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.
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
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
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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