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In south Korea, Typhoon Hinnamnor made landfall on Tuesday, leaving thousands displaced and one dead, authorities said. Reuters reports that the typhoon left the Korean peninsula around 7:10 a.m. after landing in Geoje, off the coast of Ulsan in the southeast, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. As of 11 a.m., the typhoon was moving northeast at 38 mph and expected to pass some 420 km west of Sapporo, Japan, by 9 p.m. Typhoon warnings have been lifted for most parts of the country, with the exception of Ulsan, North Gyeongsang and Gangwon provinces in the east. Until the typhoon…

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck China’s Sichuan province on Monday according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre (CENC), the strongest earthquake to hit the region since 2017. More than 30 people were killed as a result of the earth quake, which also shook Chengdu, the capital of the province, and other distant provinces. There were landslides near the epicentre that damaged some roads and homes, while communications were down in at least one area, state television reported. Dams and hydropower stations within 50 km (31 miles) of the epicentre were not damaged, but the provincial grid was damaged, affecting about…

As Pakistan deals with a relief and rescue operation of near unprecedented scale, the death toll from the cataclysmic floods continued to rise on Saturday with 57 more deaths, 25 of them children. Reuters reported that a high-level relief committee chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met in Islamabad for the first time on Saturday to assess the disaster. As a result of record monsoon rains and melting glaciers in northern mountains, floods have affected 33 million people and killed at least 1,265 people, including 441 children. It is still not over yet. Climate change is blamed for the inundation.…

Several parts of eastern Australia were under severe weather and flood warnings on Sunday, months after the country’s east coast was devastated by massive floods. Reuters reported that extreme weather in Queensland and New South Wales killed at least 13 people and forced tens of thousands to evacuate. This was due to submerging town centres, washing away homes and cutting power. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, damaging gusts of wind with peaks around 100 kph (60 mph) are possible throughout the day in parts of southeast Queensland. The agency advised people to seek shelter indoors, preferable indoors, and to…

About 100 homes were destroyed and thousands of residents were evacuated by a wildfire in rural Northern California, according to fire officials. At least two people were injured and thousands of homes were destroyed, officials said. We are heading into what is traditionally the most dangerous time of the year for fires in California due to a severe drought. In the last three decades, climate change has made the West warmer and drier, and wildfires will continue to be more destructive and frequent. The most destructive and largest fires in California’s history have taken place in the last five years.…

Angelica Bourgoin strokes Janus the tortoise’s shell, whispering to him quietly as he scuttles in his pen. She prepares to celebrate his 25th birthday with his two heads rubbing together. Reuters reports that Janus, who also possesses two hearts, two pairs of lungs, and two distinct personalities, could not resist predators long in the wild because his heads cannot retract into his shell. It’s at the Geneva Natural History Museum, where he hatched in 1997, that Bourgoin and her team of carers can take care of him – they consider him to be the oldest bicephalic tortoise in the world.…

New York authorities are posting signs declaring Times Square a Gun-Free Zone amid the bright lights and electronic billboards. As part of a sweeping change in state law coming into effect Thursday, scores of “sensitive” places, including parks, churches, and theaters, will be gun-free zones. The measure, passed after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June expanded gun rights, also sets stringent requirements for concealed carry permits. A half-dozen states have had key provisions of their gun laws invalidated by the high court due to the requirement that applicants have proper cause in order to obtain a firearm license as…

The Vice President of Argentina Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner managed to escape unharmed after a man fired a loaded gun inches from her head. Reports from Reuters state that the attack, which the economy minister called an assassination attempt, comes at a time when political and social tensions are acute in Argentina. Fernandez de Kirchner was stepping out of a car outside her Buenos Aires home when the incident occurred. It was shown on video footage that a man held a pistol near her head. There were five bullets in the gun, according to President Alberto Fernandez. “This is the…

In response to COVID-19, widening inequality and global conflicts, the World Economic Forum has released four reports on how cities can finance and deliver urban transformation projects using a systems approach. The reports provide case studies and toolkits to help city leaders manage digital projects and develop financing models in order to achieve climate-ready and equitable cities. With 45 sector experts from around the world, the Global Future Council on Cities of Tomorrow collaborated throughout the pandemic to help struggling cities build future-ready communities. Using digital technology for a green and just recovery in cities, accelerating urban inclusion to deliver…

A recently released IEA report says Indonesia has a realistic opportunity to achieve the goal of net zero emissions by 2060. This will result in more affordable and secure energy supplies for its citizens. As the world’s fourth most populous country enters a key phase of its economic development, key policy reforms and international support are crucial to the success of the clean energy transition. An IEA-led Energy Sector Roadmap to Net Zero Emissions in Indonesia, developed in collaboration with the Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR) at the request of the Indonesian Government, was launched at Bali’s…