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  • Cross-Strait ferry routes see thousands of Taiwan compatriots return to ancestral homes

    Cross-Strait ferry routes see thousands of Taiwan compatriots return to ancestral homes

    As the Qingming Festival, a traditional Chinese occasion for ancestor veneration and family reunion, approaches this year, cross-Strait ferry routes have recorded a sharp uptick in passenger traffic, with thousands of Taiwan compatriots journeying back to their ancestral hometowns on the Chinese mainland to pay respects at ancestral tombs and reconnect with their family roots.

    Official data from the Fujian Maritime Safety Administration shows that on April 4, the four established “Mini Three Links” routes — which deliver direct maritime connectivity between Fujian province’s coastal regions on the mainland and Taiwan-held Kinmen and Matsu islands — handled 6,655 passenger trips, marking a 22.5% year-on-year increase.

    The busiest of these routes, the Xiamen-Kinmen corridor, which is widely favored for its short travel times, frequent sailings and affordable fares, accommodated nearly 6,000 cross-Strait travelers on that single Saturday, with Taiwan compatriots making up more than 70% of that total. Local border inspection authorities project that the total passenger volume for the Xiamen-Kinmen route across the three-day Qingming holiday will climb to almost 20,000.

    For many Taiwan families, this annual journey is far more than a seasonal trip: it is a centuries-old tradition meant to pass down collective identity to younger generations. Li Yung-hung, a Taiwan compatriot who traveled to Xiamen via the ferry route this holiday, emphasized that her family has upheld this practice for generations, noting that the trip teaches younger family members that their cultural and ancestral roots are firmly planted on the mainland.

    Chen Chin-lai, deputy head of Xiamen’s Gaoqi Border Inspection Station, pointed out that more than 80% of Taiwan compatriots can trace their ancestral origins back to Fujian. This annual wave of ancestral homecoming during Qingming, he explained, serves as a vivid, tangible reminder that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait share the same cultural lineage and belong to one Chinese family.

    To support Taiwan compatriots in tracing their family histories, local institutions rolled out targeted support ahead of the holiday. On April 3, the China Museum for Fujian-Taiwan Kinship, in partnership with the Quanzhou Border Inspection Station, launched free genealogy matching services at a port in Nan’an, Quanzhou. Through a simple QR code scan, visiting Taiwan compatriots can register their requests for assistance to trace their family trees and locate ancestral villages.

    Since opening to the public in 2006, the museum has built a decades-long track record of supporting root-seeking efforts, having helped more than 300 Taiwan compatriots successfully identify and reconnect with their ancestral clans on the mainland over the past 20 years.

  • Israel hits Iran gas complex after Trump threat

    Israel hits Iran gas complex after Trump threat

    A sharp escalation of conflict across the Middle East unfolded Monday, as Israeli forces carried out targeted strikes on Iran’s largest petrochemical complex in the coastal city of Assaluyeh on the Gulf of Oman, just one day after U.S. President Donald Trump issued an extreme threat to destroy Iran’s civilian infrastructure if Tehran refused to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes came amid rapidly rising tensions that have already roiled global energy markets and drawn multiple regional nations into direct hostilities.

    Alongside the attack on the critical energy facility, a separate joint U.S.-Israeli strike killed senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence chief Majid Khademi at dawn Monday. In response, Iran launched a wave of drone and missile attacks targeting Israel, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates, extending the reach of the conflict across the Gulf region. Iranian officials have warned that any follow-through on Trump’s threat to strike civilian infrastructure would be met with far more devastating retaliatory actions.

    Trump’s ultimatum, delivered in an expletive-laden Sunday social media post, gave Iran until 8:00 pm Tuesday (00:00 GMT Wednesday) to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy chokepoint that Iran has effectively blocked in recent weeks. “Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell,” Trump wrote in the post. Iran has already rejected the demand, with the IRGC stating publicly Monday that the strait “will never return to its former status, especially for the US and Israel.” The closure of the waterway, through which roughly 20% of global oil trade passes, has sent global oil and gas prices skyrocketing and forced nations around the world to implement emergency contingency plans to offset the energy supply shock.

    Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed that Monday’s strike on the Assaluyeh petrochemical complex successfully hit the facility, which accounts for nearly half of Iran’s total petrochemical output and holds an estimated value of tens of billions of dollars. Local Iranian media reported multiple explosions at the site following the strike. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a stark warning after the attack, saying “We will reach anyone who seeks to harm us.” In a separate announcement, the Israeli defence ministry confirmed it would ramp up production of Arrow missile interceptors to bolster the country’s multi-layered national air defence system amid the steady influx of Iranian attacks.

    Even as violence accelerates across the region, diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions are underway. Axios, citing anonymous U.S., Israeli, and regional sources, reported that a proposed 45-day ceasefire is currently under discussion, with mediation from Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey, to open space for negotiations on a long-term peace deal. Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty confirmed Sunday that Cairo has been holding active talks with regional governments, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. A statement from the Egyptian foreign ministry noted that “Views and proposals were exchanged on ways to deescalate the military situation in the region given the delicate juncture it is currently facing.”

    Trump told Fox News Monday that Iran was “close” to reaching a negotiated deal, though Iranian officials have repeatedly denied holding any formal negotiations with either the U.S. or Israel. European Council President Antonio Costa issued a public call for diplomatic resolution Monday, writing on X that “Any targeting of civilian infrastructure, namely energy facilities, is illegal and unacceptable.”

    The current full-scale conflict erupted on February 28, when joint U.S.-Israeli strikes killed Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and has since engulfed the entire Middle East and disrupted the global economy. The global oil supply squeeze has already had ripple effects on commercial aviation: Indonesian authorities announced Monday they would increase jet fuel surcharges, while long-haul low-cost carrier Air Asia X implemented ticket price hikes of up to 40% to offset rising fuel costs. Major Asian energy importers have adjusted their shipping routes to avoid the Strait of Hormuz entirely; a South Korean ruling party lawmaker said Seoul will redirect oil shipments to load from Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea port of Yanbu, and Taiwanese officials confirmed they would adopt the same alternative route.

    U.S. and Gulf allies aligned with Washington have already suffered direct impacts from the expanding conflict. Kuwait reported six civilian injuries in an Iranian drone strike on a residential area between Sunday and Monday. The UAE confirmed Monday that its air defence systems intercepted a combined missile and drone attack, with one person injured in an industrial zone of Abu Dhabi. Jordanian local media reported the government has begun processing compensation claims for residents whose property was damaged by falling missile and drone debris.

    In Israel, four civilian bodies were recovered from a damaged residential building in the northern city of Haifa after an Iranian missile strike Monday. In retaliation, the Israeli military announced it had completed a new wave of strikes across multiple targets in Tehran. Iranian state media reported strikes on multiple residential areas in the capital, and confirmed that gas outages disrupted service across parts of Tehran after a strike on a local university facility. Even amid the threats of further attacks, many Tehran residents appeared to carry on with daily life Sunday, with large groups of young people exercising, flying kites, and holding picnics in the city’s western public parks.

    The conflict has also expanded to Lebanon, where Iran-backed Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel starting March 2. Israel has responded with heavy airstrikes and a ground incursion into parts of southern Lebanon. Israeli Army Chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir visited Israeli troops deployed in southern Lebanon Sunday and pledged to intensify offensive operations. AFP correspondents on the ground observed a large plume of smoke rising over southern Beirut’s suburbs Monday following an Israeli airstrike that the military confirmed targeted Hezbollah positions.

    Trump is scheduled to hold a press conference later Monday to release details on the rescue of a U.S. airman whose fighter jet was shot down by Iranian forces in recent days.

  • Tran Thanh Man elected Vietnam’s National Assembly chairman

    Tran Thanh Man elected Vietnam’s National Assembly chairman

    HANOI — In a key institutional step for Vietnam’s legislative branch, the country’s National Assembly formally elected Tran Thanh Man to the position of chairman on Monday, according to state sources. The election, which took place in the Vietnamese capital, marks a new leadership appointment for the country’s top lawmaking body. The announcement of the outcome was updated on April 6, 2026, confirming the result of the vote held by the legislative assembly. As the chairman of the National Assembly, Tran Thanh Man will lead the body’s legislative work, oversee its operational agenda, and fulfill the core constitutional responsibilities associated with the role. This leadership transition aligns with Vietnam’s established legislative governance procedures, bringing a new presiding officer to the national legislature that shapes the country’s policy and legal framework.

  • Somalia set for ‘historic’ first offshore oil drilling

    Somalia set for ‘historic’ first offshore oil drilling

    Decades of political instability and persistent conflict have long blocked Somalia from tapping its vast untapped offshore hydrocarbon reserves, but the East African nation is finally poised to turn that page this week, with the arrival of a Turkish state-owned drilling ship expected at its Arabian Sea territorial waters on Friday.

    This long-awaited exploratory operation comes on the heels of a successful 2024 seismic survey conducted by a Turkish research vessel, which mapped out high-potential deep-water sites for initial drilling. The milestone is the result of a formal energy cooperation agreement between Somalia and Turkey signed in 2024, cementing a partnership that has grown steadily over more than a decade of Turkish investment in the Horn of Africa nation.

    Somalia’s Petroleum Minister Dahir Shire framed the launch of the country’s first-ever offshore drilling project as a transformative moment for the country in a post on social media platform X, calling it “a historic milestone in our offshore energy journey” that opens “a new chapter” for the Somali energy sector. “This signals Somalia’s readiness to move into exploratory drilling, beginning with our most promising offshore prospects,” Shire added, noting that the government is committed to ensuring any energy revenues generated will be directed toward broad national prosperity and improved public welfare for all Somali citizens.

    The vessel leading the operation is the Turkish Petroleum Corporation’s (TPAO) drilling ship *Çağrı Bey*, which is embarking on its first international mission for the state-owned energy firm. Once anchored, it will conduct deep-water drilling at the hydrocarbon-rich sites identified in last year’s survey.

    Somalia’s Foreign Ministry has emphasized that successful discovery of commercial oil reserves would not only unlock the country’s massive offshore resource potential, but also position Somalia as a new competitive regional energy player and provide a critical boost to the country’s ongoing post-conflict economic recovery. Somali Foreign Minister Ali Omar reinforced this perspective earlier this week, noting that the collaborative drilling campaign further solidifies Turkey’s standing as a “trusted long-term partner” for Somalia’s development efforts.

    Turkey’s Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar echoed that mutual benefit ahead of his upcoming official visit to Somalia, stating that any significant oil or gas discovery from the project would deliver major economic gains for three parties: Somalia, the broader East African region, and Turkey. Ankara has built deep political, economic and security ties with Somalia over the past 12 years, expanding its engagement steadily; it established a large military base in the country in 2017 and has grown its presence there in recent years.

    Industry researchers have long estimated that Somalia holds billions of barrels of untapped oil reserves, but decades of civil war, political fragmentation and security instability have prevented large-scale exploration and development of these resources for generations. If this initial drilling campaign yields successful results, analysts say it could open a new era of energy development for one of Africa’s most conflict-affected nations.

  • Taiwan youth surnamed Huang traces roots in Jiangxia

    Taiwan youth surnamed Huang traces roots in Jiangxia

    Cross-Strait people-to-people exchanges continue to strengthen bonds across the Taiwan Strait, as one young Taiwanese visitor recently discovered his deep ancestral connection to mainland China during a cultural trip to Hubei province. Twenty-year-old Huang Chao-jung, a young man from Taiwan with the family name Huang, joined a recent cross-Strait exchange gathering hosted in Wuhan, the capital of central China’s Hubei province, where he traveled to Jiangxia District — the historic ancestral homeland widely recognized as the original origin of all Chinese people with the Huang surname.

    For years, Huang had grown up hearing the well-known traditional saying that all individuals with the surname Huang trace their lineage back to Jiangxia. But the saying remained an abstract piece of family lore until he stepped onto the soil of Jiangxia District himself. Standing in the region that has held this ancestral significance for countless Huang families across generations, Huang said he finally felt the tangible meaning of the tradition. He described an overwhelming sense of belonging and connection that he had not experienced before, saying the trip allowed him to complete a meaningful journey to trace his family’s roots.

    This root-tracing trip is part of a broader wave of cross-Strait cultural exchanges that have brought growing numbers of young people from Taiwan to the Chinese mainland to explore their family histories, connect with long-distant relatives, and build personal ties with communities on the other side of the Taiwan Strait. For many young Taiwanese participants, these trips do more than teach them about family history: they create personal, emotional connections that reinforce the shared cultural and ancestral heritage that unites people across the Strait.

  • DR Congo agrees to take deportees from the US

    DR Congo agrees to take deportees from the US

    The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has entered into a new agreement with the United States that will see the central African nation accept non-Congolese migrants deported from U.S. territory, with the policy set to take effect this month, senior Congolese government officials have confirmed.

    In an official statement released Sunday, the DRC’s Ministry of Communication announced that a temporary reception framework for incoming deportees has already been established, and purpose-built accommodation facilities have been secured in the capital city of Kinshasa. According to the statement, all logistical and technical support for the program will be covered by the U.S. government, and the Congolese state will not incur any financial costs related to the reception scheme.

    To date, Congolese authorities have not publicly disclosed how many third-country deportees – individuals who are neither citizens of the deporting country, the U.S., nor the receiving country, DRC – they expect to take in under the agreement. The deal makes DRC the latest African nation to participate in the Trump administration’s broad crackdown on unauthorized immigration, a policy that has already seen the U.S. arrange third-country deportations to multiple other African states.

    Addressing growing concerns from human rights groups that DRC would eventually transfer received migrants to their home countries, where many face credible risks of persecution, Congolese officials stressed that no such secondary transfers are currently planned. The statement framed the decision to accept third-country migrants as aligned with DRC’s long-standing commitments to upholding human dignity, advancing international solidarity, and protecting the fundamental rights of all migrants. Congolese authorities also emphasized that the scheme is not intended to act as a permanent relocation program, nor does it represent an outsourcing of U.S. migration policy to African soil.

    The BBC reached out to both the U.S. State Department and the Department of Homeland Security for comment on the new agreement, but had not received a response as of publication.

    Since taking office in January 2025, President Donald Trump’s administration has pursued a aggressively hard-line stance on immigration, deporting dozens of migrants to third-party countries as part of this policy agenda. The practice has drawn widespread condemnation from human rights campaigners, many of whom have raised serious questions about the legal standing of the third-country deportation scheme.

    DRC now joins a growing list of African nations already participating in the program, including Eswatini, Ghana, and South Sudan. Just last week, eight migrants from various African nations were deported by the U.S. to Uganda under the same policy framework.

    A minority report released by the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations estimates that the Trump administration had likely spent more than $40 million (approximately £30 million) on third-country deportation operations as of January 2026, though the full total cost of the program remains officially unknown. The report also notes that the U.S. has provided more than $32 million in direct funding to five participating nations: Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, El Salvador, Eswatini, and Palau.

    The new migration deal comes as the U.S. is currently negotiating a separate minerals agreement with DRC, which aims to secure greater American access to the central African country’s abundant reserves of strategically critical metals, including cobalt, tantalum, lithium, and copper. During the Trump administration, the U.S. also mediated a landmark peace agreement between DRC and neighboring Rwanda, though consistent implementation of the deal has remained an ongoing challenge for both nations.

  • Young gray whale dies after swimming up river in Washington state

    Young gray whale dies after swimming up river in Washington state

    A young gray whale that wandered more than 20 miles inland into a Washington state river has been found dead, with marine researchers pointing to severe food scarcity along the species’ iconic migration route as the most probable cause.

    The Cascadia Research Collective, a leading marine science research organization based in the Pacific Northwest, announced the death of the juvenile whale — nicknamed “Willapa Willy” by local community members — in a Facebook update shared Saturday. The group confirmed that it is currently assessing site safety conditions to conduct a full necropsy to confirm the exact cause of death.

    Willapa Willy was first spotted last Wednesday in the north fork of the Willapa River, located roughly 145 miles southwest of Seattle. At the time of its initial sighting, researchers noted that while the whale appeared noticeably underweight, it showed no visible signs of injury and was behaving consistently with typical gray whale activity. Research teams held out hope that the animal would navigate back out to the Pacific Ocean on its own, but those hopes went unfulfilled when the whale was found dead days later.

    John Calambokidis, a veteran research biologist with Cascadia Research Collective, explained to the Associated Press that unusual inland sightings like this are often tied to the species’ annual spring migration pattern. Every year, gray whales travel hundreds of miles north along the Pacific Coast to reach feeding grounds in the Arctic, drawing down stored fat and nutritional reserves to fuel the long journey. When food becomes scarce along the route or at their destination, hungry whales often stray far from their normal path in a desperate search for viable feeding areas — exactly the scenario that likely led Willapa Willy into the Willapa River, Calambokidis said.

    In recent years, eastern Pacific gray whales have faced dramatic declines in available food sources in the northern Bering and Chukchi seas off Alaska’s coast, a crisis that sits at the center of growing threats to the species, Calambokidis added.

    According to the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service, eastern Pacific gray whales are a cornerstone of whale watching and ecotourism along the North American West Coast. Fully grown adults can reach up to 15 meters (49 feet) in length and weigh as much as 40,000 kilograms (90,000 pounds). Along their multi-thousand mile migration routes, the species already faces widespread threats from ship strikes and entanglement in commercial fishing gear. Unlike many other cetacean species, gray whales tend to travel alone, and long-term social bonds between individual whales are considered rare, per NOAA data.

    Willapa Willy’s death is not an isolated incident: earlier this month, two full-grown adult gray whales washed up dead on beaches in the nearby Ocean Shores area. Post-mortem assessments found both adults were severely malnourished, and the male whale also showed major head trauma consistent with a ship strike.

    Latest population surveys conducted in winter 2025 confirm that the overall eastern Pacific gray whale population continues to decline. NOAA Fisheries estimates the current population stands at roughly 13,000 individuals, the lowest recorded population count since the 1970s.

  • Woman dies after being knocked down by lorry

    Woman dies after being knocked down by lorry

    A tragic road traffic incident in Letterkenny, County Donegal, has claimed the life of a middle-aged woman, leaving local communities in mourning following a collision between a pedestrian and a heavy goods vehicle on Friday.

    Authorities confirmed that Gardaí, the Republic of Ireland’s national police service, was immediately dispatched to the scene of the crash at the Station Roundabout on Port Road after emergency calls alerted officers to the accident. The female casualty, who was reported to be in her 40s, sustained life-threatening injuries in the impact and was rushed by emergency responders to Letterkenny University Hospital for urgent medical intervention. Despite the efforts of clinical teams to treat her wounds, the woman succumbed to her injuries on Sunday, two days after the collision occurred.

    In the wake of the fatal incident, investigating officers have issued a public appeal for any witnesses or road users who were in the area at the time of the collision to come forward with information. Authorities are particularly keen to review any dashcam footage that members of the public may have captured while travelling along Port Road near the Station Roundabout on Friday, as this evidence could prove critical to building a full picture of how the incident unfolded. Anyone with relevant details has been asked to contact the investigating Garda team through official channels to assist with the inquiry.

  • Airport seeking public’s help to reunite parrot with owner

    Airport seeking public’s help to reunite parrot with owner

    Dublin Airport has launched a public appeal to track down the owner of a stray parrot discovered on its grounds on Easter Sunday, marking the third unexpected avian visitor the airport has handled in less than a decade.

    The bright-feathered bird was first spotted perched on a public rubbish bin near the airport’s Terminal 1, before airport police were alerted to the unusual sighting. Responding officers used gentle tactics and food to coax the parrot into their care, and the animal quickly warmed to its rescuers, even comfortably perching on the officers’ hands and shoulders, the airport authority explained in an official statement.

    After being safely secured, the parrot was transferred to a nearby airport patrol van, where it settled into the warm interior as officers finished their scheduled patrol rounds. It was then brought back to the airport police station, where staff prepared a cozy temporary enclosure using an existing dog crate and brush handle, and provided the bird with fresh fruit, clean water and engaging toys to keep it comfortable during its unexpected stay. The airport confirmed the parrot received consistent, high-quality care overnight while teams worked to trace its owner.

    So far, airport management has notified Ireland’s national police service An Garda Síochána, a local pet retailer and a nearby animal sanctuary to help connect the parrot with its rightful caretaker. Details of the stray bird have also been widely shared across the airport’s social media channels to broaden the search. While the outreach effort has already drawn dozens of public enquiries, including multiple submissions of leg ring identification numbers, none of the submitted details have matched the markings on the found parrot to date.

    Efforts to reconnect the parrot with its owner remain ongoing, and the airport says it is committed to seeing the operation through to a successful outcome. “We look forward to helping this unexpected visitor get safely home,” the statement added.

    This is far from the first time an unplanned parrot has turned up at Dublin Airport. In 2019, an African grey parrot named Hugo made headlines after she was spotted “taxiing for takeoff” on the airport’s main runway by a firefighter conducting a routine safety check. That stray parrot was ultimately successfully reunited with her owner. Most recently, in August 2025, the airport welcomed another unbooked chatty parrot that turned up on its grounds. The facility has also had lighthearted fun with parrot-related notoriety: after Irish international striker Troy Parrott scored a memorable hat-trick against Portugal, the airport’s social media team jokingly suggested changing its name to “Troy Parrott Airport”, a gag they have revived in posts following more recent Irish national team matches.

  • Savannah Guthrie returns to NBC’s Today show, as search for mother goes on

    Savannah Guthrie returns to NBC’s Today show, as search for mother goes on

    One of the most high-profile figures in American morning television, Savannah Guthrie is set to resume her anchoring role on NBC’s iconic *Today* show this Monday, more than two months after her 84-year-old mother Nancy was first reported missing under suspicious circumstances.

    Guthrie first stepped away from her on-air duties in late January, just two days after her mother disappeared from her home in the outskirts of Tucson, Arizona. She also canceled her planned participation in NBC’s broadcast of the 2026 Winter Olympics to focus on coordinating the search for Nancy. This upcoming Monday marks her first return to the *Today* studio since her 30 January departure.

    The timeline of Nancy’s disappearance leaves few clues for investigators: relatives dropped her off at her residence on the evening of 31 January, but she never arrived at a friend’s home the next morning to join a virtual church service, and she left behind all of her necessary prescription medications. In February, Savannah and her family publicly announced a $1 million reward for any information that leads to Nancy’s safe return, a gesture that has drawn widespread public attention to the case.

    Law enforcement officials have confirmed they believe Nancy was taken against her will from her home, but as of yet, no potential motive has been released to the public, and no suspects have been taken into custody. Savannah has previously opened up about the heavy weight of the case, sharing that she has grappled with the possibility that her own national fame as a leading television journalist could be connected to her mother’s abduction, a thought she described as almost unbearable to process.

    Despite the ongoing uncertainty and grief of the past two months, Guthrie has framed her return to work as a necessary step. Last month, she told *Today* that returning to the show is part of her current purpose, even as she acknowledged she was unsure how she would navigate returning to her professional role. “I can’t not come back. This is my family,” she said of her colleagues at NBC.

    Most recently, on Easter Sunday, Guthrie made a public appearance at New York’s Good Shepherd Church, where she reaffirmed her unshakable Christian faith in a closing video address to the congregation. “I still believe. And so I say with conviction, ‘Happy Easter,’” she stated, offering a message of quiet resilience amid the ongoing search that has gripped national attention.