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.
‘OBNOXIOUS MAN’: The KMT’s Chen Ching-hui moved into Chung Chia-pin’s path atop the podium and reached for him before he grabbed at her legs with both hands Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) yesterday said he slipped and lost his balance, and did not know who was around him, after jumping onto the speaker’s podium at the legislature in Taipei. He apologized after a collision with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chen Ching-hui (陳菁徽), who moved to intercept him as he mounted the podium. There was pushing and shoving when the session started in the morning as KMT lawmakers attempted to block access to the podium to shield Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) so he could preside over the session. Video footage showed Chung step on a chair and
Police officers yesterday morning apprehended the prime suspect of a triple homicide case, after raiding the suspect’s hideout in Taichung. They transported the suspect to New Taipei City for questioning and recorded his statement last night. The suspect, identified as a 24-year-old man surnamed Chang (張), is believed to have used his hands to strangle his wife, surnamed Chen (陳), 29, along with his three-year-old son from a previous marriage and his wife’s mother, 69. The three dead bodies were wrapped in blankets when they were discovered inside their apartment in New Taipei City’s Sanchong District (三重) on Saturday. Chang was holding a
Hungarian Member of Parliament Tompos Marton said he considers Taiwan to be a better alternative to China as a strategic partner. Marton, who is the vice president of the opposition Momentum Party, made the remarks in an interview with the Central News Agency on Sunday. He draped a Republic of China flag across his shoulders to protest Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) visit to the capital city, Budapest, on Thursday last week, and openly voiced support for Taiwan on social media. He said in the interview that he wanted to remind the world that there were alternatives to China, and that “Taiwan has
A female physician at New Taipei City’s Shuang Ho Hospital was bullied and made to work for 32 consecutive hours by a senior colleague while pregnant before later having a miscarriage, an internal investigation found, the hospital said on Monday. The perpetrator has been removed from his post, the hospital said. The attending physician in the hospital’s Medical Imaging Department, identified by the pseudonym Y, earlier on Monday told reporters that she had been bullied by a male senior colleague who arranged shifts in her department. In January, shortly after she became pregnant, Y asked the department director if she could avoid overnight