World

China issues highest warning for Typhoon Saola as it nears coastline

Published

1 year ago

August 31, 2023

China issues highest warning for Typhoon Saola as it nears coastline

At least 121 passenger trains are suspending service, and people are being warned to stay away from the coastline.

China has issued the highest level of warning as Typhoon Saola, packing winds of more than 200kmph (125mph), headed towards the southeastern coastline, threatening Hong Kong and other main manufacturing hubs in nearby Guangdong province.

Forecasters issued a typhoon red warning at 6am (22:00 GMT) on Thursday.

China’s National Meteorological Center said Saola, currently located about 315km (183 miles) southeast of Guangdong province, will move northwest across the South China Sea at a speed of about 10kmph (6mph), gradually approaching the coast of Guangdong, then slowly weaken in intensity.

Chinese state media reported at least 121 passenger trains were suspending service, while people in coastal areas of southern China were being warned to stay away from the coastline.

The suspensions on key lines running from north to south as well as on regional networks will continue through September 6, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Saola will make landfall along the coast somewhere from Huilai County in Guangdong to Hong Kong on the afternoon to the night of September 1, the centre said, adding with its forecasted intensity, it could be among the five strongest typhoons to land in Guangdong since 1949.

As Saola approaches, Guangdong’s Shenzhen city said it would upgrade the typhoon warning level to yellow, the second lowest, and suspend classes at nurseries, kindergartens, primary and secondary schools.

Avoid coastal areas

China Southern Power Grid said it was stepping up inspection of equipment and strengthening measures to prevent water leakage in basement power rooms.

As the hurricane moved closer to Hong Kong, the city’s leader, John Lee, said in a Facebook post that he had requested various government departments to plan ahead and urged residents to take precautionary measures. Many students were due to begin their new school year on Friday, and it was unclear whether they would be able to do so.

The Hong Kong Observatory warned of squally showers, strengthening winds and a possible storm surge in low-lying areas of the crowded financial centre. It urged residents to avoid water sports and stay away from coastal areas.

Saola will also bring storm surges to coastal low-lying areas, the observatory noted, estimating Saola is currently about 440km (270 miles) from the metropolis.

Until 8am (00:00 GMT) on Friday, there will be heavy rainfall in parts of Fujian and areas of Guangdong. Downpours could be 100-220mm (3.9-8.7 inches) in some areas.

Saola’s winds are also affecting Fujian province, where videos on social media showed waves crashing along the coastline. The meteorological administration of Shishi city issued a typhoon blue warning.

The typhoon is currently travelling directly south of Taiwan, in the Bashi Channel, the band of the ocean that separates Taiwan and the Philippines.

The typhoon passed by the Philippines earlier this week, without any reports of casualties so far. However, in the northern part of the islands, the typhoon’s torrential rains and fierce winds enhanced seasonal monsoon rains, flooding low-lying villages and displacing nearly 50,000 people, including 35,000 villagers who fled to government-run evacuation centres. Seaports suspended interisland ferry services due to rough seas, and more than 100 houses were damaged.

The typhoon is expected to hit China’s southern Fujian and Guangdong provinces on Friday. China’s National Meteorological Center said the storm is expected to weaken as it approaches land.

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World

Italian state railways plans 1.3 bln euro investment in solar plant

Published

3 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

Italian state railways plans 1.3 bln euro investment in solar plant

Italian state railways Ferrovie dello Stato plans to invest 1.3 billion euros ($1.36 billion) in a photovoltaic plant with an initial 1 gigawatt (GW) capacity that would cover 19% of its energy needs by 2029, the CEO said in a newspaper interview.

World

Christmas in Puerto Rico is a 45-day celebration with caroling, festive decorations, family feasts and more

Published

4 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

Christmas in Puerto Rico is a 45-day celebration with caroling, festive decorations, family feasts and more

Christmas, Navidad in Puerto Rico, extends far beyond Dec. 25.

The island proudly proclaims itself as having the “longest holiday season in the world,” according to the website Discover Puerto Rico.

On average, the holiday festivities in Puerto Rico last about 45 days, per the source, commencing right after Thanksgiving, and stretching all the way through mid-January.

The Christmas season in Puerto Rico typically lasts around 45 days. (iStock)

HOW TO SAY ‘MERRY CHRISTMAS’ IN 10 LANGUAGES TO FRIENDS AROUND THE WORLD

The holiday season in Puerto Rico is full of rich traditions beloved by families.

One tradition those who visit Puerto Rico will immediately notice during the holiday season is decorations.

In Puerto Rico, decorations are typically put up by Thanksgiving, and kept up until the season concludes in mid-January, with opportune picture moments at every corner.

Parrandas, Christmas caroling, is a holiday staple.

17 SECRET TRAVEL TIPS FOR FALL AND WINTER THAT AREN’T SO SECRET AFTER ALL

Carolers choose houses of family and friends to visit, typically starting around 10 p.m., performing aguinaldos (traditional Christmas songs), with not only their voices, but often with instruments as well, according to Discover Puerto Rico.

The group you begin caroling with is likely not the same group you end with.

In Puerto Rico, when carolers visit a house, they’ll often stop inside for conversation, food and drink before moving to the next residence.

Coquito is a popular beverage enjoyed during the holiday season in Puerto Rico. Coconut, vanilla and rum are among the ingredients. (Mayra Beltran/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

Usually, the residences of the house visited will join the group for the next house, according to Discover Puerto Rico.

CHRISTMAS TREES IN GERMANY WERE DECORATED WITH APPLES INSTEAD OF ORNAMENTS IN THE 1600S FOR ‘ADAM AND EVE DAY’

A night of serenading loved ones can last quite a while, often stretching into the early morning hours of the following day, according to the source.

The biggest day of the holiday season in Puerto Rico actually isn’t Christmas, but instead, the night before.

In Puerto Rico, Dec. 24 is Nochebuena. On that day, loved ones gather for the exchange of gifts, caroling and a large feast.

Many families will also attend a midnight Mass on the day, known as Misa de Gallo.

FLIGHT ATTENDANTS REVEAL THE SURPRISING DAY TO TRAVEL AHEAD OF THE CHRISTMAS RUSH

After Christmas passes, the festivities go on in Puerto Rico.

Another big event in the holiday lineup is Three Kings Day on Jan. 6, a holiday that “commemorates the visit that the Three Wise Men paid to Jesus after his birth,” according to Discover Puerto Rico.

On the eve of the day, children fill up a shoebox with grass to be left for camels to munch on while the Three Kings leave behind gifts for them, according to PuertoRico.com.

For a particularly festive Three Kings Day, Juana Díaz is the place to go, as it hosts the largest celebration in Puerto Rico for the holiday. In Juana Díaz, there is an annual festival and parade in honor of Three Kings Day that brings together over 25,000 people every year, according to Discover Puerto Rico.

Gifts are primarily exchanged between loved ones on Christmas Eve in Puerto Rico. (iStock)

Then, eight days later is Octavitas, a post-holiday celebration where families get together and celebrate one last time for the season.

The end of the holiday season is marked with the San Sebastián Street Festival.

This festival, spanning over multiple days, takes place in Old San Juan, and is filled with live music, dancing, shopping and parades.

Ashlyn Messier is a writer for Fox News Digital.

World

Small plane crashes into Brazil town popular with tourists, killing 10

Published

4 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

Small plane crashes into Brazil town popular with tourists, killing 10

Twin-engine plane crashed in largely residential neighborhood of Gramado shortly after takeoff, authorities say.

A small plane has crashed into a tourist hotspot in southern Brazil, killing all 10 people on board and injuring more than a dozen people on the ground, officials have said.

The twin-engine Piper PA-42-1000 hit the chimney of a home and the second floor of a different house before crashing into a shop in a largely residential neighbourhood of Gramado shortly after takeoff from Canela, Brazil’s Civil Defense agency said on Sunday.

Rio Grande do Sul Governor Eduardo Leite told a news conference that the aircraft’s owner and pilot, Luiz Claudio Galeazzi, was killed along with nine members of his family.

Leite said that 17 people on the ground were injured, 12 of whom were still receiving treatment in hospital.

Galeazzi’s company, Galeazzi & Associados, confirmed that its CEO and Galeazzi’s wife and three daughters had died in the crash.

“Luiz Galeazzi will be forever remembered for his dedication to his family and for his remarkable career as a leader of Galeazzi & Associados,” the company said in a post on LinkedIn.

“In this moment of immense pain, Galeazzi & Associados is deeply grateful for the expressions of solidarity and affection received from friends, colleagues and the community. We also sympathize with all those affected by the accident in the region.”

Gramado, located in the Serra Gaucha mountains, is a popular destination for vacationers, especially during the Christmas season.

The crash comes a little more than a year after Brazil suffered its worst air disaster in nearly two decades when a twin-engine plane crashed in the southeastern city of Vinhedo, killing all 62 people on board.