President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday welcomed Burkina Faso Interim Prime Minister Yacouba Isaac Zida and said that the friendship between the two countries was stable.
Ma met a delegation led by Zida at the Presidential Office and described Zida as a solid friend of the Republic of China (ROC).
Burkina Faso is one of 22 countries that maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
Ma spoke of the bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the fields of agriculture, healthcare and renewable energy. He also mentioned Taiwan’s “Lighting Up Africa” relief program being carried out in the west African country.
Ma said Taiwan plans to donate 145,000 solar lamps to 916 rural schools in Burkina Faso over four years under the program, and as of May 31, 126,000 lamps, or 87 percent of the planned total, had been delivered.
Earlier in the day, Zida and the delegation visited Premier Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) at the Executive Yuan.
During the meeting, Mao said that bilateral relations were close and friendly, and he thanked the African ally for its constant support for the ROC in the international community.
Mao said Zida is very familiar with Taiwan’s economic development and its cooperative links with Burkina Faso.
Zida was named prime minister and defense minister of the interim government after former Burkinabe president Blaise Compaore was ousted from power by a popular youth upheaval in October last year. The interim prime minister had visited Taiwan four times before his current visit.
The 18-member Burkinabe delegation arrived in Taiwan on Monday for a five-day visit at the invitation of the Taiwanese government.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19