The government has pledged a total donation of US$300,000 to two of its diplomatic allies in the Caribbean, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Saint Lucia, which were hard hit by a major hurricane earlier in the week.
A donation of US$200,000 would be made to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, while US$100,000 would be given to Saint Lucia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, following reports of widespread damage in the two island countries after the passage of the record-breaking Hurricane Beryl on Monday.
Beryl, the first Category 4 hurricane recorded in the Caribbean in the month of June and the earliest to reach Category 5 in July, churned across the Windward Islands on Monday, packing winds of up to 240 kilometers per hour and wreaking extensive damage.
Photo: AP
In its wake, two deaths were confirmed in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, while countless homes and other structures were destroyed. Photos and videos of the damage show roofless and shattered houses, flooded streets, downed power lines and trees, and other debris scattered across large areas of the countries.
The ministry said the government has expressed concern to the prime ministers of its two affected allies about the damage caused by the powerful storm.
The ministry also expressed sympathy on behalf of the government and Taiwanese to the two allies and pledged support on X.
“Our hearts are with those in the Caribbean who were devastated by catastrophic Hurricane Beryl. At this tragic time, we announce donations to #SaintVincentAndTheGrenadines & #SaintLucia for relief efforts. #Taiwan prays for a swift recovery for our allies,” the post read.
So far all Taiwanese in the two Caribbean countries — expatriates, businesspeople and Taiwan embassy staff — have been confirmed as safe, the ministry said.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said it would take a “herculean effort” to rebuild after the substantial destruction and that “90-odd percent of the houses were blown away” on Union Island.
“Most of the country doesn’t have electricity, and more than half without water at the moment,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mexican officials were scrambling to prepare, with Beryl expected to bring damaging winds, a dangerous storm surge and heavy rainfall over the Yucatan Peninsula and Belize.
In Jamaica, “life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides from heavy rainfall” were expected overnight, the US National Hurricane Center said.
Additional reporting by AFP
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) hosted a dinner in Taipei last night with key Taiwanese suppliers to celebrate the successful mass production of the company’s new Blackwell AI systems. Speaking to the media earlier yesterday, Huang thanked Nvidia’s Taiwanese partners for their contributions to the company’s ecosystem, while also sharing his plans to meet with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) founder Morris Chang (張忠謀). In response to rumors that Nvidia will launch a downgraded Hopper H20 chip for China in July, Huang dismissed the reports, saying, “That is not true.” He clarified that there
RSS