Tag: china

At least 11 killed, 27 missing in Beijing rainstorms

By Jing Xuan TENG Agence France-Presse MENTOUGOU, China (AFP) — At least 11 people are dead and 27 missing after heavy rains lashed Beijing, state media said Tuesday, in downpours that have submerged roads and deluged neighborhoods with mud. Storm Doksuri, a former super typhoon, had swept northwards through China since hitting southern Fujian province on Friday after first scything through the Philippines. Heavy rains began pummeling Beijing and its surrounding areas on Saturday, with […]

Military helicopters deliver aid to Beijing flood victims

By Jing Xuan TENG Agence France-Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) –China deployed military helicopters on Tuesday to deliver supplies to stranded train passengers in Beijing, state media reported, after deadly rainstorms wreaked havoc in the capital. Storm Doksuri, a former super typhoon, has swept northwards over China since Friday, when it hit southern Fujian province after scything through the Philippines. Heavy rains began pummeling the city and surrounding areas on Saturday, with nearly the average rainfall […]

Beijing on alert with two killed as heavy rain batters north China

Heavy rains battered northern China on Monday, killing at least two people in Beijing while washing away cars and inundating subway stations, with the capital issuing its highest alerts for flooding and landslides. Storm Doksuri, a former super typhoon, has swept northwards over China since Friday, when it hit southern Fujian province after scything through the Philippines. Emergency personnel recovered two bodies from waterways in Beijing’s Mentougou district on Monday, the state-run People’s Daily said. […]

Possible Chinese malware in US systems a ‘ticking time bomb’: report

WASHINGTON, July 29, 2023 (AFP) – The Biden administration believes China has implanted malware in key US power and communications networks in a “ticking time bomb” that could disrupt the military in event of a conflict, The New York Times reported Saturday. The Times, quoting US military, intelligence and security officials, said the malware potentially gave China’s People’s Liberation Army the ability to disrupt US military operations if Beijing were to move against Taiwan at […]

Raging storm washes away cars, swathes of northern China on red alert

By Jing Xuan TENG Agence France-Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — Swathes of northern China were under red alert on Monday as heavy rains battered Beijing and surrounding areas, washing away cars and inundating subway stations. Deadly storm Doksuri has been sweeping northwards over China since Friday, with authorities warning millions of people to stay home. Hundreds of bus services in the capital were suspended, according to state news agency Xinhua, while the city government issued […]

Typhoon Doksuri batters China with high winds and rain

BEIJING, China (AFP) — Typhoon Doksuri hit eastern China on Friday morning, bringing high winds and battering rains to coastal areas after the deadly storm bypassed Taiwan on its way from the Philippines. Wind speeds of up to 175 kilometers per hour (110 miles per hour) were recorded as the storm reached the coast of Fujian province at around 10:00 am (0200 GMT), Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said. Fears of potential danger to residents and […]

Europe, US heatwaves ‘virtually impossible’ without climate change

By Kelly MACNAMARA Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Blistering heat that has baked swathes of North America and Europe this month would have been “virtually impossible” without human-caused climate change, researchers said Tuesday, as intense temperatures spark health alerts and stoke ferocious wildfires. With tens of million people affected in the northern hemisphere and July on track to be the hottest month globally since records began, experts warn that worse is to come unless […]

Hong Kong questions more families of wanted activists

  HONG KONG, July 24, 2023 (AFP) – Hong Kong national security police on Monday took in family members of businessman-turned-activist Elmer Yuen for questioning, one of the eight fugitives with bounties on their heads for allegedly breaching national security. The city announced this month that eight pro-democracy activists, all of whom now live overseas, are wanted for national security crimes, and offered rewards of HK$1 million ($128,000) for each of them. Since then, the […]

11 dead after gym roof collapse in China

BEIJING, July 24, 2023 (AFP) – Eleven people died after the roof of a school gym collapsed in northeastern China, state media reported Monday. The collapse in Qiqihar, Heilongjiang Province was caused by construction workers illegally placing perlite — a form of volcanic glass — on the building’s roof, state news agency Xinhua said. Heavy rain then led the perlite to expand and increase in weight, causing the roof to collapse, it added. Footage aired […]

Weakened Typhoon Talim hits Vietnam after passing through China

HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — Typhoon Talim reached Vietnam Tuesday after passing through China less forcefully than feared, with no deaths reported in either country despite nearly 260,000 people relocating before the storm hit. Talim first made landfall in southern China late Monday evening, battering the coast of Guangdong province with maximum winds of 136.8 kilometers (85 miles) per hour. By Tuesday it had weakened to a tropical storm as it slowly made its way across […]

Thousands evacuated as typhoon nears southern China, Vietnam

BEIJING, China (AFP) — Tens of thousands of people were being evacuated in southern China and Vietnam on Monday, and dozens of flights cancelled as a typhoon barreled towards land. Powerful winds, storm surges and lashing rains were forecast to hammer the southern coastline from Guangdong to Hainan provinces when typhoon Talim makes landfall on Monday night, the China Meteorological Administration said. The forecaster has issued an orange alert, the second-highest warning in a four-tier […]

Storm clouds loom large over China’s economy

By Sébastien RICCI Agence France-Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — China’s lower-than-expected growth in the second quarter comes as the world’s second largest economy is hit by sluggish consumption, a real estate sector in crisis and worries over deflation. Here is a look at the main storm clouds over China’s economy: – Sluggish consumption – For almost three years Beijing’s strict zero-Covid policies meant repeated lockdowns, the fear of being arbitrarily quarantined and other draconian health […]