06/05/2026

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‘World belongs to everyone’ TAOYUAN: President Lai Ching-te arrived home yesterday from Eswatini saying Taiwan would not give in to pressure, having taken a circuitous route over the southern part of the Indian Ocean to avoid airspace controlled by close friends of China. Lai’s government said China had forced three Indian Ocean states – the Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar – to deny overflight permission for his aircraft when he had planned to originally go last month, for celebrations for the 40th anniversary of the accession of King Mswati III. Lai arrived in the former Swaziland, one of just 12 countries with formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, on Saturday, on a trip neither government had announced in advance and in defiance of Beijing’s anger, having taken the king’s private A340, previously operated by Taiwan’s China Airlines. “The world belongs to everyone. Taiwan belongs to the world. Taiwanese people are citizens of the world. Taiwanese people have the right to engage with the world. We will not retreat in the face of suppression,” Lai said upon arrival at Taiwan’s main international airport at Taoyuan, outside of Taipei. “The fact that this trip was obstructed at one point only made the world see Taiwan’s people’s firm determination and will to engage with the world,” he said. Lai’s aircraft, the same A340, left Eswatini on Monday for Taiwan, taking a long route over the bottom part of the Indian Ocean, avoiding the flight information regions of Mauritius and Madagascar. Both countries have deep economic and diplomatic ties with Beijing. Then aircraft then flew over Australia’s Christmas Island, Indonesia and the Philippines, before entering Taiwan air space for arrival into Taoyuan, according to flight tracking apps. Lai was accompanied on his flight by Eswatini Deputy Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla, whom he said had ensured he and his delegation travelled safely to and from Eswatini. Dladla had been in Taipei only last week as the king’s special envoy. “This visit is not merely exercising diplomacy rights between states in order to foster friendly relations, it is also a demonstration of Taiwan’s will to uphold international order with all like minded countries,” Lai said. – Reuters Australian rescuers killed in rough seas SYDNEY: Two lifeboat crew racing to a stricken yacht off eastern Australia died when their vessel capsized in heavy seas, police said yesterday. The body of a third man, who is yet to be identified, was found on the shore nearby. A crew of six sped to the yacht in distress on Monday evening near a breakwater off Ballina, a town about eight hours’ drive north of Sydney. Their lifeboat capsized in “extremely treacherous” ocean conditions with a 2.5m swell, New South Wales police superintendent Joe McNulty told journalists. “Some of the Marine Rescue crew were trapped in the hull. Some were ejected from the vessel and, unfortunately, two lives have been lost,” he said. The volunteer lifeboat crew members who died were aged 62 and 78. The stricken yacht hit the breakwater and broke up, police said. The body of a man believed to be in his mid 50s was recovered from the sand nearby and was yet to be formally identified, they said. Police said an investigation had been opened into the accident. “Last night was the darkest night ever experienced by Marine Rescue New South Wales,” said Todd Andrews, head of the service. “These two men were serving their local community and have made the ultimate sacrifice to help others.” – AFP

Firefighters at the scene of the explosion in Liuyang early yesterday. – AFPPIC

Hunan factory blast kills 26 HONG KONG: A blast at a fireworks factory in China has killed at least 26 people and injured 61, flattening buildings and sending towering clouds of smoke into the sky, and prompting President Xi Jinping to order a thorough investigation, state media reported yesterday. More than 1,500 firefighters, rescuers, medical personnel and police were deployed, together with drones and three robots, to search for survivors and control on-site hazards after the explosion on Monday at a factory compound in Liuyang, the city in central Hunan province known as China’s fireworks capital. o Xi calls for probe billowing up into clear blue skies against a backdrop of lush, green mountains. Reuters verified the location in the footage, which was posted on social media on Monday, as Changsha, the Hunan provincial capital which is responsible for the administration of Liuyang. A Hunan Satellite TV reporter at the scene said the area had been razed, with trees uprooted by shock waves from the blasts, and there was a strong smell of gunpowder. Xinhua video showed thick clouds of black and grey smoke rising from a large site littered with collapsed buildings and debris. Changsha government officials told a press conference yesterday that on-site searches had been largely completed. injured and other affected people, and the whole society,” said Chen Bozhang, deputy secretary of the Changsha Municipal Party Committee and the city’s mayor. “We feel extremely sad and extremely guilty.” Reuters could not find a telephone listing for Huasheng to seek comment. The government said it would also carry out large-scale safety inspections across all sectors to close any regulatory loopholes. Xi called for a speedy investigation to determine the cause of the explosion and strict accountability for the incident. Xi also ordered authorities to strengthen risk screening and hazard control in key industries, enhance public safety and ensure the safety of people’s lives and property.

wear, affordable items like jeans and T-shirts. Doris Fisher came up with the company’s name as a reference to the“generation gap”and young customers they sought to attract, according to The New York Times . The Fishers’ retail philosophy, The Times said, “was to make shopping easy by keeping sizes well organised and stores well stocked”. The company went on to expand to include other iconic brands including Banana Republic and Old Navy. Today, Gap operates about 3,500 stores worldwide, including company-operated and franchise locations. “Never content with what is, Doris continuously imagined what might be and then made it happen,” Dickson said. “In fact, a great deal of Gap Inc culture at its best derives from Doris’s influence.” She is survived by her three sons, Robert, William and John. – AFP The person in charge of Huasheng had been detained and the cause of the accident was being investigated, the government said, adding all fireworks and firecracker manufacturing companies in the city had been ordered to suspend production for inspections. “The (Changsha) government expresses its condolences to all the victims, and sincerely apologises to all the families of the victims, the

The president often issues “important instructions” to local officials after major accidents and disasters with fatalities. Last week, he urged a nationwide upgrade in China’s disaster response capacity. Xi also issued instructions after a fire tore through several residential towers in Hong Kong in November killing 168 people. – Reuters

Authorities evacuated surrounding areas because of the risk from highly combustible black powder stored in two warehouses in the complex, Xinhua reported. The explosion happened at around 4.40pm (same time in Malaysia) at Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Company, according to Xinhua and CCTV. Social media footage showed smoke

Gap co-founder Doris Fisher dies at 94 LOS ANGELES: Doris Fisher, the co-founder of American clothing retailer Gap, has died at 94, according to a statement from the company on Monday.

She died “peacefully, surrounded by her family”, the company said, without giving a cause or date of death. “There is simply no equal to Doris Fisher. In Gap-speak, she was a true original,” company president and CEO Richard Dickson said in the statement. “She understood first-hand the value of self expression, diversity and inclusion. “And she worked tirelessly to ensure that Gap Inc always did more than sell clothes,” he said. Fisher and her late husband Donald Fisher opened the first Gap store in San Francisco in 1969. The couple made their mark on casual American style, putting a focus on ready-to