragasa approached on Tuesday, the barrier lake burst, and muddy floodwaters flowed downstream, devastating the townships of Guangfu (光復), Wanrong (萬榮) and Fonglin (鳳林).

This disaster is a reminder that barrier lakes — which form when debris, landslides or natural blockages create a temporary dam along a river — are not merely a flood-related issue, but a complex challenge involving geology, engineering and disaster management.

Since Caoling Lake (草嶺潭) — a barrier lake in Yunlin County’s Caoling Township (草嶺) — formed in 1862, Taiwan has experienced 75 similar events. The most devastating occurred during the earthquake on Sept. 21, 1999, which triggered a massive landslide in Nantou County’s Jioufenershan (九份二山) mountain that formed two barrier lakes and resulted in 41 fatalities.

In 2009, Typhoon Morakot — the most damaging typhoon to hit Taiwan in decades — caused widespread landslides and mudslides across the nation, forming at least 16 barrier lakes that caused severe flooding and landslides in downstream areas. These incidents highlight the significant threat posed by the collapse of barrier lakes to downstream areas, and illustrate an urgent need to strengthen disaster prevention and emergency response measures.

The government’s current standard operating procedure for responding to landslide-formed barrier lakes on state-owned forest land provides guidelines for handling such incidents. Experience from the Jioufenershan and Caoling barrier lakes has proven that a combination of overflow, dam reinforcement and monitoring is an effective model for mitigating risk.

These lessons are equally applicable to the recent Mataian River incident — however, remote terrain, challenging construction conditions and unstable weather made on-site response significantly more difficult. Fortunately, the monitoring system proved effective, issuing early warnings that enabled the timely evacuation of residents to reduce casualties.

Statistics indicate that barrier lakes have a high potential for recurring. The Caoling barrier lake, for example, has formed multiple times due to major landslides triggered by typhoons or earthquakes — in 1862, 1941, 1942, 1979 and 1999. Taiwan’s steep mountainous terrain and the frequency of typhoons and earthquakes cause barrier lakes to reappear almost every two to three years. Each disaster serves as a reminder of the necessity of long-term preparedness beyond just emergency response.

First, medium-to-long-term management should take priority. After such events, actions must be taken to dredge river channels, construct check dams, stabilize slopes and restore vegetation to reduce the risk of future landslides and the reforming of barrier dams.

The second step is to systematize geological monitoring. Tools such as aerial photography, remote sensing and geological surveys can be employed to conduct long-term monitoring of mountain terrain and landforms. This would ensure that potential large-scale landslides are detected as early as possible and promptly addressed.

Furthermore, it is essential that a centralized database be established and regular drills conducted. Creating a unified database and holding regular emergency response exercises would significantly shorten the time required for decisionmaking when disaster strikes, and maximize the protection of lives and property.

The Mataian River incident reminds us yet again that barrier lakes are not solely a flood issue, but a comprehensive test of geological conditions and human response capabilities. In Taiwan’s rainy environment, such lakes are unlikely to exist for a long time — therefore, the most practical strategy is to quickly assess, drain and evacuate.

The effective integration of geological surveys, engineering measures and community disaster preparedness would help to minimize damage when the next natural disaster strikes.

Yu Wei-yao is president of the New Taipei Engineering Geologists Association.

Translated by Kyra Gustavsen


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As Super Typhoon Ragasa approached Taiwan on Monday, and Hualien, Taitung and Pingtung counties suspended work and classes, someone came up with the reckless idea of stealing Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che’s (黃偉哲) profile photo to post false information on social media platform Threads about schools in Tainan being canceled too.

The post — which read “Tainan is off tomorrow!” — was immediately shared. Huang promptly debunked the rumor, and police quickly tracked down the person responsible — a first-year high-school student in Tainan. The student later deleted the post and said it was a joke, requesting that legal procedures be avoided.

However, Huang said that the issue would be handled in accordance with the law. He cited as an example last year’s presidential election, in which multiple actors used artificial intelligence to spread false recordings and images of presidential candidates spreading the so-called “surrender theory,” thereby disrupting the national order. Huang said such behavior must not be allowed to continue.

It seems that in this case, the student’s claim that the post was “just a joke” would not be enough to settle the matter. The student might have unknowingly broken the law, but her actions still resulted in a public disturbance.

There have been other cases where students unknowingly contravened Article 310 of the Criminal Code, which says: “A person who points out or disseminates a fact which will injure the reputation of another for purpose that it be communicated to the public commits the offense of slander and shall be sentenced to imprisonment of not more than one year, short-term imprisonment, or a fine of not more than fifteen thousand dollars.”

While these incidents sparked debate in the field of education, they ultimately led nowhere. In reality, they should have served as a turning point for promoting legal education in schools and establishing student awareness of the rule of law. Unfortunately, no substantial progress has been made in this regard.

Based on my experience as a teacher, many students do not possess criminal intent, but they still commit criminal acts — they might, for instance, defame a classmate’s reputation and then claim it was “just a joke,” but harm has already been done.

In the past, so long as the teacher stepped in and explained to the victim’s parents that the student was still young and did not know any better, and asked for an opportunity to let the student correct their mistake, most parents would accept it and the matter would be resolved peacefully. However, conflicts between students are no longer something that can be settled with an apology. Parents have hardened their stance, pursuing accountability even to the point of taking legal action.

According to Article 63 of the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法), those engaged in “spreading rumors in a way that is sufficient to undermine public order and peace” could face detention of not more than three days or a fine of up to NT$30,000. In this case, a high-school student’s “joke” became an instance of unintentionally breaking the law. I hope that the education department would shoulder the didactic responsibility for this to prevent such unfortunate incidents from happening again.

Chiu Shih-chang is a teacher.

Translated by Kyra Gustavsen

title: Students need to be educated in rule of law


title: EDITORIAL CARTOON

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A 50-year-old on Wednesday last week died while under anesthesia at a Taipei cosmetic clinic shortly after undergoing a penis enlargement procedure. The surgeon was arrested for suspected medical malpractice, again bringing to the surface shortcomings in the regulation of cosmetic medicine. Media reports said the clinic owner and surgeon, surnamed Ting (丁), was previously convicted of negligent homicide for a postsurgical death and had been charged with coercion and aggravated assault after allegedly stopping a patient from calling for an ambulance. He had also been fined for failing inspections and had allegedly permitted people without medical licenses to assist

It was most annoying last week to read Chairman Xi Jinping’s (習近平) fulsome encomium to the People’s Liberation Army during the Eightieth Anniversary celebrations of victory over Japan in World War II. Comrade Xi’s soaring rhetoric was stuffed with “martyrs, sacrifice, solemnity and unwavering resolve” in praise of the “Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.” His aspirations overflowed with “world peace” and love of the United Nations, of which China is a founding member.The Liberation Army Daily said that every word from General Secretary Xi Jinping “resounded in his powerful voice, illuminating the

Before the break of dawn, the streets are full of countless teens rushing to class with backpacks in hand — a scene that has long been part of Taiwan’s educational landscape. Recently, a citizen-initiated petition signed by more than 10,000 people calling for delaying junior-high and high-school class starting times to 10am and ending at 4pm has once again drawn society’s attention to students’ health and daily routines, triggering debate over topics from sleep and biological clocks to the pressures of the academic system.Supporters and opponents of the petition have their own perspectives, but what is truly worth reflecting on

By Chang Ruay-shiung 張瑞雄


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Can Europe afford to be in the crosshairs of two superpowers?As doubt in the reliability or stability of the US mounts, the EU can no longer follow its lead on China

Europe’s relationship with the US is unmoored, but it has also lost its bearings with regard to China, caught by competing forces that pull and push in opposite directions.

Europe’s China policy used to be a function of Washington’s. When then-US president Barack Obama tried and then failed to pivot to Asia in 2011, sucked into turmoil in the Middle East instead, Europeans lulled themselves into the belief that their relationship with Asia could continue to be driven by trade, with security an afterthought.

Despite rising tensions in the South China Sea, the Korean Peninsula and the Taiwan Strait, European governments viewed Asia, including China, through a predominantly economic lens. China’s Belt and Road Initiative was initially seen as a purely economic endeavor, lacking a strategic edge. It was only as US-China relations soured, under US President Donald Trump’s first administration and then especially under then-US president Joe Biden, that Brussels switched gears.

China was no longer seen only as a partner, but more warily, as a competitor and systemic rival. Investment screening, tariffs and export controls entered the European lexicon when talking about China. The link to the US was clear. While the EU rejected any decoupling from China, considering it undesirable and impossible, it began advocating “de-risking” instead. Once unpacked, this is no different from other trademark European concepts such as strategic autonomy and economic security. However, the timing and the framing of Brussels’ more hawkish line made it clear that its north star on China was Washington.

This worked so long as the transatlantic relationship was strong, and Washington’s approach to China was clear and predictable. None of that is true today. Toughening up to match China’s assertiveness, for instance, by accepting and even advocating for NATO’s role in East Asia, continues to anger Beijing.

However, it no longer necessarily rallies favor in Washington. The Trump administration might bully Europeans to inflict costs on China — for example, by applying secondary sanctions on countries that continue to buy Russian oil and gas. However, this does not guarantee that Trump is going to stand by Europe on Ukraine, or that Washington has any intention of exerting meaningful economic pressure on Beijing.

So far, it is China that has retained the upper hand in the trade war with the US. Trump treats Europe as subservient: He is happy to see it inflict economic pain on Beijing at its own cost, but wants to avoid incurring such costs himself. As with most things Trump-related, it is a coin toss whether he escalates or strikes deals with Beijing, naturally, over the heads of European and Asian partners.

With Washington’s north star gone, Europeans are left figuring out what they actually think, and how they should act towards China. Should they double down on trade protectionism to counter the negative impact on Europe of Chinese industrial overcapacity? Should they encourage Chinese technology transfers to the continent, avoid a trade war and jointly develop a strategy with Asia to save the global trade order? Should they embrace Chinese green tech, aware that proceeding with the energy transition and meeting climate ambitions is impossible without it, or try to dilute green dependency on China?

In the global south, as the US exits from the development aid field, can the EU realistically counter China’s vast Belt and Road Initiative, or should it reconcile itself to its own “global gateway” infrastructure initiative being complementary to it?

None of these questions have simple answers. Making them harder still are two underlying dilemmas that lie at the heart of Europe’s own future.

First is the future of liberal democracy in Europe. Democracy is under threat in the West. Far-right, nationalist and populist forces are on the rise, as are polarization, radicalization, disinformation and extremism, threatening fundamental freedoms, the rule of law and the separation of powers. China, unlike Russia and the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement in the US, does not explicitly back these far-right forces, nor does it appear to have any desire to export its model of government.

However, given that China is the ultimate case of an economically successful authoritarian system, it inspires those in Europe who want to see their countries move in an illiberal direction. No wonder that China’s closest European partners are Hungary, Slovakia and Serbia, as was blatantly on display when their leaders (or, in Hungary’s case, foreign minister) attended China’s military parade in Beijing this month.

When it comes to the magnetic draw that China exerts on authoritarian and illiberal forces in Europe, there is not much European governments and institutions can expect from Beijing. The onus is on them to demonstrate that liberal democracy delivers.

The second dilemma regards security, and in particular the war in Ukraine. While China claims to be neutral maintaining ties with Kyiv and Moscow — and, at least theoretically, supports sovereignty and territorial integrity — in practice, it sides with Moscow. Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) no-limits friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin is increasingly on display, and Beijing’s peace efforts on Ukraine have proved empty. In fact, China has visibly benefited from the war, not only through cheap Russian oil and gas, but especially strategically: Russia has become the junior partner in the relationship.

Europe cannot push China to turn its back on Russia, nor expect it to stop trading with Russia. However, if China were truly neutral, it would not support Russia through the export of dual-use technology. If it genuinely wanted the war to end, it would exert pressure on Moscow, just like it did to mitigate Putin’s worst instincts when he irresponsibly threatened the use of nuclear weapons. Especially now that Trump’s failed diplomacy on Ukraine has revealed to all that it is Putin, and Putin alone, that does not want the war to end.

When I was in Beijing this month, I argued that Ukraine now represents a core interest for Europe, and that China’s stance on the war is the biggest thorn in Europe-China relations. I said that it was not only a question of values — on which, tragically, any remaining European credibility has collapsed since the Gaza war — but of security interests. The replies I got were telling. Just as Europeans now view their relationship with China through the lens of Russia, China sees Europe through the paradigm of its competition with the US.

Beijing believes that if worst comes to worst in US-China relations, Europe would stand with Washington, notwithstanding Trump and the US’ abandonment and betrayal of Europe. For China, I was told, keeping Russia on side is a strategic must. In the current circumstances Russia trumps Europe from Beijing’s perspective. It is hard not to see the logic.

Russia represents a vital threat to European security and Europeans might bend over backwards to keep the US engaged in their defense. This is likely to fail, regardless of how much flattery and self-abasement they offer to Trump. While Europe could potentially confront Russia without the US, it cannot do so while China is in its crosshairs too.

This leaves Europe with no easy way out, but wishing the problem away is no answer.

Nathalie Tocci is a Guardian Europe columnist.


title: An identity crisis is haunting Japan’s ruling party

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Following several rocky years, a ‘losers’ bracket’ of candidates offer lofty goals, but none of them presents a compelling vision

Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is perhaps the most dominant political machine among modern democracies, controlling politics in the country of more than 120 million people for all but a handful of the past 70 years. Now, it is in the midst of an identity crisis, unsure of what it stands for or who to follow — and perhaps worst of all, seemingly having forgotten how to win.

Dismal performances have the LDP clinging to power as a minority in both houses of parliament, and in search of its fifth leader in as many years. These failures have many authors: Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, chosen to lead the party a year ago in a hoped-for boost to public popularity that turned out to be a mirage, certainly shares the blame. There is plenty to go around, with predecessor Fumio Kishida’s inability to manage various scandals, as well as the assassination of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, the leader who kept the party in thrall for so long. His absence still weighs heavily.

Like many traditional parties around the world, the LDP is facing an era of generational upheaval, with social media dictating narratives faster than non-digital-native politicians can keep up. However, the crisis is not yet existential, and it is fortunate that these struggles come at a time when the traditional opposition is faring even worse. The Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) of Japan suffered a drubbing in July’s upper house election, with its haplessness explaining the bump in popularity of the fringe Sanseito group as disillusioned LDP voters looked for alternatives. Now party members and lawmakers are looking again for someone who can recapture the glory days in a campaign that kicked off on Monday and culminates with a vote by lawmakers and rank-and-file party members on Saturday next week. The winner is most likely be Japan’s next prime minister. The slogan adopted to promote it is an imperative: “Change, LDP! Talk of Japan’s Future!” They do not have time to get it wrong again. The country is facing challenges at home, where the public is upset with inflation and over-tourism, and abroad, where the US is imposing tariffs.

Yet it is far from clear that any of the candidates can bring that change. We have seen all five before at last year’s vote, when they were rejected in favor of Ishiba. One of CDP leader Yoshihiko Noda’s better rejoinders was to dismiss this vote as a losers’ bracket of competitors that have already been defeated.

Even with a year to polish their policies, none of the five contenders have been able to present a compelling vision. Having had a chance to examine their defeats last year, as well as the situation Ishiba leaves behind, the candidates have all headed for the center: Conservatives have become more moderate, and vice versa. Proposals have been taken off the board and replaced with platitudes.

Consider Shinjiro Koizumi, the presumptive front-runner. He made a series of political missteps in his campaign last year, advocating policies such as making it easier for companies to hire and fire workers — which might be a necessary move, but not a politically savvy slogan. He has ditched that, as well as other divisive ideas like advocating for married couples to be allowed to use separate surnames, and has enlisted Japanese Minister of Finance Katsunobu Kato to manage his campaign and burnish his conservative credentials.

His chief rival, Sanae Takaichi — seen by Kishida as extremist enough to reportedly merit the nickname “Taliban” — is taking the opposite approach, attempting to sand down some of her sharp edges. Last year, she blasted the Bank of Japan’s rate hikes as “idiotic” and trumpeted her fiscal dovishness; this year, she has emphasized more “responsible” and “wise” spending. At a press conference to start the campaigning, she spent much of her time complaining about tourists filmed kicking deer in her native Nara.

The other three contenders — former Japanese minister of foreign affairs Toshimitsu Motegi, current Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, and former minister of state for economic security Takayuki Kobayashi — are also short on specifics. Few rate their chances, though it is worth keeping in mind that Ishiba was not the favorite last year, either. A common theme of the candidates has been to offer goals rather than policies — such as promoting higher wages, without detailing how they plan to do it (Kobayashi’s call for government-led investment in large-scale projects such as the semiconductor plants in Kumamoto and Hokkaido was a notable exception.)

The party is still in search of a policy that can succeed Abenomics. Regardless of one’s position on its merits, Abe’s economic vision in the early years of his second term was crystal clear, both in terms of the goals and how he intended to get there. Since he left office, his successor, Yoshihide Suga, mainly concentrated on small wins, preoccupied with the pandemic; Kishida’s “New Capitalism” was a hodgepodge of contradictory ideas; and if Ishiba had an economic policy, he did not tell anyone about it.

There is still time to articulate their ambition for the country. It took July’s election drubbing to do it, but most of the candidates have (rightly) taken up the issue of overly loose property rights for foreigners and other immigration topics. All five claim that they want to listen to the public. Present a vision, then, one that looks beyond short-term issues and instead shows a path, and how to follow it. Failure to offer such a plan usually ends with one thing for LDP leaders — a term as short as Ishiba’s.

Gearoid Reidy is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Japan and the Koreas. He previously led the breaking news team in North Asia, and was the Tokyo deputy bureau chief. This column reflects the personal views of the author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.


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AL TIE:  Detroit and Cleveland were both 86-73 heading into the final weekend of the regular season, with the Guardians having the AL Central tiebreaker advantage

Freddie Freeman on Thursday homered twice, while Shohei Ohtani and Andy Pages also went deep as the Los Angeles Dodgers rolled to their 12th National League West title in 13 seasons with an 8-0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix.

Freeman led off a four-run second inning with a home run and added a two-run shot to cap a four-run fourth inning that concluded the game’s scoring.

Ohtani’s two-run homer in the fourth inning was his 54th this season, giving him 108 in his first two seasons with the Dodgers. He is one short of Alex Rodriguez (Texas Rangers, 2001-2002) for the second-most by a player in his first two seasons with an organization. Babe Ruth had 113 for the New York Yankees in 1920-2021.

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani connects during their MLB game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, on Thursday. Photo: Allan Henry / Imagn Images

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12-8) gave up four singles in six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and two walks. He finished the regular season with 201 strikeouts and has allowed just three runs and 11 hits over his past five starts covering 34 innings.

The Diamondbacks (80-79) dropped one game behind the Cincinnati Reds (81-78) and two behind the New York Mets (82-77) in the chase for the third NL wild-card spot.

The Reds, who beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1, hold the tiebreaker over the D-backs and the Mets. The Reds also own the tiebreaker if all three are tied. The Reds are to finish the regular season against the Milwaukee Brewers, while the Mets — who defeated the Chicago Cubs 8-5 — are to close against the Miami Marlins, who lost 1-0 to the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Cincinnati Reds’ Noelvi Marte makes a catch during their MLB game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Thursday. Photo: Katie Stratman / Imagn Images

In Cleveland, Ohio, the Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Guardians 4-2.

The victory gave the Tigers plenty of momentum going into the final series of the regular season.

“Everybody needs to see a little bit of positivity in the game,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “I think everybody takes a collective breath and say: ‘Here we go.’ We know these games matter the most. Even though they count the same, they don’t feel the same because of where we’re at.”

The Tigers and Guardians are both 86-73 and tied atop the American League’s Central Division with three games remaining.

The last time the division was remotely close after 159 games was in 2014, when the Tigers had a two-game lead on the Kansas City Royals, who downed the Los Angeles Angels 9-4.

The last time the AL Central was tied at this point was in 2006, when the Tigers and Minnesota Twins had 95-64 records.

“This is a weird sport we play. Anything can happen. We’ve seen it with our own eyes. That’s why you have to play all 162 games,” Riley Greene said.

Even though the Guardians were unable to sweep the Tigers for the second time in less than two weeks, they still got what they wanted by taking two out of three games.

“We’re in first place, aren’t we? That sounds good to me,” Cleveland catcher Austin Hedges said. “We talk about winning series. We did that. If we win every series moving forward, we win the world championship.”

The Guardians — who are 18-6 in September — face the Texas Rangers, who slumped to a 4-0 defeat against the Minnesota Twins.

If Cleveland and Detroit are tied after tomorrow, the Guardians would win the AL Central due to an 8-5 advantage in the season series and host a wild-card series starting on Tuesday.

In Cincinnati, Ohio, Noelvi Marte might have saved the Reds’ playoff hopes when he robbed the Pittsburgh Pirate’s Bryan Reynolds of a home run with a spectacular catch over the wall in the ninth inning of their win.

The Reds remained one game back of the Mets for the final NL wild-card spot.

“Under the circumstances, that’s one of the best plays I’ve ever seen,” Reds manager Terry Francona said. “You take the time of the game, the time of the season, how high he got up.”

Marte jumped at the wall and reached back above the first-row of seats to catch Reynolds’ drive for the second out of the ninth.

Marte also had the other two outs in the ninth as Emilio Pagan picked up his career-high 30th save in 36 chances.

Elsewhere on Thursday, it was:

‧ Athletics 5, Astros 11

‧ Blue Jays 6, Red Sox 1

‧ Mariners 6, Rockies 2

‧ Orioles 6, Rays 5

‧ Rangers 0, Twins 4

‧ Yankees 5, White Sox 3

title: LA Dodgers seal NL West crown


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Aston Villa must use their 1-0 home win over Bologna in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday as a springboard, manager Unai Emery said after his side picked up their first win of the season.

John McGinn scored Villa’s first home goal of the season to earn the win and provide Emery with relief after their dismal start to the season left them 17th in the Premier League and out of the EFL Cup.

Villa have three draws and two defeats from their five league games so far, and Emery urged his side to build on the momentum from their win over the Italian club when they host Fulham tomorrow.

Bologna’s Martin Vitik, top, and Donyell Malen of Aston Villa vie for the ball during their UEFA Europa League game in Birmingham, England, on Thursday. Photo: Reuters

“We have to try to keep consistent, we had not been consistent until today,” Emery told reporters. “Today we won and it is important we have to try and keep consistent on Sunday. Different match, different rival, but a lot of things tactically we have to keep on building. Some players have to keep adapting with us and keep progressing.”

“Today this win will help us to try and continue working and being positive, but each match coming is a challenge, to fight to try and prepare as best as possible, be demanding with the players.”

Striker Ollie Watkins’ goal drought stretched to 10 games on Thursday as his tame penalty was saved by Bologna’s Lukasz Skorupski, but Emery was pleased with the England international’s play.

“He worked today like he is [confident] and this is the first step to recover confidence,” he added. “Then he had a penalty and he created chances as well, but the most important is to recover confidence and do your tasks like he did today. Today was the first step and he did fantastic.”

Elsewhere on Thursday, it was:

‧ Ferencvaros 1, Viktoria Plzen 1

‧ Go Ahead Eagles 0, FCSB 1

‧ Lille OSC 2, Brann 1

‧ Rangers 0, Genk 1

‧ Salzburg 0, Porto 1

‧ Utrecht 0, Lyon 1

‧ VfB Stuttgart 2, Celta de Vigo 1

‧ Young Boys 1, Panathinaikos 4

title: Aston Villa must build on Europa win, Emery says


title: Locals excited as Africa hosts a top cycling event

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On a busy roadside in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, Ronald Yiga bends over his racing bicycle, inspecting the wheels.

Dressed in shiny black sweatpants, a yellow, red and green top, and a helmet, the 32-year-old cyclist is preparing for the road cycling world championships in Rwanda, the first time in the event’s 104-year history that it has taken place in Africa.

For Yiga and colleagues from his Fun Cycling Club, a small but growing community of riders in Uganda, the competition offered a chance to race alongside their heroes and maybe catapult a sport in Africa that has long felt like a pastime.

Spectators react at the start of the women’s U23 road race at the UCI Road World Championships in Kigali on Thursday. France’s Celia Gery won. Photo: AFP

“This is so big for the continent,” said Yiga, who took up cycling during the COVID-19 pandemic to ride around lockdown public transport restrictions.

Yiga said he is excited to see Tadej Pogacar, the reigning road race world champion and four-time Tour de France winner, in this week’s championships in Rwanda.

The Slovenian rider is to compete tomorrow in the men’s elite road race, with the women’s race scheduled for today.

“I can’t wait to see him [Pogacar] ... because I have been seeing him on TV in the Tour de France. I can’t wait,” said Yiga, a full-time cellphone repairer, before setting out on a 100km training ride.

For Aziz Ssempijja, Yiga’s teammate, it is more than just representing Uganda.

“I might perform well in these championships and you never know I might get a team that can be able to spot my talent ... that can push my skills to the next level,” he said.


title: Wrestling legend Lopez urges Cuban sport to ‘open up’

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Legendary Cuban wrestler Mijain Lopez, the only athlete to have won five consecutive individual Olympic golds, on Thursday called for the Cuban sport to “open up” to the world to help recover its lost glory.

Sport in the communist-run nation was “going through a very difficult time” and needed to embrace sponsorship to retain talent, Lopez, 43, said in an interview in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

“I think we need to open up sport in Cuba,” he said at the COB Expo, a fair organized by the Brazilian Olympic Committee. “There needs to be a change.”

Cuban wrestler Mijain Lopez holds a Cuban flag and his medal after the presentation ceremony for the men’s Greco-Roman heavyweight event at the Champ-de-Mars Arena at the Paris Olympic Games on Aug. 6 last year. Photo: AFP

“International sport is a business. In sports, there are sponsors... and that development hasn’t reached Cuba, he said.

Asked if there was a need to professionalize Cuban sport, he said: “Yes, I think so.”

The start of a new Olympic cycle made it important to implement changes “soon,” he added.

A traditional powerhouse of Latin American sport, Cuba fared poorly at last year’s Paris Olympics.

Its tally of two gold medals, one silver, and six bronze medals was its lowest since its return to the athletics extravaganza in Barcelona in 1992, after boycotting the Los Angeles 1984 and Seoul 1988 events. Barcelona was where Team Cuba peaked, bringing home 14 gold, six silver and 11 bronze medals.

“We’ve lost a lot of talent,” Lopez said, citing defections from the Caribbean island and deteriorating conditions at state-run training centers as contributing factors.

He insisted that he himself never considered defecting to the West over the course of his 32-year-career.

“I never had any doubts ... I always had the mentality that I was going to win a medal for the people of Cuba.”

The 1.96m colossus from Herradura in western Cuba made history when he defeated Chilean-Cuban rival Yasmani Acosta in the Greco-Roman heavyweight wrestling final in Paris.

The man nicknamed “El Terrible” for his intimidating physique received a standing ovation, then knelt and left his shoes on the mat — a tradition for retiring wrestlers.

In Sao Paulo, he rejected rumors that he was considering emerging from retirement to compete in the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

“Sport is beautiful, but it’s wise to know when to leave,” said Lopez, a suited ambassador for United World Wrestling, the governing body of amateur wrestling.


title: Netherlands to return ‘Java Man’

content_text:
The Netherlands yesterday pledged to return to Indonesia the remains of “Java Man,” the first-ever Homo erectus unearthed by modern scientists in a landmark discovery for human evolution.

The Dutch plan to hand back about 28,000 fossils of the “Dubois Collection” taken by anatomist and geologist Eugene Dubois in 1891, when Indonesia was a colony of the Netherlands.

They include Java Man’s skull cap, molar and femur that form part of evolutionary history — providing the first established link between apes and humans.

A skull cap of a Javanese is displayed on a sculpture at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden, the Netherlands, on Oct. 18, 2022. Photo: EPA-EFE

Using convict labor to do the heavy lifting, Dubois excavated the remains in what became the most sensational ever find in fossil hunting.

The discovery enabled scientists to reconstruct Homo erectus — or “upright human” — who lived from about 1.9 million years ago to about 150,000 years ago.

The find also sparked fierce controversy, partly because it challenged the idea that human civilization only emerged in Europe and Africa.

The Dutch Independent Colonial Collections Committee recommended that the historic pieces be returned to Indonesia, as they were taken without permission.

“The circumstances under which the fossils were obtained make it likely that they were taken away against the will of the population,” the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science said in a statement.

“Fossils were of spiritual and economic significance to the local population,” the ministry added.

Indonesia declared independence in August 1945 after three centuries of Dutch rule. Dutch recognition took place in 1949 after four years of fighting.

The Dutch are gradually handing back treasures taken during its colonial era.

Earlier this year, the country returned 119 precious ancient sculptures to Nigeria.

The priceless “Benin Bronzes,” metal and ivory sculptures dating back as far as the 16th century, were taken from the former kingdom of Benin more than 120 years ago.


title: Hong Kong to ban low-grade tiny apartments

content_text:
Hong Kong lawmakers yesterday passed a bill mandating a minimum size, an exclusive bathroom and other standards in subdivided apartments — a common living arrangement in one of the world’s least affordable cities.

About 220,000 people live in dwellings created by dividing regular apartments, including migrants, workers, students and young professionals. Some of the spaces have a toilet bowl next to the cooking area, no bathroom sink or washroom shared among neighbors.

Beijing, which sees the city’s housing problems as a driver of the 2019 anti-government protests, wants it to phase out subdivided apartments by 2049.

A resident who gave his name as Cheung watches television in his subdivided apartment in Sham Shui Po district of Hong Kong on Feb. 6. Photo: AP

Hong Kong Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho (何永賢) said it was painful to see people living in substandard conditions and these experiences should not occur in Hong Kong.

Legislators passed the bill by a show of hands after hours of debate.

About one-fourth of the city’s 110,000 existing subdivided homes are less than 8 square meters, the new minimum size mandated. By comparison, the standard size of a parking space in the city is 10 square meters. The median monthly rent for a unit was HK$5,000 (US$643).

An estimated 33,000 units, or 30 percent of the existing subdivided apartments, would need major renovations to meet the new requirements, and the others would need simpler improvements.

Among other conditions, each living unit must have at least one openable window, exclusive fire detectors and an enclosed toilet area with a door separating it from the rest of the apartment.

Landlords would have a grace period to renovate substandard homes and eventually can only rent out those that are recognized as meeting the standards. Contraventions could lead up to a fine of HK$300,000 and three years of imprisonment, along with a daily fine for ongoing offenses.

The authorities planned to roll out a registration scheme in March next year.

Low-income residents have expressed concerns about their future under the new rules, worrying about a surge in rent and the challenges of finding a new home if their apartments fail to meet the bar.

Ho said she expected the rent would not significantly jump. Some transitional apartments are planned for residents who become uprooted and meet eligibility requirements.

About 189,000 public housing units are planned to be built over the next five years.

The policy would not cover smaller dormitory-like “bed spaces.” Bed spaces are widely considered to be Hong Kong’s worst form of housing — partitioned areas in which residents get barely enough space to fit a single bed and some belongings. The government says those are regulated under another law.


content_text:
RUSSIA

Niger wants nuclear deal

Niger wants to build two 2 gigawatt nuclear reactors in partnership with Russia’s state-owned nuclear corporation Rosatom, Niger Minister of Mines Colonel Ousmane Abarchi said on Thursday. Abarchi said Niger was also proposing to cooperate with Russia in developing uranium reserves in the west African country. “Please, let’s develop our uranium deposits together,” he told a nuclear forum in Moscow, speaking via a translator. Rosatom director-general Alexei Likhachev described the proposals as “extremely interesting.” Niger is among a group of African countries with which Russia is cultivating close ties, including in the area of security. Niger was the eighth largest producer of mined uranium last year, the World Nuclear Association said. Abarchi said the proposed nuclear plants would be developed under the supervision of the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. “Yes, we have big ambitions, but this is very important for us. This is very important for the entire African continent,” he said. South Africa is the only country in Africa with an operational nuclear power plant, but reactors are under construction in Egypt.

Protesters take part in a demonstration to denounce frequent power outages and water shortages in Antananarivo, Madagascar, on Thursday. Photo: Reuters

MADAGASCAR

Government imposes curfew

The government of the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar on Thursday imposed a nighttime curfew following protests, which saw police use rubber bullets and tear gas to quash demonstrations over ongoing water and power cuts. Hundreds of protesters took to the streets to voice their anger over persistent power cuts, which often leave homes and businesses without electricity for more than 12 hours. The protesters barricaded roads with burning tires and rocks. By Thursday afternoon there were reported incidents of looting at various retailers, appliance stores and banks across the capital. Several stations of the country’s new cable car system were also set on fire. Local media reported on Thursday that three homes of politicians known to be close to Madagascarn President Nirina Rajoelina were also attacked by protesters. Police Chief Angelo Ravelonarivo announced that a nighttime curfew from 7pm on Tuesday to 5am yesterday would be strictly imposed until calm was restored. Some protesters carried black flags featuring the One Piece skull logo — an emblem of antiregime protests in Nepal in recent weeks — this time topped with a traditional Malagasy hat.

UUITED KINGDOM

Digital ID plan announced

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer yesterday announced plans to introduce free digital identification (ID) for nationals and those residing in the country in a bid to curb illegal migration.

The government said the drive would also make it simpler to apply for services such as driving licenses, childcare and welfare, while streamlining access to tax records. The new digital ID would be held on people’s phones and there would be no requirement for people to carry their ID or be asked to produce it, the government said. However, it would be “mandatory as a means of proving your right to work,” a statement said. “This will stop those with no right to be here from being able to find work, curbing their prospect of earning money, one of the key ‘pull factors’ for people who come to the UK illegally,” it added. The UK has traditionally resisted the idea of identity cards, but more recent polling suggests support for the move.

title: World News Quick Take


title: Navy anniversary

content_text: Visitors and family members of sailors gather aboard the South Korean Navy’s “Marado,” a 14,500-tonne amphibious assault ship, off the southeastern port city of Busan, South Korea, yesterday, to inspect a fleet review marking the 80th founding anniversary of the armed service.


title: How to find love on the  dating apps  — whatever the obstacles

content_text:
Sick of swiping and messaging but never meeting anyone you like and who likes you back? Here’s what worked for some lucky couples

Using dating apps to find love is commonplace these days — and yet, for many singles, it has become a double-edged sword. The perks of having a never-ending supply of potential matches at your fingertips are obvious — but the appeal of connecting and meeting with strangers is time-limited. It can be especially frustrating to feel as if you’re stuck at the swiping stage.

In 2023, US jeweler Shane Company found that the average American will spend about eight months using dating apps — swiping on around 3,960 profiles — before finding a partner. But for chronic daters, those numbers will probably sound optimistic; speaking to friends and colleagues, it’s not uncommon to spend years “on the apps” without significant romantic success.

The “download-delete-repeat” cycle can be disheartening and dating-app fatigue is growing; last year’s Online Nation report from Ofcom showed that app use had declined significantly, with a drop of nearly 16 percent in the use of the 10 most popular dating apps. No wonder Meta this week announced that it is bringing an AI assistant to Facebook Dating, as well as Meet Cute, a new “surprise match” feature designed to help users “avoid swipe fatigue.”

A couple on Sept. 23 kiss during a photo shoot on the National Mall in Washington, DC, US. Photo: Reuteres

But it doesn’t have to be this way. According to Pew Research Center, around 10 percent of heterosexual people and 24 percent of LGBTQ+ people do meet their long-term partner through a dating site or app — and some seem to do it without dedicating huge amounts of time to fruitless swiping. Is it simply a case of the stars swiftly aligning — or is there a secret to their success?

DELETE THEM

Liz, 28, from Nottingham, downloaded Bumble on a Wednesday and matched with her now-husband the same day. They had their first date on the Friday, and have been together for eight years. Her advice for not getting stuck on the apps? Delete them.

“If you meet someone you have a connection with, delete the apps and give that person your full attention — you aren’t on a dating show!” she says. “After the first date, I knew I really liked him, and I thought: ‘I need to focus on one person at a time.’ You can always go back to the apps later if it doesn’t work out.”

She also found that not everyone she had swiped right on — to indicate that she was interested — would look at the app every day: “So you get this delayed response with matches. I found the constant pings on my phone really distracting — too many people, too many conversations.”

It can be tempting to keep your options open, and speaking to multiple matches is generally deemed acceptable in the early stages of dating. But Liz and her partner deleted Bumble within a week of meeting and found that prioritizing one person was a better way to get to know one another.

NARROW DATING POOL

Another way to avoid the so-called paradox of choice is to intentionally narrow your dating pool. Joseph, 42, from Liverpool, is an advocate for finding your niche: he met his partner after just a couple of months of using vegan and vegetarian dating app Grazer. They got engaged 10 months later, and have now been married for six years. They also have two (vegan) children together.

“It filtered out what I knew I didn’t want,” he says. “It was more just knowing that everyone was on the same wavelength; that took a lot of the stress away. No awkward conversation about being vegan, and no tough arguments in five years’ time about whether we’re going to raise our children vegan or not. There weren’t a lot of people on Grazer, especially in Liverpool, because it was quite new, but it was quality over quantity.”

It’s important to know what you’re looking for, says couples therapist and dating coach Shan Merchant, “whether that’s someone who likes exercise, or enjoys being in nature or likes creativity.” Her advice is to use a mainstream app that has a lot of people signed up, “and also go for more of a specialist app, so you’re not limiting your focus too much.”

Of course, a good way to find someone whose interests and values align with your own is to be completely honest when creating your profile, whichever app you choose.

“My strategy was that I almost wanted to put people off, so that I would only end up meeting with people who were genuinely interested,” says Hannah, 39, from Leeds, who has now been with her partner for seven years. She was on Bumble for around a month before they met, and had been on dates with just two other people from the app.

“I had a theory about being tactical with my photos,” says Hannah. “I wanted them to be reflective of me in real life. My first photo was one where I had my hair done and my makeup on and I thought I looked good, but immediately my second photo was me in the garden, no makeup, just a casual day. Loads of men have all their photos of them doing sport — I don’t have anything against sport, but you sort of think, is that all they do? A lack of variety of photos was definitely something that made me swipe past people — you want to know what the rest of their life looks like.”

While many of the people I spoke to cited the fact that they took dating seriously as the key to their app-based success, Hannah believes that, for her, it was almost the opposite. She’d recently moved back to the north of England after 10 years in London; it was more that she wanted to meet new people and explore the local area.

“I think that mindset made a big difference — I wasn’t going with a checklist,” she says. “It helped me meet someone good.” It’s important, she adds, “to try to ignore preconceptions and be open about who you meet.”

BE PRACTICAL

While theories about how you can “manifest” the perfect partner have gained traction in recent years, Merchant suggests there are other, more practical, ways in which your frame of mind can affect your search for love.

“Keep your energy up and only use apps when you’re feeling good — if you’re feeling tired or stressed, or hungover or low, I wouldn’t recommend going on a dating app, because that’s going to be the filter through which you see people,” she says. “A lot of people struggle to keep a positive attitude when dating — but I think that’s the biggest thing when it comes to dating app success.”

For Nicholas, 69, from Chichester, it was the pandemic that prompted him to be more proactive about dating — something he believes was intrinsic to his positive experience. He connected with his partner within a week of signing up to the now defunct Guardian Soulmates; they’ve been in a relationship for more than five years, living together since February 2022.

“I was apprehensive but knew I had to bite the bullet,” he says. “Have a conversation with yourself as to whether you actually want to make it happen, or whether you want an excuse as to why it hasn’t happened. Show why you would be a good companion. Be willing to go beyond your comfort zone. If you’ve put a profile up, you’ve got to be looking and responding to people.”

Even if not every interaction goes well, “you’re getting practice in how the dynamics work,” Nicholas says. He suggests Romeo, also known as PlanetRomeo, as a good alternative for LGBTQ+ people looking for relationships rather than hookups.

Liz also sees how, for some people, dating apps themselves can become part of the problem, rather than the solution.

“I love my friends dearly, but I’ve watched them on the apps be like: ‘I’ve really enjoyed getting all these Likes but I’m never going to message a single one of them.’ There’s a sense that, because the other person is just a digital image on a screen, their feelings don’t matter.”

If you’re genuinely keen to meet someone, her advice is to remember that profiles are real people: “Don’t mislead anyone, ghost them or stand them up.”

Tinder may have gained a particularly bad reputation for such practices in recent years, but Dan, 45, from the Netherlands, connected with his now-wife about two weeks after installing the app. They’ve been in a relationship for 10 years and have a son together. For him, the key was making sure he stood out.

“I’ve heard people often say I come across as incredibly boring from a distance,” he says. “Suffice to say, I’m never going to seduce anyone with my gorgeous looks or flamboyant style. I’m not rich or influential either. The good thing about dating apps was that they allowed me to immediately start a conversation, which plays to my strong points.”

When messaging someone, he would always try to ask a question or make a joke about something on their profile, to show that he had read it. “It didn’t always work, but sometimes it did.”


title: Million-year-old skull could change human evolution timeline

content_text:
A digital reconstruction of a million-year-old skull suggests humans may have diverged from our ancient ancestors 400,000 years earlier than previously thought and in Asia not Africa, a new study said yesterday.

The findings are based on a reconstruction of a crushed skull discovered in China in 1990, and have the potential to resolve the longstanding “Muddle in the Middle” of human evolution, researchers said.

The skull, labelled Yunxian 2, was previously thought to belong to a human forerunner called Homo erectus.

The digital reconstruction process used on an archaic human skull, called Yunxian 2, that was unearthed in 1990 in China’s Hubei Province, is shown in this image released on Thursday. Figure A shows the skull, with certain areas marked in different colors, with the deformation caused by the fossilization process. Figure B shows the skull, with those same areas marked in the same colors as in Figure A, after scientists used advanced CT scanning, structured light imaging and sophisticated virtual reconstruction techniques to digitally reconstruct the skull. Figure C shows the digitally reconstructed skull, with missing pieces marked in white. Photo: Reuters

But modern reconstruction technologies used by a group of researchers found features that are closer to species previously thought to have existed only later in human evolution, including the recently discovered Homo longi and our own Homo sapiens.

“This changes a lot of thinking,” said Chris Stringer, an anthropologist at the Natural History Museum, London, who was part of the research team.

“It suggests that by one million years ago, our ancestors had already split into distinct groups, pointing to a much earlier and more complex human evolutionary split than previously believed,” he added.

If the findings are correct, it suggests there could have been much earlier members of other early hominins, including Neanderthals and our own Homo sapiens line.

But it also “muddies the waters” on longstanding assumptions that early humans dispersed from Africa, said Michael Petraglia, director of Griffith University’s Australian Research Centre of Human Evolution, who was not involved in the study.

“There’s a big change potentially happening here, where east Asia is now playing a very key role in hominin evolution,” he said.

The research, published in the journal Science, used advanced CT scanning, structure light imaging and virtual reconstruction techniques to model a complete Yunxian 2.

The scientists relied in part on another similar skull to shape their model, and then compared it to over 100 other specimens.

The resulting model “shows a distinctive combination of traits,” the study said, some of them similar to Homo erectus, including a projecting lower face.

But other aspects, including its apparently larger brain capacity, are closer to Homo longi and Homo sapiens, the researchers said.

“Yunxian 2 may help us resolve what’s been called the ‘Muddle in the Middle,’ the confusing array of human fossils from between 1 million and 300,000 years ago,” Stringer said in a press release.

Much about human evolution remains debated, and Petraglia said the study’s findings were “provocative” though grounded in solid work.

“It’s sound, but I think the jury’s still out. I think there will be a lot of questions raised,” he said.

The findings are only the latest in a string of recent research that has complicated what we thought we know about our origins.

Homo longi, also known as “Dragon Man,” was itself only named as a new species and close human relative in 2021.

The authors said their work illustrates the complexity of our shared history.

“Fossils like Yunxian 2 show just how much we still have to learn about our origins,” said Stringer.


content_text:
本月初，來自國際影壇的知名影人，包含艾瑪史東、蒂妲史雲頓等千逾人，表示將拒絕與「涉入對巴勒斯坦人民的種族滅絕與種族隔離」的以色列機構與公司合作。

而就在兩日前，也有巨大聲浪反對此承諾書，表明這「不是良知的展現，而是一份充滿錯誤訊息的文件」。

以巴衝突未歇，也是當代影壇的重要議題。本月初，來自國際影壇的知名影人們，包含尤格藍西莫（Yorgos Lanthimos）、亞當麥凱（Adam McKay）、艾瑪史東（Emma Stone）、蒂妲史雲頓（Tilda Swinton）、喬許歐康納（Josh O’Connor）等千逾人，已簽署一項承諾書，表示將拒絕與「涉入對巴勒斯坦人民的種族滅絕與種族隔離」的以色列機構與公司合作。

然而，兩日前也有巨大聲浪反對此承諾書，以知名演員李佛薛伯（Liev Schreiber）、珍妮佛傑森李（Jennifer Jason Leigh）等人為首，聯名簽署了另一份公開信——譴責針對以色列電影機構發起的抵制行動，呼籲此前簽署抵制以色列的人重新考慮立場。

Photo Credit: 截圖自filmworkersforpalestine官網

「電影工作者支持巴勒斯坦」（Film Workers for Palestine）官網本月8日，「電影工作者支持巴勒斯坦」（Film Workers for Palestine）組織發布一份電影人承諾書置於公開網路空間，表示「作為電影創作者、演員、影視產業工作者與機構，我們深知電影具有塑造觀念的力量。在這個危機迫在眉睫的時刻，當我們的許多政府正在縱容加薩的屠殺行為時，我們必須竭盡所能，揭露並對抗這場無情暴行中的共犯行為」。

承諾書也進一步提到，「世界最高法院國際法院（International Court of Justice）已裁定，加薩地區存在種族滅絕風險，而以色列對巴勒斯坦人的佔領與種族隔離行為則屬非法。捍衛所有人的平等、正義與自由，是我們每一個人無法忽視的深刻道德責任。因此，我們現在必須大聲疾呼，反對巴勒斯坦人民所承受的傷害」。

承諾書說：「我們響應巴勒斯坦電影人的呼籲——他們敦促國際影壇拒絕沉默、種族主義與非人化，並『盡一切人力』結束與他們所遭受壓迫的共犯關係」。

最後，承諾書聲明，「受到『反對種族隔離電影製片聯合會』（Filmmakers United Against Apartheid）的啟發——他們曾拒絕在南非種族隔離時期放映自己的電影。我們承諾，不在涉入對巴勒斯坦人民種族滅絕與種族隔離的以色列電影機構（包括影展、電影院、電視台與製作公司）中放映電影、出席活動，或進行任何形式的合作」。

至於承諾書中所指的「反對種族隔離電影製片聯合會」，係指1987年成立的組織，由馬丁史柯西斯（Martin Scorsese）等逾百位名導發起，呼籲美國影壇拒絕在南非種族隔離政權下發行電影。

而承諾書中提到的「共犯」，包含「為種族滅絕與種族隔離漂白或辯護，以及／或與實施這些行為的政府合作」，承諾書定義的共犯機構，則有以色列各大電影節，包含但不限於耶路撒冷電影節（Jerusalem Film Festival）、海法國際電影節（Haifa International Film Festival）、特拉維夫國際紀錄片影展（Doc-Aviv）與特拉維夫國際同志影展（TLVFest）等。

這份承諾書不乏國際影壇的知名影人簽署，包含導演麥克李（Mike Leigh）、肯洛區（Ken Loach）、亞當麥凱（Adam McKay）、艾娃杜威內（Ava DuVernay）、尤格藍西莫（Yorgos Lanthimos）、札維耶多藍（Xavier Dolan）、喬舒亞奧本海默（Joshua Oppenheimer）、阿基郭利斯馬基（Aki Kaurismäki）、空音央、陳哲藝等人。

演員部分則包含喬歐文（Joe Alwyn）、艾瑪史東（Emma Stone）、蒂妲史雲頓（Tilda Swinton）、馬克魯法洛（Mark Ruffalo）、里茲阿邁德（Riz Ahmed）、哈維爾巴登（Javier Bardem）、喬許歐康納（Josh O’Connor）、莉莉葛萊史東（Lily Gladstone）、奧莉薇亞柯爾曼（Olivia Colman）等人。

Photo Credit: 截圖自The Party Film Sales臉書粉專

電影《The Voice of Hind Rajab》聚焦描述遭以色列軍隊殺害的巴勒斯坦女童，也在今年威尼斯影展獲得象徵第二高榮譽的評審團大獎，西方影壇掀起了反以色列挺巴勒斯坦的聲浪而就在25日，由非營利組織「和平創意社群」（Creative Community for Peace）和猶太倡議組織「旅團」（The Brigade）公開另一份連署信件，表達「以『巴勒斯坦影視工作者』名義流傳的抵制承諾，不是良知的展現，而是一份充滿錯誤訊息的文件，鼓吹任意審查和藝術的抹除。去審查那些試圖尋找共同立場、表達人性的聲音，是錯誤的、無效的，也是一種集體懲罰」。

此信件也表明是「對抵制所有以色列電影和電視公司、作品、電影節和機構的呼籲的回應——實際上是試圖壓制猶太人的故事並排斥以色列電影製片人」。

超過1200名的娛樂產業人士簽署了信件，包含李佛薛伯（Liev Schreiber）、珍妮佛傑森李（Jennifer Jason Leigh）等人，全文如下：

我們了解電影的力量。我們知道敘事的力量。正因如此，我們不能在故事被當作武器、謊言被包裝成正義、藝術家被誤導去放大反猶太宣傳時保持沉默。

以「巴勒斯坦影視工作者」名義流傳的抵制承諾，不是良知的展現，而是一份充滿錯誤訊息的文件，鼓吹任意審查和藝術的抹除。去審查那些試圖尋找共同立場、表達人性的聲音，是錯誤的、無效的，也是一種集體懲罰。

以色列的電影產業包含了許多突破性的、值得慶祝的，以及對巴勒斯坦與猶太人議題進行批判的作品，許多人曾讚揚這些作品。以色列的電影社群充滿活力、善於辯論、獨立思考，導演們會公開挑戰部長，而許多被你們抵制的影展，也經常安排異議作品放映。

以色列的娛樂產業是一個充滿合作的多元社群，有猶太人與巴勒斯坦藝術家每天共同創作，講述複雜的故事，娛樂並啟發兩個社群與全世界。以色列的電影機構不是政府單位，許多時候它們是政策最激烈的批評者。

抵制承諾使用模糊的詞語，例如「牽連」或「共犯」。誰來決定哪些以色列電影人或機構是「共犯」？是由一個麥卡錫式的黑名單委員會來決定？還是「共犯」只是一個藉口，實際上是要抵制所有以色列人與錫安主義者——也就是全球95%的猶太人口——無論他們創作什麼、相信什麼？

歷史已多次警示我們：審查制度曾多次用來壓制電影人，包括納粹德國的宣傳機器、蘇聯的審查制度，甚至好萊塢自身的黑名單。每一次都披上了「道德」的外衣，但其本質卻是壓迫，而且每次打擊的對象都會擴大。

我們知道，許多簽署者是出於善意，認為自己在為和平發聲。但你們的名字如今被用作武器，與謊言與歧視綁在一起。這份承諾抹除了以色列的異議聲音，讓虛假資訊合理化，並替哈馬斯開脫。

如果你們真的想要和平，請呼籲立即釋放所有人質。支持那些為跨社群對話而創作的電影人。反對哈馬斯。

讓藝術傳達完整的真相。

我們呼籲所有娛樂產業的同仁，拒絕這種帶有歧視與反猶太意味的抵制行動。它只會在通往和平的道路上再設一道障礙。

最後，派拉蒙傳播部門執行長Melissa Zukerman也表示： 「我們不同意最近抵制以色列電影製作人的行動。根據國籍去噤聲創意藝術家，不會促進理解或推進和平事業。 全球娛樂產業應鼓勵藝術家講述他們的故事、分享他們的理念。我們需要的是更多溝通與交流——而不是更少。」

以巴衝突未歇，也廣泛影響了各個層面，包含藝術。

延伸閱讀艾瑪史東、蒂妲史雲頓、尤格藍西莫等知名影人簽署承諾書，國際影壇再挺巴勒斯坦譴責以色列

《夢想集中營》榮獲奧斯卡最佳國際電影，導演致詞提及二戰納粹、以巴衝突為何引起巨大爭議？【2025威尼斯影展】開幕場外聲援巴勒斯坦、蓋兒加朵成箭靶，藝術總監：影展立場沒有任何疑問【2025威尼斯影展】主競賽得獎名單：吉姆賈木許拿下金獅獎，《The Voice of Hind Rajab》挺巴勒斯坦獲評審團大獎吉米金默事件總整理：查理柯克之死引爆爭議，好萊塢名人施壓、迪士尼復播節目【加入關鍵評論網會員】每天精彩好文直送你的信箱，每週獨享編輯精選、時事精選、藝文週報等特製電子報。還可留言與作者、記者、編輯討論文章內容。立刻點擊免費加入會員！

核稿編輯：翁世航

countries: 以色列 美國 南非 巴勒斯坦 法國 德國

title: 好萊塢「以巴衝突」越演越烈，逾千人連署反對抵制以色列電影機構


title: 千萬網紅帶貨翻車！　老闆砸128萬「銷量竟掛零」

content_text:
▲砸128萬找千萬網紅賣面膜業績掛零。（圖／翻攝自微博）

記者張方瑀／綜合報導

中國大陸再爆「網紅帶貨翻車」事件！山東青島一名劉姓女子砸下人民幣30萬元（約新台幣128萬元），請來自稱擁有千萬粉絲的李姓網紅團隊直播販售自家面膜，結果不僅實際銷量掛零，要求退款還遭百般推託，最後只被願意退還1萬元人民幣（約新台幣4.3萬元）。氣得劉女報警後才發現，受害者絕不只她一人。

綜合陸媒報導，劉女受訪指出，李姓網紅團隊主動聯繫，聲稱能透過直播拉抬品牌銷售。她看中對方龐大粉絲基礎，認為能替面膜打開市場，便同意支付30萬元人民幣合作。實際直播當天，後台數據顯示有2個帳號共下了200單，但隨後卻全數取消，等於最終銷量為零。

劉女發現，那200單都是同樣的兩個帳號操作，每次大筆下單數十組，形跡相當可疑，懷疑是網紅公司刻意「刷數據」營造假象。當她要求依合約退費時，對方卻只肯象徵性退1萬元人民幣，其餘金額一概推託，讓她決定報警處理。警方更進一步透露，不只劉女受害，已經有多家廠商對該網紅公司提出訴訟。

早前河南也曾傳出類似案件，專家分析，部分不肖網紅慣用手法包括：口頭承諾高銷量卻拒絕寫入合約、直播造假刷單再大量退貨，或藉「合約未保證銷售額」規避責任；還有人故意賣劣質品造成退貨潮。這些套路讓不少企業主血本無歸。

目前相關案件仍在調查中，專家也提醒廠商，與網紅簽約前必須將銷售保證、退費條款等白紙黑字寫清楚，以免掉入「網紅帶貨」陷阱。