A fireworks show at Taipei 101, and music performances by pop stars along with various activities will be held in Taipei City’s Xinyi District (信義) starting on Dec. 27 to welcome the new year.
The Taipei City Government yesterday announced a series of activities that will take place to ring in the New Year, and invited the public to participate.
In addition to the annual fireworks show at Taipei 101 and the countdown concert in front of Taipei City Hall on New Year’s Eve, the celebrations this year will feature a large-scale carnival-like parade with giant cartoon-character balloons and floats, said Hsiao Chun-chieh (蕭君杰), a division chief of the city’s Information and Tourism Department.
The parade will be held from 3pm to 5pm on Dec. 27 in the Xinyi Business District, and all the balloons and floats in the parade will be displayed at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall until Jan. 2, she said.
Hsiao said the city government would also hand out free “New Year Town Maps” at stores in the Xinyi District and HI-Life convenience stores with free coupons.
Michael Liu (劉家豪), an assistant vice president at Taipei Financial Center, said the center would prepare more than 17,000 fireworks for the show this year, but will keep the words to be displayed on Taipei 101 a secret.
Vehicles will not be allowed to enter the area west of Songren Road, north of Xinyi Road, east of Keelung Road and Yixian Road and south of Zhongxiao E Road from 7pm on Dec. 31.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
RSS