Typhoon Ragasa: 14 dead after dam collapse in Taiwan

Today's headlines: new Israeli drone attack on the Global Sumud Flotilla headed for Gaza, while Trump meets with Arab and Muslim leaders in New York; South Korean President Lee launches initiative for peace on the Korean Peninsula at the UN; Xi Jinping in Urumqi for the 70th anniversary of the Xinjiang Autonomous Region. Tatiana Goričeva, Soviet philosopher and dissident of the 1970s, has died.

TAIWAN

At least 14 people have died in the collapse of an artificial lake dam in Taiwan, after super typhoon Ragasa hit the island with torrential rains. The lake dam, located in the eastern county of Hualien, collapsed, sweeping away a bridge and flooding a town. Dozens more people are missing. Meanwhile, Ragasa, believed to be the most violent typhoon recorded in the world this year, is moving towards Guandong province in southern China.

GAZA-ISRAEL

A flotilla of more than 50 boats carrying aid and pro-Palestinian activists to Gaza was attacked by drones off the Greek coast, according to reports from those on board. Organisers said last night that they heard explosions and saw drones attempting to strike some of the boats. The attacks, most likely of Israeli origin, caused damage but no injuries. Meanwhile, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, US President Donald Trump met with a group of Arab leaders and other heads of state from Muslim countries on Tuesday to present what has been called a “comprehensive plan” for Gaza.

SOUTH KOREA-NORTH KOREA

In his speech to the UN General Assembly, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung presented a dialogue initiative focused on “exchange”, “normalisation” and “denuclearisation” to usher in a new era of peace on the Korean Peninsula. Lee outlined the initiative, called “END” (an acronym for Exchange, Normalisation, Denuclearisation), reiterating his administration's commitment to finding “pragmatic” and “rational” solutions to North Korea's long-standing nuclear problem, while acknowledging the harsh reality that Pyongyang's denuclearisation cannot be achieved “in the short term”. In a conciliatory gesture towards the North, Lee said his government ‘clearly reaffirms that it respects the current North Korean system, does not pursue any form of unification by absorption, and has no intention of taking hostile actions’.

CHINA

Chinese President Xi Jinping is visiting Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the region's founding. According to state media reports, Xi met with representatives of ethnic groups and ‘expressed his hope that everyone would join forces and move forward together to build a splendid Xinjiang.’ The friendly picture stood in stark contrast to widespread allegations of abuses against ethnic Uighurs in Xinjiang by Beijing.

TURKMENISTAN-IRAQ

The United States has blocked the agreement between Turkmenistan and Iraq for Turkmen gas deliveries through Iranian territory, which could violate the sanctions regime against Tehran, while Baghdad is now forced to seek other resources to ensure the country's electricity supply, with Washington maintaining its “maximum pressure” policy.

RUSSIA

Tatiana Goričeva, Soviet philosopher and dissident of the 1970s, organiser of the “Philosophical-Religious Seminars” in Leningrad, the last wave of underground youth dissent in the Brezhnev era, and an activist for human rights, women's rights and animal rights. She was expelled from the USSR in 1980 and returned in 1988 after several years in Paris. She was the author of numerous books published in Russia, France and Germany.

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