Sydney (AFP) Jan 12, 2023 Flood-hit swathes of Western Australia faced a long path to recovery Thursday as muddy waters receded to expose the full scale of recent damage to homes, roads and livestock. In the deluged town of Fitzroy Crossing – home to about 1,000 people – the waters collapsed the main bridge, swept away road surfaces and damaged homes over the last week. … Continue reading Western Australia struggles back from huge floods

Los Angeles (AFP) Jan 12, 2023 Western US states were readying Thursday for yet more torrid weather as so-called atmospheric rivers lined up to dump heavy rain across the already soaked region. California has been battered by weeks of downpours that have killed 19 people, flooding communities, toppling powerlines and threatening deadly mudslides. Forecasters now say a cyclone churning in the Pacific Ocean will spreadhttp://dlvr.it/Sgp5nT Continue reading US west coast girds for more damaging storms

Nairobi (AFP) Jan 12, 2023 A regional force which backed the Ethiopian government in its brutal two-year war against Tigrayan rebels has withdrawn from a strategic city in Tigray, the army said Thursday. It said the pullout by the Amhara special forces from Shire followed Wednesday’s announcement by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) that it has begun surrendering its heavy weapons. The moves are … Continue reading Regional force leaves key Tigray city under peace deal: army

Copenhagen (AFP) Jan 10, 2023 The World Health Organization said on Tuesday it did not expect a surge of Covid-19 cases in China to “significantly impact” the situation in Europe. “The ongoing surge in China is not anticipated to significantly impact the Covid-19 epidemiological situation in the WHO European Region at this time,” Hans Kluge, WHO’s Europe director, told a press conference. But, he stressed, … Continue reading China Covid surge not expected to ‘significantly impact’ Europe: WHO

Montecito, United States (AFP) Jan 11, 2023 Tens of thousands of people were under evacuation orders in California on Tuesday as the state was ravaged by the latest in a barrage of storms that have left at least 17 people dead. Torrential downpours caused flash flooding, closed key highways, toppled trees and swept away drivers and passengers – including a five-year-old-boy who remains missing in … Continue reading Tens of thousands evacuate California storms, with 17 dead

Washington (AFP) Jan 10, 2023 US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Tuesday rescinded the Pentagon’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate, a move required by Congress over his objections as part of the 2023 defense spending bill. Austin wrote in a memo scrapping the mandate – under which the Pentagon says more than 8,000 military personnel were discharged for refusing to comply – that he is “deeply … Continue reading Pentagon rescinds Covid-19 vaccine mandate

Washington DC (UPI) Jan 10, 2023 The United States experienced 18 billion-dollar weather-related disasters in 2022, as climate change continues to cause severe weather events, according to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report released Tuesday. The 18 disasters are tied for third-most in a year, behind only 2021 and 2020. The total damages for the 18 events reached about $165 billion, with Hurricanehttp://dlvr.it/Sghqxy Continue reading NOAA: U.S. weathered 18 billion-dollar disasters in 2022

Tokyo (AFP) Jan 11, 2023 Tokyo on Wednesday criticised China’s move to stop issuing visas to Japanese citizens, saying it had protested the measure and demanded that Beijing reverse the decision. China on Tuesday said it would suspend the issuing of visas for Japanese and South Korean citizens in response to measures imposed by Tokyo and Seoul on arrivals from the mainland, where Covid cases … Continue reading Japan protests China’s visa halt

Geneva (AFP) Jan 9, 2023 The UN chief called Monday for “massive investments” to help Pakistan recover from last year’s devastating floods and better resist climate change, as financial pledges poured in. “No country deserves to endure what happened to Pakistan,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told an international conference in Geneva, which is seeking billions of dollars to support recovery from the disastehttp://dlvr.it/SgddTr Continue reading Pakistan flood recovery needs ‘massive’ investment: UN

Geneva (AFP) Jan 8, 2023 The international community must help Pakistan recover from last year’s devastating floods and boost climate resilience, or the country will be locked in misery, the head of the UN development agency told AFP. Pakistan is still reeling from the unprecedented monsoon floods unleashed last August which killed more than 1,700 people and affected some 33 million others. To meet the … Continue reading Pakistan risks ‘extraordinary misery’ without flood recovery help: UN