TAIPEI, Taiwan // Taiwan's premier resigned today amid strong criticism of the government's slow response to the most devastating storm to hit the island in 50 years, and the president immediately named a senior official from the ruling party to replace him.
Liu Chao-shiuan said he was leaving office because his Cabinet had completed the initial stage of rehabilitation work after Typhoon Morakot slammed into the island August 8-9 and left an estimated 670 people dead. "I have completed my duties at this phase," said Mr Liu, who has held his post since Ma Ying-jeou became president in May 2008.
Mr Liu's move sets the stage for the entire Cabinet to resign. Mr Liu said that would happen on Thursday. Mr Ma named Nationalist Party secretary general Wu Den-yih, 61, to replace Mr Liu.
Mr Wu is a veteran lawmaker with a reputation as a skilled political manoeuverer. He previously served eight years as mayor of Kaohsiung, Taiwan's second largest city, and before that was chief executive of Nantou county, also in the south of the island.
Mr Wu's nomination does not require approval from Taiwan's legislature. Mr Wu said he will name new Cabinet members in a few days after discussing the line-up with Mr Ma. "We will unite and strive with our best efforts to shoulder the difficult task ahead," he told reporters. Another former lawmaker Chu Li-lun, 48, was named by Mr Ma as vice-premier.
Mr Chu has served as chief executive of Taoyuan county in suburban Taipei since 2001. The presidential spokesman Wang Yuchi said Mr Chu, who has a background in finance and business management, could oversee the island's economic development, which has been hard hit by the global financial crisis.
Typhoon Morakot, which dumped one-metre of rain in some locations, triggered massive flooding and mudslides in and around 40 villages in southern Taiwan. Critics blamed the heavy casualties on government inefficiency, saying authorities should have ordered residents in the area to evacuate their homes long before the storm hit.
The government has also come under criticism for rejecting initial offers of foreign aid and for failing to immediately deploy troops to help with rescue operations.
*AP
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While Huawei did launch the first smartphone with a 50MP image sensor in its P40 series in 2020, Oppo in 2014 introduced the Find 7, which was capable of taking 50MP images: this was done using a combination of a 13MP sensor and software that resulted in shots seemingly taken from a 50MP camera.
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Day 5, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.
Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.
The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.
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Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.