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.
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
South Korea is planning to revise its controversial electronic arrival card, a step Taiwanese officials said prompted them to hold off on planned retaliatory measures, a South Korean media report said yesterday. A Yonhap News Agency report said that the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs is planning to remove the “previous departure place” and “next destination” fields from its e-arrival card system. The plan, reached after interagency consultations, is under review and aims to simplify entry procedures and align the electronic form with the paper version, a South Korean ministry official said. The fields — which appeared only on the electronic form
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