ENTERTAINMENT
Mayday to play 8 shows
Photo courtesy of B’in Music
Mayday has announced plans to hold eight concerts in Taoyuan, including a special New Year’s Eve concert. The concerts titled “Mayday Now-Here Re: Live 2022-2023” are to be held at Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium from Dec. 23 to Jan. 8, with fans invited to welcome in the New Year with the band on Dec. 31, the band’s agent, B’in Music, said in a statement released on Monday. Tickets go on sale at 10am on Saturday for those using E.Sun Bank credit cards, and at 11am for everyone else.
COVID-19
Premier contracts virus
Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) has tested positive for COVID-19 after feeling unwell, Cabinet spokesman Lo Ping-cheng (羅秉成) said yesterday. Su felt ill after spending the morning at the Legislative Yuan, and went home to quarantine for seven days with mild symptoms after a COVID-19 rapid test came back positive, Lo said. Due to Su’s absence, the legislative caucuses decided to postpone the afternoon legislative session. While in quarantine, Su would be working virtually, Lo added. Su met with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) at the Central Epidemic Command Center on Saturday, Presidential Office spokesperson Xavier Chang (張惇涵) said. Tsai is in good health and her medical team would continue to observe her, Chang said.
SOCIETY
PFP’s Hwang Yih-jiau dies
The Shilin District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday said that it had no reason to suspect foul play in the death of former People First Party (PFP) legislator Hwang Yih-jiau (黃義交), but did not say whether he had taken his own life. Hwang was found by paramedics with no vital signs at 5:11pm on Monday after receiving a report that a man had fallen from the 11th floor of an apartment building on Wende Road in Taipei’s Neihu District (?湖). He was pronounced dead at Tri-Service General Hospital after efforts to resuscitate him failed. He was 69 years old. PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) said he was deeply shocked to learn of Hwang’s passing. Prior to being a lawmaker from 1999 to 2012, Hwang was a spokesman for the now-defunct Taiwan Provincial Government. He also held positions at the Government Information Office, which was dissolved in 2012.
TRAVEL
Fair to offer overseas deals
The Taipei International Travel Fair is to take place from Nov. 4 to 7 at the Nangang Exhibition Center, the Taiwan Visitors Association announced on Monday. The fair is to be the biggest of its kind since Taiwan reopened its borders on Thursday, the association said. The expo’s 1,200 booths would include tourism firms from countries such as Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Malaysia, as well as airline companies and hotels, it said. They would be selling travel items such as plane tickets, tour packages, food and lodging vouchers, and tickets to shows and theme parks at discount prices, the association said. Early-bird tickets priced at NT$150 are available today only at kiosks in Family Mart, 7-Eleven, Hi-life and OK Mart outlets, as well as via KKday, Klook and udn’s ticket sales Web site. Regular tickets cost NT$200. Those unable to get an early-bird deal can buy tickets at a 10 percent discount from tomorrow to Nov. 3. Medical professionals, firefighters and police officers would be given free entry to show gratitude for their efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, the association said. Another 10,000 free tickets would be distributed to blood donors at Taipei’s 17 blood donation locations from Oct. 29 to Nov. 5, the association said.
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) today released images of the military tracking China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) movements during the latest round of Chinese drills around Taiwan. The PLA began "Justice Mission 2025" drills today, carrying out live-fire drills, simulated strikes on land and maritime targets, and exercises to blockade the nation's main ports. The exercises are to continue tomorrow, with the PLA announcing sea and air space restrictions for five zones around Taiwan for 10 hours starting from 8:30am. The ministry today released images showing a Chinese J-16 fighter jet tracked by a F-16V Block 20 jet and the
City buses in Taipei and New Taipei City, as well as the Taipei MRT, would on Saturday begin accepting QR code payments from five electronic payment providers, the Taipei Department of Transportation said yesterday. The new option would allow passengers to use the “transportation QR code” feature from EasyWallet, iPass Money, iCash Pay, Jkopay or PXPay Plus. Passengers should open their preferred electronic payment app, select the “transportation code” — not the regular payment code — unlock it, and scan the code at ticket readers or gates, General Planning Division Director-General Liu Kuo-chu (劉國著) said. People should move through the
Snow fell on Yushan (Jade Mountain, 玉山) yesterday morning as a continental cold air mass sent temperatures below freezing on Taiwan’s tallest peak, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Snowflakes were seen on Yushan’s north peak from 6:28am to 6:38am, but they did not fully cover the ground and no accumulation was recorded, the CWA said. As of 7:42am, the lowest temperature recorded across Taiwan was minus-5.5°C at Yushan’s Fengkou observatory and minus-4.7°C at the Yushan observatory, CWA data showed. On Hehuanshan (合歡山) in Nantou County, a low of 1.3°C was recorded at 6:39pm, when ice pellets fell at Songsyue Lodge (松雪樓), a
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