Trump says Gaza ceasefire deal with Hamas could happen this week
U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday there is a strong chance of reaching a ceasefire agreement with Hamas in Gaza this week....
South Korea is facing its worst wildfire disaster, with blazes doubling in size and killing at least 27 people. Over 33,000 hectares have burned, destroying historic temples as firefighters battle the flames. Strong winds and dry conditions fuel the rapid spread of the fires.
Wildfires raging in South Korea doubled in size on Thursday from a day earlier, as authorities called the blazes the country's worst natural fire disaster with at least 27 people killed and historic temples incinerated.
More than 33,000 hectares (81,500 acres) have been charred or were still burning in the largest of the fires that began in the central Uiseong county, making it the biggest single forest fire in South Korea's history. The previous record was 24,000 hectares (59,000 acres) in a March 2000 fire.
"We are nationally in a critical situation with numerous casualties because of the unprecedented rapid spread of forest fires," Acting President Han Duck-soo told a government response meeting.
The military has released stocks of aviation fuel to help keep firefighting helicopters flying to douse flames across mountainous regions in the southeast of the country where fires have been burning now for nearly a week.
More than 120 helicopters have been deployed in three regions battling the blazes, the safety ministry said. South Korea relies on helicopters to fight forest fires because of its mountainous terrain. A helicopter pilot died on Wednesday after crashing while trying to tackle a blaze.
The wildfires that originated in Uiseong have been moving rapidly eastward, spreading almost to the coast, carried by gusty winds and with dry conditions aggravating the situation.
The Uiseong fire began spreading quickly on Wednesday, reaching the coastal county of Yeongdeok 51 km (32 miles) away in just 12 hours, said Won Myung-soo, director of satellite imagery analysis for the national forestry service.
While the meteorological agency has forecast some rain for the southwest, precipitation is expected to be under five millimetres for most of the affected areas, with many areas still waiting for rain as of early afternoon.
"The amount of rain is going to be small so it doesn't look like it'll be big help in trying to extinguish the fire," Korea Forest Service Minister Lim Sang-seop told a briefing.
Experts have said the Uiseong fire showed extremely unusual spread in terms of its scale and speed, and that climate change is expected to make wildfires more frequent and deadly globally.
Higher temperatures amplified by human-caused climate change contributed to the existing seasonally dry conditions, "turning dry landscapes into dangerous fire fuel" in the region, the Climate Central group, an independent body made up of scientists and researchers, said in a report.
The wildfires have carved a trail of devastation through an area equivalent to about half the area of Singapore, ravaging everything in their path including historic temples and homes in the mountainous forest regions of North Gyeongsang province.
Teams of firefighters are on standby to protect the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Hahoe Village and the Byeongsan Confucian Academy in the city of Andong, if a blaze jumps the stream that flows around them.
The picturesque folk village has traditional Korean houses, many with thatched roofs, while the Confucian academy dates back more than 450 years.
The fires have already badly damaged other historic sites, including much of Gounsa Temple in Uiseong, which was built in 681.
"The buildings and remains of what Buddhist monks have left over 1,300 years are now all gone," said Deungwoon, the head of the Gounsa Temple.
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck off Japan’s Tokara Islands on Wednesday, with no tsunami warning issued but residents advised to remain vigilant.
The United States has rescinded licensing restrictions on ethane exports to China, allowing shipments to resume after a temporary halt and signalling progress in efforts to ease recent trade tensions.
Italy plans to grant approximately 500,000 work visas to non-EU nationals between 2026 and 2028, as announced in a cabinet statement. The initiative aims to address labor shortages by expanding legal immigration pathways
Following a deadly glacier collapse in Blatten, near the Swiss Alpine village of Kandersteg, the town is on high alert as melting permafrost and shifting rock threaten another potential disaster after it was buried a month ago.
Australian researchers have pioneered a low-cost and scalable plasma-based method to produce ammonia gas directly from air, offering a green alternative to the traditional fossil fuel-dependent Haber-Bosch process.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has urged Elon Musk to steer clear of politics and prioritise his companies, after the Tesla CEO announced the formation of a new political party in defiance of President Donald Trump.
TikTok is building a new version of its app for U.S. users ahead of a planned sale to American investors, The Information reported, as President Donald Trump prepares fresh talks with China over the platform’s future.
BRICS leaders meeting in Rio de Janeiro have condemned attacks on Iran, Gaza and Kashmir, while presenting the expanded bloc as a rising force for multilateralism in a world dominated by U.S.-led policies.
Suriname’s parliament has elected Dr Jennifer Geerlings-Simons as the country’s first female president, as the South American nation faces ongoing economic challenges and prepares for future oil revenues.
Zambian authorities have cleared over 25,000 illegal miners from a gold-rich area in Mufumbwe District, northwest Zambia.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment