Report: 48 killed in Taiwan plane crash 

By Ashley Fantz and Steven Jiang, CNN

July 24, 2014 -- Updated 0405 GMT (1205 HKT)

(CNN) -- At least 48 people were killed when a twin-engine turboprop plane crashed Wednesday while attempting to land in Taiwan's Penghu Islands, according to Taiwan's Civil Aeronautics Administration.

Officials say 10 people were injured in the plane crash and that five residents on the ground were also hurt. Taiwan's Transportation Minister Yeh Kuang-shih told reporters there were no casualties on the ground.

Taiwanese authorities are now identifying victims and investigating the cause of the crash.

Two of the people killed were believed to be French passengers, identified as Jeromine Deramond and Penelope Luternauer, according to Taiwan's Central News Agency. One of those on the passenger's list was an 82-year-old Taiwanese wood craftsman, according to local Taiwanese media.

Footage aired on CNN affiliate ETTV showed the plane had crashed in a residential area and broken into pieces. ETTV reported that the fallen plane destroyed or damaged 11 houses.

The central weather bureau reported lightning storms at the time and winds between 40 and 45 mph, the news agency said.

Injured passengers were taken to Penghu Hospital, and TransAsia Airways established an emergency response center, according to a statement issued by the airline.

The president of TransAsia Airways, Chooi Yee-choong, appeared briefly at a news conference and bowed in front of news cameras. He choked up as he expressed his sorrow to passengers' families and the public. "I sincerely apologize," he said.

Before Flight GE222 took off from Kaohsiung, Taiwan, it had been delayed because of conditions related to a typhoon, the airline said. The plane was a 72-seat twin-engine turboprop ATR 72.

"TransAsia Airways is exhausting all means to assist passengers, victims and families" and working with investigators, its statement read.

One of the plane's flight data recorders was recovered, and investigators will examine the crash site Thursday, the minister said.

The plane crashed near Magong Airport at about 7 p.m., according to CNA. Witnesses told ETTV that they saw homes on fire.

The cause of the crash is unknown.

Some media reports said strong winds from Typhoon Matmo, which hit Taiwan early Wednesday, forced the plane to attempt a crash landing.

Taiwan's Civil Aeronautics Administration director, Jean Shen told reporters that visibility at Magong Airport at the time of the plane's attempted landing was about 1,600 meters (1 mile) and considered acceptable for landing.

The Penghu Islands are off the west coast of the main Taiwanese island.

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/07/23/world/asia/taiwan-plane-crash/index.html

Structure of the Lead：

   WHO-at least 48 people

   WHEN-Wednesday

   WHAT-  a twin-engine turboprop plane crashed

   WHY-not given

   WHERE-Taiwan's Penghu Islands

   HOW-not given

Nuclear protesters demand a stop to referendum

By Ann Yu,The China Post
May 27, 2013, 12:03 am TWN

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Anti-nuke protesters circled the Legislative Yuan, yesterday, demanding the government immediately terminate the launch of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant and vote down a referendum bill concerning the facility. Activists said the government has continued construction of Nuke 4, as the plant is commonly known, despite the demands iterated during the 309 Anti-Nuke Protest, which expressed clearly the people's desire to terminate the plant.  They described the government-proposed referendum on the plant's fate as a ploy designed to confuse citizens. According to the Referendum Act, a referendum is effective only if it achieves a voter turnout of over 50 percent, which is unlikely in Taiwan. Activists complained that the referendum was a ploy by the Kuomintang, citing the nature of the referendum question, which can be translated as: “Do you agree that the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant should be halted and that the facility should not become operational?” As many protesters feared that the referendum bill was likely to pass in the legislature, anti-nuke activists circled the Legislative Yuan to express their demand that legislators vote down the bill. Protestors formed the letters “STOP,” in front of the building, screaming “Dangerous Nuke Power! Stop! Years of Nuke waste! Stop!” Asking lawmakers to look beyond their parochial political self-interest, activists urged lawmakers to hear the voices of the people and scrap the Nuke 4 immediately. Activists said that launching a referendum to decide the fate of Nuke 4 is a waste of money.” Earlier this year, Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) proposed holding a referendum on the fate of Nuke 4, stating that this would help end the more than 2-decade-old controversy surrounding the facility. He promised that the government would do everything possible to ensure the safety of the plant, initiating a string of safety inspection measures that include taking media personnel for a visit of the facility. http://chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2013/05/27/379659/Nuclear-protesters.htm Structure of the Lead：    WHO-anti-nuke protesters    WHEN- May 26/2013    WHAT-demanding the government    WHY-immediately terminate the launch of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant    WHERE-not given    HOW-not given

Ferry disaster casts long shadow over South Korea econom

August 27, 2014 2:48 AM

South Korea's ferry disaster in April is still casting a cloud over the economy, with the effect on consumer spending lasting longer than expected, the central bank said Wednesday.

More than 300 people died when the Sewol ferry sank on April 16, most of them students from the same high school.
The tragedy plunged the country into deep mourning. Growth in the second quarter was the slowest for more than a year, partly because of sluggish personal spending.
The Bank of Korea said consumer sentiment was still struggling to recover.
"The fallout from the disaster turned out to be longer-lasting than expected, even though its impact has been easing," it said of Asia's fourth largest economy.
The recovery in consumer sentiment remains feeble and companies are delaying investment due to uncertainty over the economic outlook, the bank said in a report entitled the "Golden Book".
The report was based on a survey of more than 800 companies between late July and mid-August.
Out of the total, 154 companies involved in consumer services were polled separately on their concerns about the impact of the ferry sinking.
Just over half forecast that the disaster would depress their sales into September.
Some 30 percent expected the impact to continue until November, while about 20 percent said it would linger until year-end.
Gross domestic product rose a seasonally adjusted 0.6 percent in April-June from the previous quarter.
Citing sluggish domestic demand in the wake of the sinking, the finance ministry last month cut its growth forecast for this year to 3.7 from 4.1 percent.
The government unveiled a $40 billion stimulus package last month as Finance Minister Choi Kyong-Hwan warned of the risk of recession.
The package worth around 41 trillion won is made up of 11.7 trillion won in expanded spending and 29 trillion won in extra financing support.
The lion's share will be spent this year, with 3.0 trillion won earmarked for the beginning of 2015.
A political dispute has broken out over plans for an independent inquiry into the tragedy.
More than 130 lawmakers from the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy on Wednesday staged a sit-in for a second day at the National Assembly, paralysing all parliamentary business.
They are protesting about the ruling Saenuri Party's refusal to set up a consultative body which would give victims' families a role in discussing legislation needed to set up an inquiry.

http://news.yahoo.com/ferry-disaster-casts-long-shadow-over-south-korea-064845626.html;_ylt=A8tUwZL9zVpUv2AAF4Jr1gt.;_ylu=X3oDMTE1MWVxZ2oyBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMTEEY29sbwN0dzEEdnRpZANWSVBUVzk1XzE-

Structure of the Lead：

   WHO-more than 300 people that most of them students from the same high school

   WHEN-April 16

   WHAT-the Sewol ferry sank

   WHY-not given

   WHERE-South Korea

   HOW-not given

Keywords：

1. sluggish personal       個人不振

2.sentiment       情緒

3. feeble       弱

4. investment      投資

5.entitled       標題

6.concerns      關注

7.unveiled        暴露

8.trillion       兆

9. financing     融資
10.parliamentary       議會
11.paralysing        癱瘓