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☆ Effects of climate change increasing in Asia, WMO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A view shows submerged building amid flood water, following rains and floods during the monsoon season in Talti town in Sehwan, Pakistan September 15, 2022. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro/File PhotoGENEVA, July 27 (Reuters) - Extreme weather events ranging from droughts to large-scale floods and other effects of climate change are on the rise in Asia and bound to affect food security and the continent's ecosystems, the World Meteorological Organization said. In a report published on Thursday, WMO said Asia was the world's most disaster-impacted region, with 81 weather, climate and water-related disasters recorded last year, the majority of which were floods and storms. The WMO report also highlighted that most glaciers the High-Mountain Asia region had loss significant mass as a result of warm and dry conditions in 2022. "This will have major implications for future food and water security and ecosystems," said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas.

Persons: Akhtar Soomro, Petteri Taalas, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: REUTERS, World Meteorological Organization, WMO, Thomson Locations: Talti, Sehwan, Pakistan, GENEVA, Asia, China

☆ Heavy rain in India's capital raises new fears of flooding
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW DELHI, July 26 (Reuters) - Heavy rain brought flooding to an area near New Delhi on Wednesday forcing some evacuations and schools closures as the region braced for more downpours two weeks after the Yamuna river burst its banks inundating parts of the capital. Hundreds of vehicles were submerged in a commercial neighbourhood in Noida city, which adjoins southeast Delhi, after the Hindon river overflowed. People living near its banks had to move to higher ground, television footage showed, and some neighbourhood schools were closed. Moderate to heavy rain was expected in Delhi later on Wednesday, it said. The Yamuna river, which runs through the city, rose to a 45-year high following heavy rain in northern areas this month, flooding parts of the city and forcing the evacuation of thousands of people.

Persons: Mahatma Gandhi, Shivam Patel Organizations: Central Water Commission, Thomson Locations: DELHI, New Delhi, Noida, Delhi, Red Fort, Independence

CNN —Three months’ worth of rain over the course of one day has flooded the Canadian province of Nova Scotia since Friday night, inundating streets, forcing evacuations and leaving at least four people missing – including two children. “We have had biblical proportions of rain over the night and into the day,” Halifax Mayor Mike Savage said Saturday. A man wearing chest waders walks past cars abandoned in floodwaters in a mall parking lot in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on Saturday. Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press/APNorthern and eastern Nova Scotia are expected to see more rain Saturday night, while the forecast predicts rain in the central, western and southern areas will ease, officials said. “It came fast and it came furious.”Much of central Nova Scotia has seen severe flooding that deluged roads, forced water rescues and left “significant” property damage Saturday, Houston said.

Persons: “, Mike Savage, Premier Tim Houston, Houston, ” Houston, Darren Calabrese, ”, Kelly Ash, Savage, Fiona, Justin Trudeau, ” Trudeau, Nova, Nova Scotians Organizations: CNN, Halifax, Canadian Press, AP, CNN Canadian, CBC, Twitter, Houston, Nova Scotians Locations: Canadian, of Nova Scotia, Halifax, East Hants, West Hants, Lunenburg, Queens, Premier, Halifax , Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia, Houston

IRSHALWADI, India, July 20 (Reuters) - The death toll from a massive landslide in western India rose to 16 late on Thursday, as rescue operations were suspended with around 100 people still feared trapped, officials said. Rescue workers recovered 16 bodies before night fell and local authorities advised they suspend the search, Director General of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Atul Karwal, told Reuters. Rescuers searched for over 12 hours in heavy rains and fog, dodging large boulders that tumbled down the mountain slope, a Reuters witness and local media reported. [1/3]Members of rescue teams prepare graves to bury the victims after a landslide following heavy rains in Raigad district in the western state of Maharashtra, India, July 20, 2023. MORE RAIN COMINGA landslide in a nearby village killed more than 80 people two years ago.

Persons: Atul Karwal, Devendra Fadnavis, Francis Mascarenhas, Singh, Mahal, Mahatma Gandhi, Francis Mascerenhas, Shilpa Jamkhandikar, Rajendra Jadhav, Sumit Khanna, Robert Birsel Organizations: Response Force, Reuters, REUTERS, Indian Express, India Meteorological Department, Thomson Locations: IRSHALWADI, India, Irshalwadi, Maharashtra, Mumbai, Raigad district, Gujarat, New Delhi, Red, Rajghat

☆ FTC, U.S. regulators crack down on illegal robocalls, telemarketing
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 18 (Reuters) - U.S. regulators on Tuesday announced a nationwide crackdown to stop companies from inundating people with billions of unwanted and illegal robocalls and telemarketing calls. "We don't know too many people out there who enjoy getting scam calls," Samuel Levine, director of the FTC consumer protection bureau, told reporters. In addition to targeting telemarketers, the crackdown targets Voice over Internet Protocol providers that facilitate robocalls, which often come from outside the country. In a statement, the company said it shared the FTC's concerns about robocall technology, and is confident its telemarketing consent practices are legal. Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Aurora Ellis and Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Samuel Levine, Dave Yost, Jonathan Stempel, Aurora Ellis, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: U.S . Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Authorities, Republican, Thomson Locations: U.S, Washington, New York, Ohio

SEOUL/CHEONGJU, South Korea, July 16 (Reuters) - The bodies of eight people trapped in a tunnel flooded by heavy rain in central South Korea were retrieved on Sunday, authorities said, with the death toll from days of torrential downpours that have pounded the country rising to 37. Kong Seong-pyo, a 60-year-old Cheongju resident who frequently uses the underpass, said the government should have restricted access to the tunnel when flooding was expected. The Ministry of Interior and Safety said nine people were missing across the country as of 6 p.m. (0900 GMT) as heavy downpours caused landslides and floods, with evacuation orders covering 8,852 people. [1/9]Rescue workers are seen near a recovered electric bus during a search and rescue operation near an underpass that has been submerged by a flooded river caused by torrential rain in Cheongju, South Korea, July 16, 2023. While South Korea often experiences heavy rains in summer, it has witnessed a sharp increase in torrential rains in recent years.

Persons: Seo Jeong, Seo, Kong, Kim Hong, Yoon Suk Yeol, Yoon, Han Duck, Gyun Kim, Daewoung Kim, Hongji Kim, Cheongju, hyang Choi, Diane Craft, Michael Perry, Jamie Freed, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: MBC, Reuters, The, of Interior, Safety, REUTERS, Korea Meteorological Administration, Korea Railroad Corp, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, CHEONGJU, South Korea, Cheongju, Seoul, Gangnam, Chungcheong

☆ New Delhi evacuates hundreds over risk of flooding after record rainfall
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Residents wait to climb on a flyover under construction, after being displaced by the rising water level of river Yamuna after heavy monsoon rains in New Delhi, India, July 12, 2023. REUTERS/Adnan AbidiNEW DELHI, July 12 (Reuters) - India's capital New Delhi on Wednesday began evacuating hundreds of residents over the risk of flooding as record rainfall has swelled water levels in a river that runs through the city, its chief minister said. States near Delhi have received record rainfall so far this monsoon season that started June 1, with Punjab and Himachal Pradesh recording 100% and 70% more rainfall than average respectively, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Delhi too has recorded 112% above-average rainfall so far, according to the IMD. Reporting by Shivam Patel in New Delhi; editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Adnan Abidi, Arvind Kejriwal, Kejriwal, Shivam Patel, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Wednesday, India Meteorological Department, IMD, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, DELHI, Delhi, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh

PinnedTorrential rainfall generated widespread flooding across western New England and parts of New York State on Monday, flooding homes and washing away roads and bridges as people were stranded in vehicles. In Vermont, where flooding was expected to intensify throughout the day, officials said about 20 people so far had been rescued by boat, with another two dozen evacuated from homes. And at least one person, a woman in her 30s, died in the flooding in New York’s Hudson Valley, the authorities said. The downpour was generating flash flooding in five counties across northern Vermont, where up to three inches of rain have fallen so far, the Weather Service said. In central Vermont, Addison, Orange, Rutland and Windsor counties are at risk of a flash flood through the early afternoon.

Persons: Steven M, Neuhaus, ”, ABC’s, Mr, John F, Irene, Claire Moses Organizations: New York State, America, National Weather Service, Weather Service, New York, Orange, Kennedy, Boston Logan International Airport, Amtrak, Weather Prediction Locations: New England, New, Vermont, Hudson Valley, Orange County, N.Y, “, Burlington, Addison, Orange, Rutland, Windsor, Hudson, New York, LaGuardia, Boston, New York City, Albany, East

☆ Toxic algae that can cause lung infections and neurological disorders is taking over a giant lake in Florida, and ecologists say the bloom will only grow
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Katie Hawkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Florida's Lake Okeechobee is already half full with toxic algae, and the bloom will only grow. That's because Lake Okeechobee is already half-full with a bright green, toxic algae that researchers say will only grow as algae season continues on through the summer. The algae can cause several health complications, including lung infections, organ damage, and neurological disorders, The New York Times reports. The algae also thrives among the fertilizer and manure that runs into the lake from nearby crops. Finding a solution to this toxic bloom has been a challenge.

Persons: Rick Scott Organizations: Service, New York Times, Times Locations: Okeechobee, Florida, Lake, Lake Okeechobee

☆ Heavy rains lash east Nepal; one dead, 25 missing
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( Gopal Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KATHMANDU, June 18 (Reuters) - One person was killed and at least 25 others were missing in flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains that battered east Nepal, officials said on Sunday, the first known fatality since the annual rains began last week. Heavy rains washed away a hydroelectric project under construction on the Hewa River in Sankhuwasabha district in eastern Nepal where 16 workers have gone missing, said Bimal Paudel, a government official. Nine people were also missing in flash floods and landslides in neighbouring Taplejung and Panchthar districts, bordering India in the east, officials said. Gaurav Dhakal of the Panchthar district said overnight rains damaged two bridges on the Mechi highway, cutting off the road link to remote Taplejung district where four people were missing. Hundreds are killed or go missing in rains which spark floods inundating villages, crops and damaging infrastructure every year in mostly mountainous Nepal, nestled between China and India.

Persons: Bimal Paudel, Gaurav Dhakal, Gopal Sharma, Rupam Jain Organizations: Thomson Locations: KATHMANDU, Nepal, Sankhuwasabha district, Taplejung, India, Panchthar, China, Kathmandu, Lincoln

☆ Opinion: The Ukraine dam disaster demands accountability
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Meanwhile, Kyiv and Moscow engaged in an intense round of finger pointing over responsibility for the unfolding environmental disaster. The dam’s collapse is not just devastating for those who reside in the immediate environs — it is a nationwide disaster for Ukraine that could reverberate across the globe. Stalin’s goal in the midst of World War II was to prevent Nazi armies from sweeping across Ukraine, which at the time was part of the Soviet Union. The dam collapsed as Ukraine stepped up operations in anticipation of a much-awaited counter-offensive. The broken walls of the Nova Kakhovka dam, and its destructive rushing waters, should strengthen the resolve of Ukraine’s backers.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Joseph Stalin, Dmitry Peskov, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky’s, Andriy Yermak, Ursula Von der Leyen, “, Antonio Guterres Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Frida Ghitis CNN, Soviet Union, EU, ”, UN, UN Security Council, United Nations General Assembly, Human Rights, Twitter, NATO, Kyiv Locations: Ukraine’s, Dnipro, Ukraine, Kyiv, Moscow, Soviet, Russia, “ Russia, Geneva, Ukrainian, Vilnius, Lithuania, Baltic, Nova

The Ukrainian prosecutor general's office said on Tuesday it was investigating the blast at the Nova Kakhovka dam, situated in Russian-occupied territory, as a war crime and possible act of environmental destruction, or "ecocide". Kyiv said this was a war crime, while Moscow said the targets were legitimate. WHAT DOES INTERNATIONAL LAW SAY? The Geneva Conventions and additional protocols shaped by international courts say that parties involved in a military conflict must distinguish between “civilian objects and military objectives”, and that attacks on civilian objects are forbidden. IS ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE MILITARY OR CIVILIAN?

Persons: Dmitry Peskov, general's, Marko Milanovic, Michael Schmitt, Milanovic, Katharine Fortin, Stephanie van den Berg, Anthony Deutsch, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, HAGUE, Russia, Criminal, European, of International, University of Reading, ICC, Lieber Institute for Law & Warfare, United States Military Academy West, Utrecht University, Thomson Locations: Nova, Kherson region, Ukraine, Geneva, Ukrainian, Dnipro, Russia, Moscow, Rome

"(This) creates a very good defending position for Russians who expect Ukrainian offensive activity,” Matysiak said. Russia has denied responsibility and accused Ukraine of sabotaging the dam to deflect from what Moscow said were Ukrainian military failures. "For Russians the reason to do it would have been to stop the Ukrainian counteroffensive, obviously. For Ukraine, the breach might have provided a way of distracting the Russians while Kyiv launches its counteroffensive, she added. Patricia Lewis, Research Director for International Security at the Chatham House think tank, said the situation helps Russia even if the Ukrainian counteroffensive later makes inroads.

Persons: Ruslan Strilets, Ben Barry, Maciej Matysiak, ” Matysiak, Strilets, Mohammad Heidarzadeh, Heidarzadeh, Dmytro Kuleba, Marina Miron, Patricia Lewis, they're, Aiden Nulty, Ben Tavener, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Kyiv, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Stratpoints Foundation, University of Bath, Civil, Engineering, University of Warwick, Reserve, Nova Kakhovka, King's College, International Security, Chatham House, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Dnipro, Kyiv, Nova, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russia, Kherson, Crimea, Britain, London

☆ Walmart employees are inundating the company's social-media site with memes making fun of management
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Walmart started using Workplace, a Meta-designed social-media app, in 2017. "Most of the posts I see on Workplace are just memes making fun of management and corporate," a Walmart employee from Minnesota said. On Walmart's Workplace site, the first photo was captioned "using workplace for work-related posts," and the second photo said "using workplace for memes." Just as on Facebook, users have Workplace feeds where they see what other Walmart workers post, with their names attached. The Walmart employee from Michigan said he was "surprised at first" that workers would share memes on Workplace without being anonymous.

☆ Google employees bombard leaders with questions about the company's strategy, asking if it's become too AI-focused
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Hugh Langley | Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Top of mind for employees was AI, including the company's recent showcase of generative AI products at its I/O developer conference on May 10. But staffers have concerns about the impacts of Google's aggressive push to build generative AI into all of its products. These OKRs were written to "rally" teams to incorporate AI into Google's products, Pichai said. 'People don't want to just hear AI-generated content'Another submitted question read: "LLMs are inundating the internet with AI-generated content, such as websites, books, images, music, and videos. This AI-generated content may eventually lead to a decline in internet quality, which may directly affect the quality of Google's search results.

☆ Death toll from Congo floods rises to 401: governor
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

May 8 (Reuters) - The death toll from flooding that hit two villages in east Democratic Republic of Congo last week has risen to 401, provincial governor Theo Ngwabidje Kasi said on Monday. Kasi told Reuters by message on Monday that the death toll now stood at 401. He did not provide any other details. The central government has sent a delegation to Kalehe and declared Monday a day of national mourning. Reporting by Sonia Rolley Writing by Sofia Christensen Editing by Alexander WinningOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Corpses pile up after nearly 200 killed in Congo floods
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Crispin Kyala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The rainfall in Kalehe territory in South Kivu province caused rivers to overflow on Thursday, inundating the villages of Bushushu and Nyamukubi. South Kivu governor Théo Ngwabidje Kasi put the death toll at 176 and said that others were still missing. Floods and landslides are not uncommon in South Kivu, which shares a border with Rwanda. Heavy rains also triggered flooding and landslides in Rwanda this week, killing 130 people and destroying more than 5,000 homes. The last incident of a similar scale in Congo occurred in October 2014, when heavy rainfall destroyed over 700 homes.

☆ Ford F-150 Lightning fire footage highlights a growing EV risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Michael Wayland | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +13 min

EV fires have become a growing concern as automakers push to increase sales of electric vehicles and meet tightening emissions standards. An electric Ford F-150 Lightning caught fire on Feb. 4, 2023 due to a battery issue traced back to one of the automaker's suppliers. A bill that requires them to complete a training program about the risk of electric vehicle fires passed unanimously this year. There's also the risk of reignition: Lithium-ion battery fires can re-engage weeks later with little to no warning. An electric Ford F-150 Lightning caught fire on Feb. 4, 2023 due to a battery issue traced back to one of the automaker's suppliers.

“One of the worst things you can hear from your child is them screaming ‘I don’t want to die! Residents across the state are just beginning to understand the full extent of the damage, especially in marginalized communities, as they recover from the deluge. But instead of work, Naranjo and other farmworkers are faced with some 20,000 flooded farmland in Salinas, according to early estimates from the Monterey County Farm Bureau, a nonprofit association of farmers and ranchers. When asked if he would return to work soon, Naranjo answered: “I don’t know.”Cars driving through a flooded roadway in Planada, Calif., on Jan. 10. “In my head, I thought if it was that bad, someone would come tell us, but no one ever did.

[1/4] Traffic navigates around downed tree limbs along 19th Avenue after a new bout of rainstorms threatens to flood San Francisco, in California, U.S. January 4, 2023. Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, and state officials urged Californians to avoid travel during the storm. Crews in San Francisco spent the night cleaning up debris from felled trees that blocked roadways. The area lies in the heart of the Sonoma Wine Country, a tourist magnet just north of San Francisco. Nearly 100 flights were canceled at San Francisco International Airport on Wednesday, and an additional 15 had already been canceled on Thursday.

In fact, Covid-related deaths and hospitalizations have fallen in recent months, despite the emergence of new omicron subvariants that evade immunity from previous infections and vaccination. Full coverage of the Covid-19 pandemicAccording to NBC News data, Covid deaths have fallen consistently since Aug. 31, when the seven-day average of daily Covid deaths was at 571. The average number of Covid hospitalizations per day has decreased by 27.9% since Aug. 28, according to NBC News data. While Covid-related hospitalizations are not currently increasing, Gupta warns that they could during the winter as immunity, especially from previous infection, diminishes. Now, he said, "Covid deaths don't all look the same."

☆ Should rich countries pay climate 'reparations'? What the COP27 debate means
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Leila Sackur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

More than 1,700 people, including more than 500 children, were killed in the extreme flooding and 33 million more displaced. Pakistan’s environmental footprint — how much carbon it has put into the atmosphere in recent decades — is significantly less than other countries. And at an individual level, the environmental footprint of most Pakistanis is much smaller than people in countries like the United States. Wealthy nations increasingly are being called upon to pay up, with $75.8 million being pledged in “loss and damage” payments at COP27 so far. At the previous climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, wealthy nations rejected proposals for a specific loss and damage fund, although countries agreed to start a “dialogue” on the issue.

☆ Australians rescued from rooftops as torrential rain ravages rural towns
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Renju Jose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Emergency crews deployed more than a dozen helicopters to rescue trapped people from rooftops in the worst-hit towns in New South Wales (NSW) state, officials said. More than 200 flood rescue operations were conducted in the state over the past 24 hours to Tuesday morning, while 24 emergency warnings remained. A damaged road is seen following flooding in the town of Canowindra, in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia, November 15, 2022. Heavy rain smashed parts of southwest New South Wales and northeast Victoria over the weekend. Flooded highways near several inland towns are hampering rescue operations as emergency services said they were undertaking what would be the biggest flood rescue operations in New South Wales' history.

But the door knockers didn't explain where to vote or promote a candidate, the usual work of canvassers ahead of a big election. At another, they listed names of registered voters and demanded to know if they still lived at the address. In at least one state, Michigan, they plan to use their list of alleged irregularities to challenge voters in the Nov. 8 election. Reuters identified at least 23 state-wide or local efforts where canvassers may have crossed the line into intimidation, according to election officials and voting rights lawyers. This August, people affiliated with USEIP were also canvassing in La Plata County, according to the county clerk.

☆ Empty streets, shuttered shops as Russian-held Kherson braces for battle
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Kherson is Russia", in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in the city of Kherson, Russian-controlled Ukraine October 31, 2022. Many shops and businesses have been shuttered and, at a jetty on the banks of the Dnipro River, a handful of people board a ferry to leave. As Ukrainian forces advance to the north and east of the strategic city, Russian-installed officials there have evacuated tens of thousands of civilians in recent weeks. The new area will cover an additional 15-kilometre (nine-mile) zone around the Dnipro, which splits the Kherson region, to include another seven settlements, Saldo said. He repeated claims, rejected by Kyiv, that Ukraine could be preparing to attack the Kakhovka dam and flood the region.

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