Former Palestinian prime minister Mahmud Abbas urged yesterday all Palestinian forces to unite and pledged allegiance to ailing leader Yasser Arafat.
Abbas spoke after the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) held its first meeting without its chairman Arafat, who was transported to Paris Friday for emergency medical treatment.
"We call on all our people and factions to unite and work together in responsible fashion to protect our destiny and homeland," Abbas said.
He also wished Arafat a quick recovery and hoped the 75-year-old leader "would soon return to his people who still need him."
Rawhi Fattuh, speaker of the Palestinian parliament, said MPs would meet in an emergency session today to discuss the latest developments.
Physicians specializing in the treatment of leukemia were examining ailing Arafat yesterday to determine whether he suffers from the blood disorder, Palestinian sources said.
The 75-year-old Arafat has been sick for the past two weeks and blood tests have revealed he has a low platelet count -- a possible symptom of leukemia, other cancers or a number of other maladies.
Arafat received a transfusion of platelets shortly after being rushed to France for treatment at the Hopital d'Instruction des Armees de Percy, a military teaching hospital southwest of Paris that specializes in blood disorders and trauma care.
A Palestinian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was a strong possibility that Arafat was suffering from leukemia and that a team of French physicians specializing in the disorder had examined the Palestinian leader on Friday.
"It looks like it's leukemia," the official said. "They are trying to find out if in fact it is leukemia, and if so, what type. They are trying to see what is the best way to treat it."
Arafat could remain in France for four to five weeks, said the official, who was the first Palestinian to confirm that leukemia was suspected. Another Palestinian official said Arafat had undergone a CT scan and that the results were negative.
A contingent of around 18 Palestinian officials flew in with Arafat, including Mohammed Rashid, his financial adviser; Mohammed Dahlan, the former security chief in Gaza; chief of staff Ramzi Khoury and top aide Nabil Abu Rdeneh.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-Wong tomorrow, which it said would possibly make landfall near central Taiwan. As of 2am yesterday, Fung-Wong was about 1,760km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving west-northwest at 26kph. It is forecast to reach Luzon in the northern Philippines by tomorrow, the CWA said. After entering the South China Sea, Typhoon Fung-Wong is likely to turn northward toward Taiwan, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said, adding that it would likely make landfall near central Taiwan. The CWA expects to issue a land
Taiwan’s exports soared to an all-time high of US$61.8 billion last month, surging 49.7 percent from a year earlier, as the global frenzy for artificial intelligence (AI) applications and new consumer electronics powered shipments of high-tech goods, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. It was the first time exports had exceeded the US$60 billion mark, fueled by the global boom in AI development that has significantly boosted Taiwanese companies across the international supply chain, Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) told a media briefing. “There is a consensus among major AI players that the upcycle is still in its early stage,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it is expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong this afternoon and a land warning tomorrow. As of 1pm, the storm was about 1,070km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, and was moving west-northwest at 28 to 32kph, according to CWA data. The storm had a radius of 250km, with maximum sustained winds of 173kph and gusts reaching 209kph, the CWA added. The storm is forecast to pass near Luzon in the Philippines before entering the South China Sea and potentially turning northward toward Taiwan, the CWA said. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi yesterday said that China using armed force against Taiwan could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, allowing the country to mobilize the Japanese armed forces under its security laws. Takaichi made the remarks during a parliamentary session while responding to a question about whether a "Taiwan contingency" involving a Chinese naval blockade would qualify as a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, according to a report by Japan’s Asahi Shimbun. "If warships are used and other armed actions are involved, I believe this could constitute a survival-threatening situation," Takaichi was quoted as saying in the report. Under Japan’s security legislation,
RSS