- Sweden says China blocked prosecutors' probe of ship linked to cut cables
- Acid complicates search after deadly Brazil bridge collapse
- Norwegian Haugan dazzles in men's World Cup slalom win
- Arsenal's Saka out for 'many weeks' with hamstring injury
- Mali singer Traore child custody case postponed
- France mourns Mayotte victims amid uncertainy over government
- UK economy stagnant in third quarter in fresh setback
- Sweden says China denied request for prosecutors to probe ship linked to cut undersea cables
- African players in Europe: Salah leads Golden Boot race after brace
- Global stock markets edge higher as US inflation eases rate fears
- German far-right AfD to march in city hit by Christmas market attack
- Ireland centre Henshaw signs IRFU contract extension
- Bangladesh launches $5bn graft probe into Hasina's family
- US probes China chip industry on 'anticompetitive' concerns
- Biden commutes sentences for 37 of 40 federal death row inmates
- Clock ticks down on France government nomination
- 'Devastated' Australian tennis star Purcell provisionally suspended for doping
- Mozambique on edge as judges rule on disputed election
- Mobile cinema brings Tunisians big screen experience
- Philippines says to acquire US Typhon missile system
- Honda and Nissan to launch merger talks
- Police arrest suspect who set woman on fire in New York subway
- China vows 'cooperation' over ship linked to severed Baltic Sea cables
- Australian tennis star Purcell provisionally suspended for doping
- Asian markets track Wall St rally as US inflation eases rate fears
- Luxury Western goods line Russian stores, three years into sanctions
- Wallace and Gromit return with comic warning about AI dystopia
- Philippine military says will acquire US Typhon missile system
- Afghan bread, the humble centrepiece of every meal
- Honda and Nissan expected to begin merger talks
- 'Draconian' Vietnam internet law heightens free speech fears
- Israeli women mobilise against ultra-Orthodox military exemptions
- Asian markets track Wall St rally as US inflation eases rate worries
- Tens of thousands protest in Serbian capital over fatal train station accident
- Trump vows to 'stop transgender lunacy' as a top priority
- Daniels throws five TDs as Commanders down Eagles, Lions and Vikings win
- 'Who's next?': Misinformation and online threats after US CEO slaying
- Only 12 trucks delivered food, water in North Gaza Governorate since October: Oxfam
- MGO Global Announces Pricing of Upsized $6.0 Million Public Offering
- Upexi Regains Compliance with NASDAQ
- Shore Fire Media Client Bonnie Raitt and 42West Client Francis Ford Coppola are Recognized at the Kennedy Center Honors
- BluSky Carbon Announces $1 Million Convertible Debenture Financing
- Abasca Resources Closes Non-Brokered Private Placement of $3.2 Million
- Greenlane Appoints Rob Shields as Chief Growth Officer
- American Resources Corporation's ReElement Technologies Produces Greater than 99.5% Pure Terbium For National Defense Supply Chain
- Beyond Work Unveils Next-Generation Memory-Augmented AI Agent (MATRIX) for Enterprise Document Intelligence
- Northern Superior Announces ONGold's Completion of Monument Bay and Domain Projects Acquisition in Manitoba
- ARIA Cybersecurity Solutions Partners with UFT to Protect Water Treatment Facilities from Dangerous Cyberattacks
- Clear Start Tax Named 2024 Orange County Register’s Top Workplaces for Exceptional Tax Resolution Service and Workplace Culture
- Ensysce Biosciences Regains Full Compliance with Nasdaq
Taiwan shuts down as Typhoon Krathon approaches
Taiwan shut down schools and closed its financial markets on Wednesday as Typhoon Krathon pounded its south and east with torrential rains and winds ahead of its expected landfall.
Krathon, packing sustained wind speeds of 173 kilometres (107 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 209 kph -- was 160 kilometres southwest of southern Kaohsiung as of 7:00 am (2300 GMT Tuesday), the Central Weather Administration said.
The typhoon, downgraded overnight to medium from strong under Taiwan's measurement system, was now expected to make landfall early Thursday near Kaohsiung or Tainan the agency said, nearly a day later than previously expected.
"The landfall time has been delayed because it stayed at its current location for a long time and its speed was slower than expected," forecaster Zeng Zhao-zheng told AFP, adding the typhoon's intensity had been downgraded at 2 am and was expected to continue weakening.
Offices and schools across the island were closed and the interior ministry said nearly 10,000 people had been evacuated from vulnerable areas as a precaution.
President Lai Ching-te warned Tuesday that the typhoon was likely to cause "catastrophic damage" and urged the public to be "particularly vigilant" due to its relatively rare route as the typhoon was forecast to exit from the island's east coast.
All domestic flights and ferry services were cancelled Wednesday, and some airlines suspended flights from Taiwan to Japan, Hong Kong, the Philippines and South Korea.
Nearly 40,000 troops were on standby for relief efforts, the defence ministry said.
Across Taiwan, 35 typhoon-related injuries had been reported as of late Tuesday, authorities said without providing details.
Typhoons are common around the region at this time of year.
However, a recent study showed that they are increasingly forming closer to coastlines, intensifying more rapidly and lasting longer over land due to climate change.
In Kaohsiung, authorities have started distributing sandbags and clearing storm drains to avoid a repeat of the widespread flooding seen during typhoon Gaemi in July.
Gaemi was the strongest typhoon to make landfall in Taiwan in eight years, leaving at least 10 people dead and hundreds wounded.
Taiwan is accustomed to frequent tropical storms from July to October, but experts say climate change has increased their intensity, leading to heavy rains, flash floods and strong gusts.
Residents in Kaohsiung also taped up windows, filled sandbags and erected barriers around their homes to keep out floodwaters.
Coast guard officers patrolling the scenic tourist spot of Sizihwan Bay in the area told people to stay away as powerful waves pounded the coast.
The storm was approaching Taiwan after pounding a remote group of Philippine islands, where it cut power and communications and damaged "many" houses, according to a local mayor.
The Philippines' National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said Tuesday that nearly 1,800 people had been evacuated, around half in the Batanes islands near southern Taiwan.
L.Miller--AMWN