Foreign Affairs Minister James Huang (黃志芳) and his entourage were forced to stay in Sao Tome, capital of the West African state of Sao Tome and Principe, after their chartered plane was hit by the Gabonese Republic president's special airliner on Thursday.
Huang was scheduled to leave Sao Tome to return home after attending a celebration on behalf of President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to mark Sao Tome and Principe's 32nd anniversary of independence.
But the chartered Boeing 737 carrying Huang and his entourage was hit by the tail fin of the Gabonese president's propeller plane at Sao Tome airport.
The Taiwanese delegation said it was "surprised" when the Gabonese president's airliner took off from the narrow runway after it hit the Taiwanese delegation's plane, without stopping to ascertain the extent of the damage caused by the collision.
As the plane's wing sustained a 7cm-diameter hole, the owner of the plane suggested out of safety concerns that Huang's delegation stay in Sao Tome and Principe to await the arrival of another plane to take them home.
Huang arrived in Sao Tome on Wednesday on the last leg of an African diplomatic tour that also took him to Taiwan's four other allies on the continent -- Malawi, Swaziland, Gambia and Burkina Faso.
In addition to attending the country's independence anniversary celebrations, Huang also joined Sao Tome and Principe President Fradique de Menezes in presiding over an inaugural ceremony for a marketplace that can accommodate 250 stalls, which was built with funds donated by Taiwan.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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