CHINA
Rains leave 15 dead
At least 15 people have died in torrential rains in the nation’s south, state media reported yesterday. Eight died in two building collapses from landslides in Fujian Province, near the east coast, Xinhua news agency said, citing the Wuping County information office. Five others died and three were missing in Yunnan Province, about 1,200km away in the southwest, state broadcaster CCTV said in an online report. Three children were on Friday swept away by floodwaters in Xincheng County in the Guangxi region, authorities said. Two died and one survived. In Fujian, five victims were found in a collapsed factory building and three others in a collapsed residential building on Friday, Xinhua said.
FRANCE
Rescue to use orca calls
A plan has been hatched to guide a killer whale adrift in the River Seine back to the sea using orca sounds, local officials said on Friday. Following a meeting with national and international scientists, including marine mammal specialists, the local prefecture said it would monitor the killer whale from a distance with a drone while emitting orca communications in an attempt to guide it back to the sea. “The use of these non-invasive methods, from several hundred meters distance, will make it possible to avoid using ships in the immediate proximity of the animal, which could aggravate its stress and endanger it survival, as well as the safety of rescuers,” the Seine-Maritime Prefecture said in a statement on Twitter. The 4m male orca, whose health is deteriorating in fresh water, has traveled dozens of kilometers upstream to west of the city of Rouen.
ICELAND
Horses answering e-mails
Is your out-of-office reply not enough for you to let go of the reins? Icelandic horses can now reply to your e-mails instead, in a free service just launched by a tourism marketing agency. In a whimsical promotional video, the agency reveals the secret to the service: a giant keyboard set against the backdrop of the island’s scenic landscape upon on which small horses happily stomp. The results may not contain the same professional tone as a personal secretary would, instead the horses opt for more unorthodox greetings such as “JJJJJJJJJ” or “8io:l:;l:oii?:.” Still about 8,000 people have already signed up for the service. “Iceland has launched its ‘OutHorse Your E-mail’ service to help travelers disconnect and enjoy everything the country has to offer, without interruption,” said Sigridur Dogg Gudmundsdottir, head of Visit Iceland.
UNITED STATES
‘Conjuring’ house sold
The Rhode Island farmhouse that inspired the 2013 horror movie The Conjuring has been sold to a Boston developer who plans to keep it open to the public. The 18th-century home in Burrillville sold for US$1.525 million on Thursday, far higher than the US$1.2 million asking price. “This purchase is personal for me,” buyer Jacqueline Nunez, owner of WonderGroup LLC, told the Boston Globe. “It’s not a real-estate development. It’s around my own beliefs.” Nunez and the couple who sold the home, Cory and Jennifer Heinzen, jointly announced the sale on Facebook. Nunez plans to continue the paranormal business the Heinzens started. Guests would be able to continue nightly paranormal investigations, day tours would resume and there would be livestreamed events. Nunez said she is not afraid of the house. “I look forward to experiencing things,” she said.
PARLIAMENT CHAOS: Police forcibly removed Brazilian Deputy Glauber Braga after he called the legislation part of a ‘coup offensive’ and occupied the speaker’s chair Brazil’s lower house of Congress early yesterday approved a bill that could slash former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro’s prison sentence for plotting a coup, after efforts by a lawmaker to disrupt the proceedings sparked chaos in parliament. Bolsonaro has been serving a 27-year term since last month after his conviction for a scheme to stop Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office after the 2022 election. Lawmakers had been discussing a bill that would significantly reduce sentences for several crimes, including attempting a coup d’etat — opening up the prospect that Bolsonaro, 70, could have his sentence cut to
A plan by Switzerland’s right-wing People’s Party to cap the population at 10 million has the backing of almost half the country, according to a poll before an expected vote next year. The party, which has long campaigned against immigration, argues that too-fast population growth is overwhelming housing, transport and public services. The level of support comes despite the government urging voters to reject it, warning that strict curbs would damage the economy and prosperity, as Swiss companies depend on foreign workers. The poll by newspaper group Tamedia/20 Minuten and released yesterday showed that 48 percent of the population plan to vote
A powerful magnitude 7.6 earthquake shook Japan’s northeast region late on Monday, prompting tsunami warnings and orders for residents to evacuate. A tsunami as high as three metres (10 feet) could hit Japan’s northeastern coast after an earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 7.6 occurred offshore at 11:15 p.m. (1415 GMT), the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. Tsunami warnings were issued for the prefectures of Hokkaido, Aomori and Iwate, and a tsunami of 40cm had been observed at Aomori’s Mutsu Ogawara and Hokkaido’s Urakawa ports before midnight, JMA said. The epicentre of the quake was 80 km (50 miles) off the coast of
Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro on Friday said that his father, jailed former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, has chosen him to lead the country’s powerful conservative movement, shaking up next year’s election race. The 44-year-old senator said on social media that he will carry forward the political legacy that reshaped Brazilian politics. His announcement makes him an instant contender for the presidency. Jair Bolsonaro, 70, is unlikely to run after being sentenced to 27 years for plotting a coup and banned from public office. He is appealing and seeking a legislative pardon. The former president also faces serious health issues, including complications from a
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