■ DIPLOMACY
Representative heads to US
Tung Kuo-yu (董國猷), Taiwan's new deputy representative to the US, will arrive in Washington tomorrow to assume his post, an official at Taiwan's representative office in the US said on Monday. Tung, Taiwan's representative to Greece before being appointed to the new post, is filling the vacancy left by Stanley Kao (高碩泰), who became representative to Hungary on Feb. 1. The officials said that Tung -- who has also worked at Taiwan's offices in Houston and New York and previously headed the Geneva branch of Taiwan's representative office in Switzerland and Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Department of International Organizations -- is familiar with Taiwan-US affairs and the operations of international organizations.
■ RESEARCH
NSC honors researchers
The National Science Council (NSC) yesterday lauded 173 outstanding researchers, including 100 college students, for their achievements in their fields of study. Awards included "Outstanding Contract Researcher Awards," "Outstanding Research Awards," "Outstanding Technical Transfer Awards," and "Outstanding College Student Research Awards" and recognized the work the recipients had completed over the last year. Three other researchers were also recognized for their accomplishments in collaborating with the industry and solidifying research results into concrete products. The awards aimed to encourage research, improve academic excellence, foster innovative technologies and develop young talent in science, NSC minister Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said at the ceremony.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
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