Heatwave and typhoon force early end to Scout Jamboree in South Korea
News of the day: Japan remembers the Hiroshima bombing. Hun Manet set to succeed his father as Cambodia’s prime minister. In Thailand a buffalo race marks the start of the rice harvest. Train derails in Pakistan. Israeli rockets hit Syria. Almost 30,000 Russian soldiers have died in the war, but the real figure could be twice as high.
SOUTH KOREA
The organisers of the Scouts Jamboree in South Korea announced an early end to the event citing a potential typhoon. Thousands of scouts had already left because of the searing heat. Some 43,000 scouts from 155 countries had gathered in North Jeolla province but hundreds fell ill from a heatwave. Typhoon Khanun is expected to land in the country this week.
JAPAN
Yesterday Japan marked the 78th anniversary of the US bombing of Hiroshima during World War II, which killed at least 140,000 people. The city's mayor described nuclear deterrence as "folly". This follows a recent statement by G7 countries backing the policy at a time of growing fears of nuclear war following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
CAMBODIA
It is official. Hun Manet, the son of Cambodian strongman Hun Sen who has ruled the country for the past 38 years, will be the new prime minister after the publication of a royal decree by Cambodian King Norodom Simahoni. Hun Manet is the current commander-in-chief of the Cambodian Royal Army. The 45-year-old has been preparing for years to succeed his father, who will remain leader of the ruling Cambodian People's Party.
THAILAND
A water buffalo race was held yesterday in Thailand to mark the start of the rice growing season, a tradition that dates back to the 19th century. In Napa, a subdistrict in Chonburi province, about 80 km south-east of the capital Bangkok, at least 60 buffaloes and their owners ran on a 200-metre dirt track to honour the animal's role in rice cultivation.
PAKISTAN
At least 30 people were killed and 80 injured in a train derailment in Nawabshah, in the southern province of Sindh. Pakistan's railways are often involved in accidents. In recent years, successive Pakistani governments have tried to finance infrastructure projects through China's Belt and Road Initiative.
ISRAEL – SYRIA
At least four Syrian soldiers were killed and four wounded in an Israeli rocket attack near the capital Damascus. Although Israel has not yet issued any statement, its forces have been targeting Iranian assets in Syria for years after Iran boosted its influence with and support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since 2011.
RUSSIA
The BBC’s Russian service and Mediazona have released data on Russian casualties in Ukraine. The names of some 29,217 Russian soldiers were ascertained using various open sources, although the real figure could be twice as high. One in three were conscripts. Casualties are mounting among artillery units, officers, including some generals.
KAZAKHSTAN
Many deposits of gold, coal, iron, oil and copper have been returned to state ownership. Auctions held in the current year netted 1.5 billion tenge (US$ 3.3 million) for the country’s coffers, many from foreign investors, mostly Chinese.
.png)
12/02/2016 15:14
09/08/2023 18:28
