CULTURE
Taiwan pavilion wins medal
The Taiwan Pavilion at the London Design Biennale on Thursday won the Best Design Medal, the fair said on its Web site. The medal was one of three contested by 40 exhibitors at the event and awarded by an international jury on the first day of the fair, which runs at Somerset House until June 25. The winner of the fourth and final medal would be chosen in a public vote and announced on June 21, the Web site says. London Design Biennale director Victoria Broackes on Friday praised the intricacy of the Taiwan Pavilion’s elements, saying it was one of the most appealing exhibitions at the event. Titled “Visible Shop: Parts Without Cover,” the pavilion showcases materials such as metal tubes on shelves and an installation driven by electromagnets. The installation, involving more than 300 screws, is controlled by software that rearranges the screws in a random pattern every 348 seconds. The pavilion, run by the Taiwan Design Research Institute, is sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and led by the Industrial Development Bureau.
SOCIETY
Tax break to be extended
A tax incentive program aimed at encouraging people to purchase energy-efficient household appliances would be extended by two years until June 14, 2025. The program, which was first introduced in 2019, offers consumers a tax break of up to NT$2,000 when purchasing new refrigerators, air-conditioners or dehumidifiers that meet level 1 or 2 of the energy-saving standards specified in the Bureau of Energy’s energy-efficiency rating program. The application period for tax breaks was extended by two years in 2021 and was set to expire on June 14. However, to continue encouraging people to purchase energy-saving electrical appliances and aid the development of the electronics industry, the Ministry of Finance in early February proposed a revision to the Commodity Tax Act (貨物稅條例) to further extend the program. There are 8.35 million refrigerators, air-conditioners and dehumidifiers that are more than 10 years old in Taiwan, accounting for 25 percent of the total home appliances in use, Ministry of Economic Affairs data show.
JUSTICE
Tsai nominates judges
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has nominated Supreme Court Judge Tsai Tsai-chen (蔡彩貞), Control Yuan Secretary-General Chu Fu-mei (朱富美), National Taiwan University law professor Chen Chung-wu (陳忠五), and attorney Greg Yo (尤伯祥) to fill four upcoming vacancies on Taiwan’s Constitutional Court. If confirmed by the Legislative Yuan, the four would replace departing grand justices Huang Hung-hsia (黃虹霞), Wu Chen-han (吳陳鐶), Tsai Ming-cheng (蔡明誠) and Lin Chun-i (林俊益), whose terms are to end on Sept. 30. The Constitutional Court, responsible for reviewing final court decisions and the constitutionality of laws and regulations in Taiwan, is comprised of 15 grand justices appointed to eight-year terms at staggered intervals. Weng Yueh-sheng (翁岳生), deputy convener of a selection panel formed in March to assist Tsai, said the panel had assessed 26 candidates before finalizing a shortlist. The panel then held three meetings to review the candidates based on their professional qualifications and personal integrity, he said. If Tsai’s nominees are confirmed, it would bring the number of women, who by law must make up one-quarter of grand justices, on the Constitutional Court up to a record five, he said.
INFRASTRUCTURE: Work on the second segment, from Kaohsiung to Pingtung, is expected to begin in 2028 and be completed by 2039, the railway bureau said Planned high-speed rail (HSR) extensions would blanket Taiwan proper in four 90-minute commute blocs to facilitate regional economic and livelihood integration, Railway Bureau Deputy Director-General Yang Cheng-chun (楊正君) said in an interview published yesterday. A project to extend the high-speed rail from Zuoying Station in Kaohsiung to Pingtung County’s Lioukuaicuo Township (六塊厝) is the first part of the bureau’s greater plan to expand rail coverage, he told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). The bureau’s long-term plan is to build a loop to circle Taiwan proper that would consist of four sections running from Taipei to Hualien, Hualien to
The Civil Aviation Administration yesterday said that it is considering punishments for China Airlines (CAL) and Starlux Airlines for making hard landings and overworking their cabin crew when the nation was hit by Typhoon Kong-rey in October last year. The civil aviation authority launched an investigation after media reported that many airlines were forced to divert their flights to different airports or go around after failing to land when the typhoon affected the nation on Oct. 30 and 31 last year. The agency reviewed 503 flights dispatched by Taiwanese airlines during those two days, as well as weather data, flight hours
Three people have had their citizenship revoked after authorities confirmed that they hold Chinese ID cards, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said yesterday. Two of the three people were featured in a recent video about Beijing’s “united front” tactics by YouTuber Pa Chiung (八炯) and Taiwanese rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源), including Su Shi-en (蘇士恩), who displayed a Chinese ID card in the video, and taekwondo athlete Lee Tung-hsien (李東憲), who mentioned he had obtained a Chinese ID card in a telephone call with Chen, Liang told the council’s weekly news conference. Lee, who reportedly worked in
A relatively large earthquake may strike within the next two weeks, following a magnitude 5.2 temblor that shook Taitung County this morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. An earthquake struck at 8:18am today 10.2km west of Taitung County Hall in Taitung City at a relatively shallow depth of 6.5km, CWA data showed. The largest intensity of 4 was felt in Taitung and Pingtung counties, which received an alert notice, while areas north of Taichung did not feel any shaking, the CWA said. The earthquake was the result of the collision between the Philippine Plate and the Eurasian Plate, the agency said, adding
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