“We have no money to survive and ask ourselves if the government realizes that we also have to pay our monthly bills,” said several teachers who started working for the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture in October 2023 but who still have not received their salary after six months.

These teachers are puzzled by the delay in the payment of their salary and explained that the longer they have to wait, the bigger the chunk of their salary is that is deducted for taxes. They are currently weighing their options.
K.J. who is assigned to a primary school explained that she and a colleague started working at the same school on October 1st, 2023 and that her colleague received her salary after 3 months but that she still has not received any money after half a year. She is therefore puzzled by this payment policy of the ministry. “I have to put food on the table for my two children and I have to make ends meet with the money that my parents give me to help me out,” said K.J. The teachers urge the government to pay them as soon as possible because they are struggling to survive…[+]

TAIWAN – Rescuers in Taiwan scrambled to free dozens of people trapped in highway tunnels after the island was struck by its strongest earthquake in 25 years yesterday, killing at least nine and injuring more than 900 others.

The powerful 7.4 magnitude tremor shook the island’s east coast, hitting at 7:58 a.m. local time 18 kilometers (11 miles) south of Hualien city and at a depth of 34.8 kilometers (21 miles), according to the US Geological Survey. It was followed by several strong aftershocks with tremors felt across the island, including by CNN staff in the capital Taipei. Taiwan’s National Fire Agency (NFA) said in an update yesterday that the death toll had risen to nine, while 934 people have been injured.

Meanwhile, 75 people stranded in various tunnels in Hualien County have been rescued by emergency responders. As of 7 a.m. Eastern Time, 137 people remain trapped. Among those trapped were 50 employees of the Silk’s Place Hotel Taroko, who were traveling in four minibuses. Authorities have been unable to reach them by phone, and have listed them as trapped for the time being. Two German citizens that were caught up earlier in a tunnel in Hualien County have been rescued, the NFA added.

All the deaths were in Hualien County, among them three hikers killed by falling rocks in the tourist hotspot Taroko Gorge, the NFA said. Falling rocks also killed a truck driver in front of a tunnel on the east coast’s Suhua Highway, it added.

Reports of extensive damage have also emerged, with collapsed buildings in Hualien County, thousands of homes left without power and a major highway closed due to landslides and rockfalls, according to Taiwanese officials. Most of those trapped are in two road tunnels in northern Hualien County, the NFA said. Two German nationals are stranded in a third tunnel in the county, it said. The 400-meter Jinwen Tunnel, where 60 people are trapped, is one of more than a dozen that thread the Suhua Highway, a scenic but treacherous and narrow road that runs for 118 kilometers (73 miles) along the east coast.

Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration spokesperson warned that powerful aftershocks as high as magnitude 7 are expected to occur until the end of the week.

“There was really strong shaking… We quickly turned off the gas and electricity and opened the door. It was really strong. It felt like the house would fall down,” Taipei resident Chang Yu-lin said on CNN affiliate Taiwan Plus.Chen Nien-tzu, also in Taipei, said, “It was really wild.”
“It’s been a long time since we’ve had an earthquake so it felt really scary,” she said on Taiwan Plus.

The quake prompted initial tsunami warnings in Taiwan, southern Japan and the Philippines, with waves less than half a meter observed along some coasts, and prompting airlines to suspend flights. All tsunami warnings were later lifted.

In Taiwan, military personnel were dispatched to help with disaster relief and schools and workplaces suspended operations as aftershocks hit the island, according to the Defense Ministry.

Taiwan’s outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen said yesterday that she had ordered her administration to “immediately” get “on top of the situation and understand local impacts as soon as possible.” Tsai also told the administration to “provide necessary assistance, and work together with local governments to minimize the impact of the disaster.”

Taiwan, a self-ruled island east of mainland China, is home to about 23 million people, most of whom live in the industrialized cities of its west coast, including the capital.

The island is regularly rocked by earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, which runs around the edge of the Pacific Ocean and causes massive seismic and volcanic activity from Indonesia to Chile.

Yesterday’s quake is the strongest to hit Taiwan since 1999, according to the Central Weather Administration. That year, a 7.7 magnitude quake hit south of Taipei, killing 2,400 people and injuring 10,000 others.

Hualien County, parts of which are mountainous and remote, is home to about 300,000 people on the island’s sparsely populated east coast. A magnitude 6.2 quake hit near the area in 2018, killing at least 17 people and injuring more than 300 others.
(CNN)…[+]

BEIJING – Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke with U.S. President Joe Biden on the phone at the request of the latter. The two presidents had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on China-U.S. relations and issues of mutual interest.

President Xi noted that his San Francisco meeting with President Biden last November opened a future-oriented San Francisco vision. Over the past months, their officials have acted on the presidential understandings in earnest. The China-U.S. relationship is beginning to stabilize, and this is welcomed by both societies and the international community. On the other hand, the negative factors of the relationship have also been growing, and this requires attention from both sides.

President Xi stressed that the issue of strategic perception is always fundamental to the China-U.S. relationship, just like the first button of a shirt that must be put right. Two big countries like China and the United States should not cut off their ties or turn their back on each other, still less slide into conflict or confrontation. The two countries should respect each other, coexist in peace and pursue win-win cooperation. The relationship should continue moving forward in a stable, sound and sustainable way, rather than going backward.
President Xi underlined three overarching principles that should guide China-U.S. relations in 2024. First, peace must be valued. The two sides should put a floor of no conflict and no confrontation under the relationship, and keep reinforcing the positive outlook of the relationship. Second, stability must be prioritized. The two sides should refrain from setting the relationship back, provoking incident or crossing the line, so as to maintain the overall stability of the relationship. Third, credibility must be upheld. The two sides should honor their commitments to each other with action, and turn the San Francisco vision into reality. They need to strengthen dialogue in a mutually respectful way, manage differences prudently, advance cooperation in the spirit of mutual benefit, and step up coordination on international affairs in a responsible way.

President Xi stressed that the Taiwan question is the first red line that must not be crossed in China-U.S. relations. In the face of “Taiwan independence” separatist activities and external encouragement and support for them, China is not going to sit on its hands. He urged the U.S. side to translate President Biden’s commitment of not supporting “Taiwan independence” into concrete actions. The U.S. side has adopted a string of measures to suppress China’s trade and technology development, and is adding more and more Chinese entities to its sanctions lists. This is not “de-risking,” but creating risks. If the U.S. side is willing to seek mutually beneficial cooperation and share in China’s development dividends, it will always find China’s door open; but if it is adamant on containing China’s hi-tech development and depriving China of its legitimate right to development, China is not going to sit back and watch.

President Xi stated China’s position on Hong Kong-related issues, human rights, the South China Sea, and other issues.

President Biden noted that the U.S.-China relationship is the most consequential relationship in the world. The progress in the relationship since the San Francisco meeting demonstrates that the two sides can advance cooperation while responsibly managing differences.

President Biden reiterated that the United States does not seek a new Cold War, its objective is not to change China’s system, its alliances are not targeted against China, the U.S. does not support “Taiwan independence,” and the U.S. does not seek conflict with China. The U.S. follows the one-China policy. It is in the interest of the world for China to succeed. The U.S. does not want to curtail China’s development, and does not seek “decoupling” from China. The U.S. will send Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to visit China shortly to strengthen dialogue and communication, avoid miscalculation and promote cooperation, so as to advance the relationship on a stable path and jointly respond to global challenges.

The two presidents also exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis, the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and other issues. The two presidents found the phone call to be candid and constructive. The two sides agreed to stay in communication, and tasked their teams to deliver on the San Francisco vision, including advancing the consultation mechanisms on diplomatic, economic, financial, commercial and other issues as well as mil-to-mil communication, carrying out dialogue and cooperation in such areas as counter-narcotics, artificial intelligence and climate response, taking further steps to expand people-to-people exchanges, and enhancing communication on international and regional issues. The Chinese side welcomed visits to China by Treasury Secretary Yellen and Secretary of State Blinken in the near future. (Xinhua)…[+]

MEXICO – Outgoing Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has offered condolences to the family of a slain mayoral candidate who was shot dead shortly after launching her campaign. The shooting was the latest in a string of violence against political hopefuls ahead of Mexico’s June 2 general elections.
“These events are very regrettable because these are people are fighting to defend democracy,” López Obrador said during his daily news conference. “They’re out on the street, face to face.”

López Obrador’s remarks came in response to the death of Bertha Gisela Gaytán, a candidate representing the left-wing party he founded, Morena. She was running to be mayor of Celaya, northwest of Mexico City.

Last Monday, the first day of her campaign, Gaytán rallied with supporters in the streets of San Miguel Octopan, a town just outside of Celaya. A short social media video from the shooting shows a cluster of people chanting and waving maroon flags in support of Morena, when suddenly gunshots ring out. Multiple people were struck, including the city council candidate Adrián Guerrero. Several media reports indicated he later died at a nearby hospital.
Observers say threats largely stem from organised crime and drug cartels that exercise sway over the Mexican political system through threats, bribery and corruption.

Police, however, have yet to identify suspects in the shooting and arrests have yet to be made. In the aftermath, the governor of Guanajuato, the state where the shooting occurred, pledged to seek justice for the killings.

Mexico is currently in the midst of another high-profile election, this time with the presidency hanging in the balance.
(Al Jazeera)…[+]

BUENOS AIRES – Argentina’s government blamed a record outbreak of dengue fever on “lack of prevention last year,” and confirmed the country’s strategy will be to combat the disease-carrying mosquito instead of resorting to a vaccine.

The Ministry of Health said in a statement it has worked with each province since December to carry out “permanent epidemiological monitoring” based on the belief that “eliminating the mosquito in the territory is the first line of defense” to stop dengue.

“This is a task that must be continuously carried out, not just due to the current situation, but anticipating the next season to arrive with a smaller mosquito population,” it said.

Regarding immunization, the ministry said that last April the country approved the safety of a dengue vaccine “but since then neither the previous government, nor the infectious disease specialists, nor the international organizations reached a consensus for recommending it as a strategy to be included in the national vaccination calendar.”

Argentina has registered 163,419 confirmed cases of dengue as of March 31, an outbreak marked by persistent and accelerated infections, according to a report released by the ministry.
(Xinhua)…[+]