- Pakistan 122-1 at lunch in first England Test
- Kazakhs approve plan for first nuclear power plant
- World marks anniversary of Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- 'Second family': tennis stars hunt winning formula with new coaches
- Philippines, South Korea agree to deepen maritime cooperation
- Mexico mayor murdered days after taking office
- Sardinia's sheep farmers battle bluetongue as climate warms
- Japan govt admits doctoring 'untidy' cabinet photo
- Israel marks first anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack
- Darvish tames Ohtani as Padres thrash Dodgers
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on jobs data
- Family affair as LeBron, Bronny James make Lakers bow
- Cancer, cardiovascular drugs tipped for Nobel as prize week opens
- As Great Salt Lake dries, Utah Republicans pardon Trump climate skepticism
- Amazon activist warns of 'critical situation' ahead of UN forum
- Mourners pay tribute to latest victims of deadly Channel crossing
- Tunisia incumbent Saied set to win presidential vote: exit polls
- Phillies win thriller to level Mets series
- Yu bags first PGA Tour win with playoff win
- PSG held by Nice to leave Monaco clear at top of Ligue 1
- AC Milan fall at Fiorentina after De Gea's penalty heroics
- Lewandowski treble for leaders Barca as Atletico held
- Fresh Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Sucic stunner earns Real Sociedad draw against Atletico
- PSG draw with Nice, fail to reclaim top spot in Ligue 1
- Gudmundsson downs AC Milan after De Gea's penalty heroics for Fiorentina
- 'Yes' vote prevails in Kazakhstan nuclear plant vote: TV
- 'Difficult day': Oct 7 commemorations begin with festival memorial
- Commemorations begin for anniversary of attack on Israel
- Lewandowski hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- 'Nothing gets in way of team,' says Celtics' MVP hopeful Tatum
- India maintain Pakistan stranglehold as Windies cruise at Women's T20 World Cup
- 'We will win!': Mozambique's ruling party confident at final vote rally
- Tunisia voting ends as Saied eyes re-election with critics behind bars
- Florida braces for Milton, FEMA head slams 'dangerous' Helene misinformation
- Postecoglou slams 'unacceptable' Spurs after 'terrible' loss at Brighton
- Marmoush double denies Bayern outright Bundesliga top spot
- Rallies worldwide call for Gaza, Lebanon ceasefire
- Maresca hails Chelsea's 'fighting' spirit after draw with 10-man Forest
- New 'Joker' film, a dark musical, tops N.America box office
- Man Utd stalemate keeps Ten Hag in danger, Spurs rocked by Brighton
- Drowned by hurricane, remote N.Carolina towns now struggle for water
- Vikings hold off Jets in London to stay unbeaten
- Ahead of attack anniversary, Netanyahu says: 'We will win'
- West Indies cruise to T20 World Cup win over Scotland
- Arshdeep, Chakravarthy help India hammer Bangladesh in T20 opener
- Lewandowski's quickfire hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Man Utd fire another blank in Aston Villa stalemate
- Lewandowski treble powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Russian activist killed on front line in Ukraine
Super Typhoon Saola nears Hong Kong, southern China
Tens of millions of people in Hong Kong, Shenzhen and other southern Chinese megacities hunkered down indoors late Friday as Super Typhoon Saola threatened to become the strongest storm to hit the region in decades.
Over 880,000 people were evacuated across two Chinese provinces ahead of Saola making landfall, hundreds of flights were cancelled across the region, and trees were uprooted around the rain-battered streets of Hong Kong.
China's national weather office predicted Saola "may become the strongest typhoon to make landfall in the Pearl River Delta since 1949", referring to a low-lying region that includes Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong province.
With a direct hit possible, authorities in Hong Kong raised the warning level on Friday evening to the city's highest -- "T10" -- which had only been issued 16 times since World War II before Saola.
"Do not go outside... Stay away from exposed windows and doors because glass, already under strain from wind pressure, will shatter easily if hit by a flying object," the Hong Kong Observatory warned in a bulletin released after the highest alert was issued.
Hong Kong residents struggled with flailing umbrellas as they ran under the unrelenting rainfall, while people wearing plastic bags on their heads rushed home past sandbags stacked in waterfront areas to prevent flooding.
By 11:00 pm Saola was 30 kilometres (18 miles) south-southwest of the city, the "closest to Hong Kong at present" and packing sustained wind speeds of 185 kilometres per hour.
"Members of the public should stay on high alert. You are advised to remain where you are if protected and be prepared for destructive winds of Saola," the observatory said.
It added that "the maximum water level may reach a historical record", warning that "there will be serious flooding".
The last time Hong Kong issued a T10 warning was in 2018, when Typhoon Mangkhut slammed into the city, shredding trees and unleashing floods, and leaving more than 300 people injured.
In mainland China, Mangkhut killed six people and impacted the lives of more than three million others.
Across the mainland border in neighbouring Guangdong province, authorities evacuated more than 780,000 people from high-risk areas, while eastern Fujian province saw more than 100,000 moved to safer ground.
Trains in and out of Guangdong were also suspended until 6:00 pm Saturday, while the national flood defence agency raised its emergency response for prevention to its second-highest level.
"It's going to affect our life," said Wu Wenlai, 43, who had to close his restaurant in a Shenzhen suburb.
"My eldest son was planning to fly to Chengdu today for university and his flight has been cancelled now."
- More intense typhoons -
Southern China is frequently hit in summer and autumn by typhoons that form in the warm oceans east of the Philippines and then travel west.
Climate change has increased the intensity of tropical storms, with more rain and stronger gusts leading to flash floods and coastal damage, experts say.
In Hong Kong, authorities received at least seven confirmed cases of flooding, as well as nearly 40 reports of downed trees. The city's hospital authority reported a total of seven people seeking medical treatment during Saola.
Businesses taped up their glass displays and windows, while high-rise buildings swayed under the whipping gusts.
In eastern Heng Fa Chuen -- a coastal residential area and the site of devastation during 2018's Typhoon Mangkhut -- officers in orange vests urged storm-watchers to go home, as trees leaned sideways from the heavy gusts.
In the low-lying fishing village of Lei Yue Mun, which is prone to flooding, water seeped into shops, prompting residents to set up sandbags and board up doors.
"I hope we can save the tools needed for our business, like the fridge. We elevated them so the water wouldn't damage the (electronics)," a restaurant operator surnamed Lee told a local TV station.
burs-dhc/mlm
Ch.Kahalev--AMWN