ENTERTAINMENT
Mayday concerts sold out
All 320,000 tickets for Mayday’s eight concerts at the Taipei Dome next month and in July sold out within 10 minutes, the ticketing platform tixCraft said. Sales opened at 11am yesterday, with a small portion of tickets available earlier that day for families and holders of credit cards from sponsor E.Sun Commercial Bank. The concerts are part of the “Mayday #5525 Live Tour,” which began in December 2023 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the rock band’s founding. The concerts would also be the five-member band’s debut at the 40,000-seat Taipei Dome, which opened in late 2023. The eight concerts are scheduled for June 27 to 29, July 4 to 6, and 11 and 12.
Photo courtesy of B’in Music
ASTRONOMY
Meteor shower expected
The Aquarid meteor shower would be visible in the eastern sky from midnight until dawn over the next few days, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said yesterday. The shower is expected to peak early on Tuesday before dawn, with up to 50 meteors visible per hour, the museum said. The moon would be in its first quarter and set before the meteor shower begins, offering good viewing conditions, with little interference from moonlight it said.
DIPLOMACY
Japanese delegation visits
A five-member parliamentary delegation from Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is scheduled to meet with President William Lai (賴清德) during a four-day visit to Taiwan that runs through Tuesday. The delegation, led by former Japanese minister of economy, trade and industry Yasutoshi Nishimura, a member of the lower house of the Japanese Diet, would also meet with former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement yesterday. Nishimura is joined by four other LDP representatives: Kosaburo Nishime, Kazuo Yana, Hajime Sasaki and Ryusho Kato, the ministry said. Nishimura, 62, has also served as Japanese minister of state for economic and fiscal policy and as minister of economic revitalization. He promoted bilateral cooperation between Taiwan and Japan in the semiconductor industry while heading the economy and trade office from 2022 to 2023, the ministry said. The delegation is also scheduled to visit the Hsinchu Science Park and meet with Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝), it said.
ART
Coffin exhibit returns
Five graduating students from Chinese Culture University yesterday brought back their thought-provoking “coffin experience” exhibit at Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab (C-LAB), following high demand after its initial presentation in March. The team, which call themselves “Wanderers,” are from the university’s Department of Mass Communication. Through photography, they explore the themes of life and death, inviting visitors to lie in an actual coffin to contemplate their own mortality. The students said that by breaking the taboo of encountering coffins only in the context of death, they aim to create a space for visitors to reflect on what truly matters in life — who they love and what remains unsaid. The exhibit, which first debuted at the “Wetland” art space in Taipei in March, attracted about 500 visitors in two days and sparked online discussion. The exhibit would be featured as part of the department’s graduation show, “ViewFinder.” The show is to run from 10am to 7pm today on the second floor of the C-LAB Library Exhibition Space in Taipei.
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
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