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Seoul — A North Korean has defected to the South across a de facto maritime border in the Yellow Sea, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported Thursday.

Tens of thousands of North Koreans have fled to South Korea since the peninsula was divided by war in the 1950s.

The latest defection comes as relations between the two Koreas are at one of their lowest points in years, with the North ramping up weapons testing and bombarding the South with trash-carrying balloons.

“1 N. Korean defects across maritime border in Yellow Sea: military,” the agency said in a one-line report.

Other South Korean local media reported Thursday that two North Koreans attempted to defect to the South through the border island of Gyodong, less than five kilometers from North Korea.

The South Korean military has only secured one of them, the reports said.

Most defectors go overland to neighboring China first, then enter a third country such as Thailand before finally making it to the South. 

The number of successful escapes dropped significantly from 2020 after the North sealed its borders — purportedly with shoot-on-sight orders along the land frontier with China — to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

But the number of defectors making it to the South almost tripled last year to 196, Seoul said in January, with more elite diplomats and students seeking to escape, up from 67 in 2022.

‘Unhappy with the North’s system’

The North Korean crossed the “neutral zone of the Han River estuary located west of the inter-Korean land border” and then arrived at South Korea’s Gyodong island, Yonhap reported Thursday, citing unnamed military sources.

South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik told a parliamentary committee that an investigation was “underway by the relevant authorities,” according to the Yonhap report.

The incident is the first time in 15 months since a North Korean defected to South Korea through the Yellow Sea.

In May 2023, a family of nine escaped the North using a wooden boat. 

Experts say defectors have likely been impacted by harsh living conditions, including food shortages and inadequate responses to natural disasters, while living in the isolated North.

“North Korea has suffered severe flood damage recently and has caused a lot of damage in other areas as well, including parts of the city,” Cheong Seong-chang, director of the Korean peninsula strategy at Sejong Institute, told AFP.

“It is possible that the people who were unhappy with the North Korean system may have used this internal instability and confusion to defect.”

Heavy rainfall hit the North’s northern regions in late July, with South Korean media reporting a possible death toll of up to 1,500 people.

Pyongyang treats defections as a serious crime and is believed to hand harsh punishments to transgressors, their families and even people tangentially linked to the incident.

South Korea has responded to the North’s increased weapons testing and trash-carrying ballon bombardments this year by resuming propaganda broadcasts along the border, suspending a tension-reducing military deal and restarting live-fire drills near the border.
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WASHINGTON — Ocean temperatures in the Great Barrier Reef hit their highest level in 400 years over the past decade, according to researchers who warned that the reef likely won’t survive if planetary warming isn’t stopped.

During that time, between 2016 and 2024, the Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest coral reef ecosystem and one of the most biodiverse, suffered mass coral bleaching events. That’s when water temperatures get too hot and coral expel the algae that provide them with color and food, and sometimes die. Earlier this year, aerial surveys of over 300 reefs in the system off Australia’s northeast coast found bleaching in shallow water areas spanning two-thirds of the reef, according to Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.

Researchers from Melbourne University and other universities in Australia, in a paper published Wednesday in the journal Nature, were able to compare recent ocean temperatures to historical ones by using coral skeleton samples from the Coral Sea to reconstruct sea surface temperature data from 1618 to 1995. They coupled that with sea surface temperature data from 1900 to 2024.

They observed largely stable temperatures before 1900 and steady warming from January to March from 1960 to 2024. And during five years of coral bleaching in the past decade — during 2016, 2017, 2020, 2022 and 2024 — temperatures in January and March were significantly higher than anything dating back to 1618, researchers found. They used climate models to attribute the warming rate after 1900 to human-caused climate change. The only other year nearly as warm as the mass bleaching years of the past decade was 2004.

“The reef is in danger, and if we don’t divert from our current course, our generation will likely witness the demise of one of those great natural wonders,” said Benjamin Henley, the study’s lead author and a lecturer of sustainable urban management at the University of Melbourne. “If you put all of the evidence together … heat extremes are occurring too often for those corals to effectively adapt and evolve.”

Across the world, reefs are key to seafood production and tourism. Scientists have long said additional loss of coral is likely to be a casualty of future warming as the world approaches the 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) threshold that countries agreed to try and keep warming under in the 2015 Paris climate agreement.

Even if global warming is kept under the Paris Agreement’s goal, which scientists say Earth is almost guaranteed to cross, 70% to 90% of corals across the globe could be threatened, the study’s authors said. As a result, future coral reefs would likely have less diversity in coral species — which has already been happening as the oceans have grown hotter.

Coral reefs have been evolving over the past quarter century in response to bleaching events like the ones the study’s authors highlighted, said Michael McPhaden, a senior climate scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who was not involved with the study. But even the most robust coral may soon not be able to withstand the elevated temperatures expected under a warming climate with “the relentless rise in greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere,” he said.

The Great Barrier Reef serves as an economic resource for the region and protects against severe tropical storms.

As more heat-tolerant coral replaces the less heat-tolerant species in the colorful underwater rainbow jungle, McPhaden said there’s “real concern” about the expected extreme loss in the number of species and reduction in area that the world’s largest reef covers.

“It’s the canary in the coal mine in terms of climate change,” McPhaden said.
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Taipei, Taiwan  — From teaching at a high school in China to his experience serving on a key congressional committee that focuses on relations between Beijing and Washington, Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz has a decades-long connection with China dating back to the pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989.

As an educator, Walz taught American History, culture, and English to Chinese students at the Foshan No.1 High School in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong in 1989, the year that saw hundreds of thousands of Chinese students protesting against the ruling Chinese Communist Party in Tiananmen Square.

“China was coming, and that’s the reason that I went,” Walz said in a 2007 interview with The Hill, a Washington D.C.-based news website. During his one-year teaching stint in China, Walz was nicknamed “Fields of China” by his students due to his kindness.

His time in China had an impact on his perspectives of Chinese people’s lives under the ruling Communist Party.

“If they had the proper leadership, there are no limits on what they could accomplish,” he said in an interview with the Star Herald in 1990, describing teaching in China as “one of the best things” he has ever done.

His interest in China didn’t stop there. Upon returning to the United States, Walz and his wife set up a company named “Educational Travel Adventures” to coordinate summer trips to China for American high school students.

Five years after the Tiananmen Square protests and the Chinese government’s violent crackdown, Walz returned to China with his wife for their honeymoon and they brought along two American high school tour groups. Walz continued running the summer exchange program to China for American students with his wife until 2003.

Advocating human rights in China

After becoming a member of Congress in 2007, Walz continued to focus on issues related to China. During his time in Congress, Walz served on the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, which focuses exclusively on human rights issues in the country.

Walz quickly established himself as a vocal critic of the Chinese government, holding regular meetings with high-profile activists from China and Hong Kong, including prominent Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong and Tibet’s spiritual leader Dalai Lama.

In an interview with VOA in 2014, Walz recounted his impression of witnessing the student-led protest in Tiananmen Square unfold. “I remembered waking up and seeing the news on June Fourth that the unthinkable had happened,” he said.

While most Americans at the time decided to leave China due to security concerns following the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, Walz said he felt it was “more important than ever to go” to China because he wanted to ensure that “the story was told” and let the Chinese people know that the outside world was with them.

In addition to engaging with activists from China and Hong Kong, Walz also co-sponsored several resolutions on key human rights issues in China, including demanding the release of Chinese Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo and Chinese activist Huang Qi, as well as co-signing the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act in 2017.

In one of his congressional remarks in 2016, Walz highlighted the importance of having “constructive dialogues” with Beijing to ensure “the preservation of traditional Tibetan culture and Tibet’s fragile ecology.”

“The U.S. was founded on the ideas of universal freedom, and I believe that we must continue to urge the Chinese government to provide less regulated religious freedom to the Tibetans,” he said at the time.

Foreign policy boost

In addition to being a vocal critique of China’s human rights record, Walz also expressed concerns about China’s attempt to expand its presence in the South China Sea in 2016, citing Beijing’s efforts to build artificial islands in the disputed water as the reason to oppose Washington’s attempt to reduce military spending.

Despite his strong stance on China’s human rights record and military posture, Walz continued to stress the importance of maintaining cooperation with China. “I don’t fall into the category that China necessarily needs to be an adversarial relationship,” he said in a video interview with Agri-Pulse Communications.

“I think we need to stand firm on what they are doing in the South China Sea, but there [are] many areas of cooperation that we can work on,” Walz added.

Some analysts say Walz’s deep connections to China and track record in U.S.-China diplomacy could potentially help the Democratic presidential pair make more informed decisions on foreign policy, especially on issues related to China.

“I think [his emergence as Democratic vice-presidential nominee] is going to put a lot of people who care a lot about American foreign policy in this part of the world at ease, knowing that there is someone on the ticket who is informed, has spent time in the region, and is not starting from square one when it comes to learning about American foreign policy in East Asia,” said Lev Nachman, a political scientist at National Taiwan University.

He said since Walz has expressed many humanistic views of the Chinese people, Tibetan people, and Hong Kongers, the Minnesota governor could add more nuance to the policy debate related to China in the United States.

“He may be able to articulate the need to push back against China’s authoritarianism and human rights violations in different parts of the world in a way that doesn’t vilify Chinese citizens or doesn’t lean antagonistically in this overtly scare tactic rhetoric that I think a lot of U.S.-China discourse has turned into in the U.S.,” Nachman told VOA by phone.
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HONG KONG — Asian stocks rose again Wednesday as some stability returned after a volatile start to the week, though Tokyo saw more big swings and the yen weakened further as analysts warned more upheaval could be in store.

After Monday’s collapse that saw trillions of dollars wiped off valuations globally, traders returned to pick up bargains on Tuesday, with Japan’s Nikkei bouncing back from a 12.4 percent loss to enjoy a more than 10 percent gain.

The recovery continued Tuesday on Wall Street, with some observers saying the selling may have been a little overdone.

And Asia extended the rally, with Bank of Japan deputy governor Shinichi Uchida helping to soothe anxiety in a dovish speech in which he said officials would maintain their ultra-loose policies while there were ructions in markets.

“As for the future conduct of monetary policy, in a nutshell, I believe that the Bank needs to maintain monetary easing with the current policy interest rate for the time being, with developments in financial and capital markets at home and abroad being extremely volatile,” Uchida said in a speech.

He added that the yen has in recent days “appreciated significantly against the US dollar, since large positions that had been built up on a weaker yen are being unwound.”

“Moreover, partly due to the correction of the yen’s depreciation, stock prices in Japan have declined to a greater extent than other economies.”

Investors had been sent scurrying after data released on Friday showed that the U.S. economy created far fewer jobs than expected in July, fanning recession fears.

That came soon after the Federal Reserve hinted at a September interest rate cut, hours after the Bank of Japan hiked them for the second time in 17 years — sending shivers through financial markets.

Uchida’s comments were much welcomed by investors.

Tokyo ended the morning on Wednesday more than two percent higher, having fallen more than two percent soon after the open, while Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Seoul, Singapore, Wellington, Taipei, Manila and Jakarta were also in positive territory late Wednesday morning.

The yen also weakened further to more than 146 per dollar, having hit less than 142 Monday, its strongest in six months.

While there is a relative calm on trading floors at the moment, observers warned investors to remain wary.

“Turnaround Tuesday truly lived up to its name with the dramatic surge in Japanese stocks,” said analyst Stephen Innes, adding that the previous two days had been “a real financial rollercoaster.”

“This volatility is typical of more prolonged and chaotic market downturns, which could prompt investors to adopt a cautious stance, hold on tight, and keep the antacids ready,” Innes said in his Dark Side of the Boom newsletter.

“Brace yourself for some rapid swings in both directions — the market could soon resemble a teeter-totter on a caffeine high.”
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TOKYO — More than 120 people died of heatstroke in the Tokyo metropolitan area in July, when the nation’s average temperature hit record highs and heat warnings were in effect much of the month, Japanese authorities said Tuesday. 

According to the Tokyo Medical Examiner’s Office, many of the 123 people who died were elderly. All but two were found dead indoors, and most were not using air conditioners despite having them installed. 

Japanese health authorities and weather forecasters repeatedly advised people to stay indoors, consume ample liquids to avoid dehydration, and use air conditioning, because elderly people often think that air conditioning is not good for one’s health and tend to avoid using it. 

It was the largest number of heatstroke deaths in Tokyo’s 23 metropolitan districts in July since 127 deaths were recorded during a 2018 heatwave, the medical examiner’s office said. 

More than 37,000 people were treated at hospitals for heatstroke across Japan from July 1 to July 28, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. 

The average temperature in July was 2.16 degrees Celsius (3.89 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than the average over the past 30 years, making it the hottest July since the Japan Meteorological Agency began keeping records in 1898. 

On Tuesday, heatstroke warnings were in place in much of Tokyo and western Japan. The temperature rose to about 34 C (93 F) in downtown Tokyo, where many people carried parasols or handheld fans. 

“I feel every year the hot period is getting longer,” said Hidehiro Takano from Kyoto. “I have the aircon on all the time, including while I’m sleeping. I try not to go outside.” 

Maxime Picavet, a French tourist, showed a portable fan he bought in Tokyo. “It works very, very well,” he said. “With this temperature, it’s a necessity.” 

The meteorological agency predicted more heat in August, with temperatures of 35 C (95 F) or higher. 

“Please pay attention to temperature forecasts and heatstroke alerts and take adequate precautions to prevent heatstroke,” it said in a statement. 
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washington — Twenty years ago on an Indonesian island, scientists discovered fossils of an early human species that stood at about 1.07 meters tall — earning them the nickname “hobbits.”

Now a new study suggests ancestors of the hobbits were even slightly shorter.

“We did not expect that we would find smaller individuals from such an old site,” study co-author Yousuke Kaifu of the University of Tokyo said in an email.

The original hobbit fossils date back to between 60,000 and 100,000 years ago. The new fossils were excavated at a site called Mata Menge, about 27 kilometers from the cave where the first hobbit remains were uncovered.

In 2016, researchers suspected the earlier relatives could be shorter than the hobbits after studying a jawbone and teeth collected from the new site. Further analysis of a tiny arm bone fragment and teeth suggests the ancestors were a mere 6 centimeters shorter and existed 700,000 years ago.

“They’ve convincingly shown that these were very small individuals,” said Dean Falk, an evolutionary anthropologist at Florida State University who was not involved with the research.

The findings were published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications.

Researchers have debated how the hobbits – named Homo floresiensis after the remote Indonesian island of Flores – evolved to be so small and where they fall in the human evolutionary story. They’re thought to be among the last early human species to go extinct.

Scientists don’t yet know whether the hobbits shrank from an earlier, taller human species called Homo erectus that lived in the area, or from an even more primitive human predecessor. More research – and fossils – are needed to pin down the hobbits’ place in human evolution, said Matt Tocheri, an anthropologist at Canada’s Lakehead University.

“This question remains unanswered and will continue to be a focus of research for some time to come,” Tocheri, who was not involved with the research, said in an email.
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Taipei, Taiwan    — Taiwan’s presence at the Paris Olympics isn’t all about the medals its athletes have racked up in badminton, skeet shooting, gymnastics and boxing. The sight of security guards and other spectators snatching signs and items away from Taiwanese fans is also grabbing global attention.

On Saturday, during the badminton men’s doubles semifinal between Taiwanese shuttlers Wang Chi-lin and Lee Yang and their Danish opponents, a spectator’s green towel with the word Taiwan on it was taken from him by a security guard during the match.

Meanwhile, several videos circulating on social media showed a man who, believed to be a Chinese national, ripping a poster shaped like Taiwan from a Taiwanese woman’s hands and tearing it into pieces. The man was also taken away by security guards.

On Monday, Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry called on French authorities to investigate the incident, which it described as “violent and against the Olympic values of friendship and respect.”

Taiwanese spectators and analysts say the incidents highlight the tremendous pressure Taiwan has long faced from China.

“Taiwan’s international space continues to be suppressed by China over the last few years and these suppressions are also emerging in the sports arena,” Chiaoning Su, an associate professor of journalism and communication at Oakland University, told VOA by phone.

China views Taiwan as part of its territory and says it must return to Chinese control — by force if necessary. Beijing also works to limit Taiwan’s international space and recognition, blocking it from participating in global organizations.

Despite being widely recognized as Taiwan, the self-ruled democracy competes at the Olympics under the name “Chinese Taipei,” a compromise that the government of the Republic of China, Taiwan’s official name, reached with the International Olympic Committee, IOC, in 1981. That agreement allows athletes from Taiwan to compete but only using a non-political flag and without a national anthem.

The white flag that Taiwan carries at the games bears some elements of its official flag and the Olympic rings.

Under rule 50 of the Olympic Charter, the restrictions also apply to Taiwanese spectators, which prohibit any demonstration or political, racial and religious propaganda at Olympic venues.

Despite those restrictions, Taiwanese spectators continue to find ways to cheer on their athletes, such as using images of bubble tea or Mandarin characters like they did during the men’s doubles final between Taiwan’s Wang and Lee and their Chinese opponents on Sunday – won by Wang and Lee, incidentally.

BB, a 33-year-old Taiwanese artist who helped to design a banner featuring a cup of bubble tea and the cartoon-style Wang and Lee, told VOA that she was happy to see her art playing a role in Taiwanese people’s attempt to bypass restrictions at the Paris Olympics.

“A Taiwanese girl in Paris asked me to design a sign for the men’s doubles final, so I drew a cup of bubble tea to represent Taiwan and discretely put two tiny Taiwan maps on the shirts and rackets of Lee and Wang in that poster,” she said.

BB says she hopes her art can help some Taiwanese spectators in Paris not to be bothered by the frustration that comes with the restrictions they face.

Despite Taiwanese spectators’ efforts, some videos on social media platform X, showed that signs with the phrase “Let’s Go” in Mandarin were still confiscated by security guards at the venue.

Some Taiwanese spectators described the screening of signs bearing elements related to Taiwan as “outrageously broad-based” and that it felt like Taiwanese people were being “specifically targeted.”

“One Taiwanese guy was asked by a security guard to either cover up the word ‘Taiwan’ on his shirt or take off his shirt, so in the end, he used tape to cover up the six letters,” Sandy Hsueh, the president of the Taiwanese Association in France, told VOA by phone.

In her view, such targeted moves are out of proportion and “totally unfair.”

In a written response to VOA, the IOC said all interested parties fully support the approach laid out by the agreement reached in 1981 and the agreement’s terms remain “fully applicable.”

While Taiwanese people face a wide range of restrictions at the Olympic venues in Paris, some say their efforts to push back against the restrictions have earned the support and sympathy of other foreign spectators.

“Some foreigners would ask us why the security guards were taking away our stuff and after listening to our explanation, they would start cheering for the Taiwanese athletes,” Betty Hsiao, a 35-year-old journalist who is attending the games in Paris, told VOA by phone.

She said that since Taiwanese people are already used to facing China’s international suppression, they know how to seize opportunities to highlight Taiwan’s unique identity.

“After Lee and Wang won the gold medal on Sunday, many Taiwanese people were chanting ‘Team Taiwan’ because the security guards couldn’t stop us from doing that, and during the award ceremony, many Taiwanese people were singing along with the anthem,” Hsiao added.

Oakland University’s Su says that creativity and resilience of the fans shows they are still finding a way to survive in the tiny space Taiwan has internationally.
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WASHINGTON — Thai progressive leader Pita Limjaroenrat and his Move Forward party won the biggest bloc in the country’s House of Representatives in elections last year. But Pita’s bid to become the country’s prime minister failed to receive enough support in the parliament.

Pita spoke recently with VOA about a ruling expected this week by the Constitutional Court in Thailand on whether to dissolve the Move Forward party and to ban Pita and other party executives from politics. Prosecutors have alleged party officials violated the constitution by campaigning for an amendment of a law, known as Article 112, which shields the country’s royal family from defamation.

The following interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

VOA: How would you describe your feeling ahead of the ruling?

Pita Limjaroenrat: Content. I’m very happy with what I have achieved. It’s true that it’s a very much a roller-coaster political ride, from an election winner to a parliamentarian at risk of being banned for either 10 years or potentially for the rest of my life. But I have chosen to look at it from where I have come from. It’s an honor for me to serve my country and to have done my best in the past three or four years. As a rookie leader, as a new party, to be able to bring about change and hope, within the hearts of the Thai people.

VOA: In the opinion column that you penned for The Economist on Aug.1, you wrote, “Move Forward and I have become the latest casualties of such judicial overreach…. The elite’s judicial overreach and other quick fixes designed to preserve status quo will not always work in the long run.” Why does the tone differ from being “content?”

Pita: I wanted to point out that this is quite systematic. I’m trying to tell the readers from my penmanship that I’m not the first one. I’m the last casualty; that means I’m not the first one. And there has been 33 political parties [put] in the graveyard in the past 20 years. So if you look at it from a macro perspective, that means, you know, it’s quite a systemized way of keeping elected politicians at bay. Thirty three political parties, 249 politicians being stripped away of their political rights. So, you know, I’m not taking it personally, just for me. And I’m trying to tell the readers that the stakes are not just about my personal political future nor about only the future of my party, but it’s really all about democracy as a whole in this country.

I’m not giving up and I’m not losing hope. I still remain optimistic because I travel all around the country meeting young people who are still very much alive and very much ready to cast the ballots in the voting booth. So ballots over battles, ballots over bullets.

VOA: What about the impact of the verdict specifically in shaping the conversation about Article 112 in Thailand?

Pita: You know, finally, as a country, as a society, we should be able to have a safe space, or a mechanism, to make sure that diversity or diverse views or conflicts get dissolved away. And that’s why we thought that parliament would be the best place to find that consensus.

VOA: The court case draws international attention. What does this court fight mean to your ambition for Thailand’s global stature?

Pita: The international community is concerned in terms of similar values, which go beyond borders. But to me, personally, I feel like the definition of constitutional monarchy, the Thai way, has to be developed within the Thai society itself.

It’s a kind of governance that finds that kind of proportion, or the kind of balance, with the constitution, which is about the people and the monarchy. And each country is different. So I’m not trying to look outside of Thailand and define that definition.

VOA: What political bargains have you made? Any areas that you think should not be compromised?

Pita: I think I am flexible in terms of operations, but very consistent in terms of principles. You know, the more I wait, the more I wait to become the leader of the country, I feel the need to double down on the reform agendas that I have made, whether it’s demilitarization, whether it’s de-monopolization, whether it’s decentralization.

I’m willing to be flexible on various things. For example, I remember when I was forming the coalition and there was a questioner asking that, ‘if I join your coalition and the quota is supposed to be this X amount of ministers, can I have two more? Because I felt like that’s a mark that would switch me from not joining your coalition, to joining your coalition.’ I said, ‘fine, as long as you promise to us, through that MOU, that you will deliver X and X policies that you and I campaign on, before people cast the votes for us.’ So that is an example of a flexibility I’m willing to do. But not like a reversal, or flip-flop politics.

VOA: If this is one of the last remarks you will share to your constituents before you’re banned from holding a political office, what would you say?

Pita: Keep moving forward. … I can speak on behalf of the people on various things as long as, you know, there are people who are willing to listen to me. Keep moving forward.

So parliament might not be my playground and Thailand doesn’t want me, but all over the country will be my playground. ASEAN will be my playground. Asia will be my playground. And the world will become my playground until we can meet again.

 
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Beijing — Landslides and flooding have killed more than 150 people around China in the past two months as torrential rainstorms batter the region.

The search was ongoing Monday for victims of a flood and mudslide in a mountainous Tibetan area in Sichuan province that left nine people dead and 18 others unaccounted for, state media said.

The early Saturday morning disaster destroyed homes and killed at least seven people in the village of Ridi, state broadcaster CCTV said in an online report. Two more people died after a nearby bridge between two tunnels collapsed and four vehicles plummeted.

China is in the middle of its peak flood season, which runs from mid-July to mid-August, and Chinese policymakers have repeatedly warned that the government needs to step up disaster preparations as severe weather becomes more common.

An annual government report on climate said last month that historical data shows the frequency of both extreme precipitation and heat has risen in China, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

A heat warning was in effect Monday in parts of eastern China, where temperatures were expected to top 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in several cities including Nanjing, and 37 C (98 F) in nearby Shanghai on the coast.

There have been a series of deadly rainstorms since June.

Days of intense rain from the aftermath of Typhoon Gaemi, which weakened to a tropical storm after making landfall in China about 10 days ago, killed at least 48 people in Hunan province and left 35 others missing last week.

Authorities said Friday that the death toll from an earlier storm in July that knocked out a section of a bridge in Shaanxi province in the middle of the night had risen to 38 people, with another 24 still missing. At least 25 cars fell into a raging river that washed some of them far downstream.

In mid-June, at least 47 died from flooding and mudslides after extremely heavy rain in Guangzhou province. Six more people died in neighboring Fujian province.

Intense rains have also taken hundreds of lives elsewhere in Asia this summer, including devastating landslides that killed more than 200 people in south India last week. 

The remnants of Typhoon Gaemi also drenched northeastern China and North Korea, overflowing the Yalu River that divides them and inundating cities, towns and farmland. 
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London — Myanmar’s junta has lost communications with senior officers at a major military base near the Chinese border, in a rare admission of battlefield failure after rebels announced they had taken control of the key regional army headquarters.  

The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) rebel group, which said on July 25 it had taken over the base but kept fighting to gain full control, posted photographs of its troops at the military stronghold in Lashio town on Saturday. 

Junta troops have been unable to contact an undisclosed number of officers at the besieged northeastern regional command, said military spokesman Zaw Min Tun on Monday, following weeks of intense fighting in and around the town. 

“It has been found that senior officials were arrested,” he said in an audio message posted on the Telegram messaging app, adding the junta was working to verify the situation. 

Myanmar’s ruling generals are under unprecedented pressure, three years after unseating a civilian government in a dawn coup, with an armed rebellion against military rule gaining ground amid a stalling economy. 

A resistance movement was sparked by a violent crackdown on demonstrations following the February 2021 coup, as thousands of young protesters took up arms and combined forces with several established ethnic rebel groups to fight the military. 

“MNDAA has gained complete victory after destroying remaining enemy troops and fully conquered the northeastern military headquarters,” the group said in a statement on social media, accompanied by photographs of its troops. 

The loss of Lashio — the first of 14 regional military commands to fall to rebels — marks a major defeat for the junta, which last year suffered a succession of stinging losses in northern Shan state near the Chinese border. 

That rebel offensive, dubbed Operation 1027, came to a halt after Beijing intervened to help forge a fragile ceasefire, but that collapsed when fighting resumed in June in northern Shan state, where Lashio is located. China has urged dialogue and an end to hostilities.  

“The rapid fall of the Myanmar army’s Northeastern Command makes it fully clear to the ranks of the resistance and to neighboring countries just how weak the Myanmar military has become,” said Jason Tower at United States Institute of Peace. 

“For Min Aung Hlaing, the implications are existential,” he said, referring to the embattled junta chief. “The fall of Lashio could prove to be the beginning of the end.” 

Three other anti-junta ethnic armies, which are fighting the Myanmar military along the Thai and Indian borders, on Sunday congratulated the MNDAA and another allied group for the successful offensive in Lashio.  

“We will also continue to fight as allies until the military falls,” said the statement from the Kachin, Karen and Chin groups. 
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