OFUNATO, Japan: Japan battled its worst wildfire in half a century on Wednesday in a region hit by record-low rainfall, as wet weather gave hope for some relief.
The blaze around the northern city of Ofunato has raged for more than a week, killing one person and forcing nearly 4,000 residents to evacuate their homes.
It has engulfed about 2,900 hectares — around half the size of Manhattan — making it the largest wildfire since at least 1975, when 2,700 hectares burnt in Hokkaido.
Columns of white smoke billowed from a mountain through the rain and snow on Wednesday, AFP reporters saw. More wet weather was forecast through Thursday.
“The fire was like nothing I’ve seen before. It was towering and spreading fast,” said Mitsuo Otsubo, 85, who fled his home to stay with a relative.
“It didn’t rain or snow at all this year... Thank goodness it rained today though. I can only hope it will help contain the situation,” the seaweed and scallop farmer said.
Japan endured its hottest summer on record last year as climate change pushes up temperatures worldwide.
Ofunato received just 2.5 millimeters (0.1 inches) of rainfall in February — breaking the previous record low for the month of 4.4 millimeters in 1967 and well below the average of 41 millimeters.
Makeshift tents were being set up at a city hall where around 270 people were taking shelter, with bottles of water and food supplies spread out on tables.
“Fires are the scariest disaster, because they spring from one place to another, so you don’t know where to run,” 69-year-old evacuee Fumiko Tanaka said.
“I can only hope the fires won’t reach my house.”
Tanaka and her husband, a fisherman, “feel the effect of climate change every year” as rising ocean temperatures affect what they are able to catch, she said.
At least 84 buildings are believed to have been damaged, although details are still being assessed, according to the fire agency.
The owner of an “onsen” hot spring inn voluntarily opened his facility for free to evacuees.
“Not being able to bathe yourself on top of dealing with the chaos of life in a shelter definitely wears you down,” 60-year-old Toyoshige Shida, of Ofunato Onsen, said.
He said he built the inn after seeing how people suffered in the wake of a huge earthquake and tsunami in 2011 that killed at least 340 people in Ofunato alone.
The number of wildfires in Japan has declined since its 1970s peak.
However, there were about 1,300 in 2023, concentrated in the period from February to April when the air dries out and winds pick up.
Greg Mullins, formerly fire and rescue commissioner for the Australian state of New South Wales, said this fire and the recent Los Angeles wildfires were “highly unusual” because they were in winter.
“In both cases the fires were preceded by hot summers, which increased evaporation and drying of vegetation, followed by large rainfall deficits that parched the landscape,” he said.
“This is a common by-product of climate change,” said Mullins, a founder of the Emergency Leaders for Climate Action group.
“As the planet warms further we can expect to see fires in places where they have never before been a problem.”
Around 2,000 firefighters, most deployed from other parts of Japan, including Tokyo, have been working from the air and on the ground.
“The fact that teams of firefighters are being reinforced every day, and that the fire has been going on for a week, shows the extent of the dry weather and the difficulties we are facing,” Ofunato Mayor Kiyoshi Fuchigami told reporters.
The topography of the mountainous coastal area, with steep slopes and narrow and winding roads, was hampering the fire-fighting operation.
Rain, snow offer hope in Japan’s worst wildfire in 50 years
https://arab.news/pt4fs
Rain, snow offer hope in Japan’s worst wildfire in 50 years
- The blaze around the northern city of Ofunato has raged for more than a week
- Columns of white smoke billowed from a mountain through the rain and snow on Wednesday
German army must use new funds responsibly, auditors say
- In March, Germany’s parliament approved plans for a massive spending surge
- Key recommendations include a thorough review of tasks, prioritization of defense-critical duties
BERLIN: The German army must undergo significant organizational and personnel reforms to effectively utilize increased defense spending, the country’s federal audit institute said on Tuesday in a special report.
In March, Germany’s parliament approved plans for a massive spending surge, largely removing defense investment from the rules that cap borrowing.
The Bundesrechnungshof report highlights that despite relaxed debt rules, the Bundeswehr must prioritize its core mission of national and alliance defense while reducing administrative processes.
“’Whatever it takes’ must not become ‘money doesn’t matter!’” said Kay Scheller, president of the institute, emphasising the need for responsible financial management and increased efficiency in defense spending.
Key recommendations include a thorough review of tasks, prioritization of defense-critical duties, and restructuring the Bundeswehr to focus on “more troops, less administration.”
The Bundesrechnungshof recommends careful justification of financial needs, conducting efficiency analyzes, as well as maintaining a balance between time, cost and quality.
“It is crucial that these funds are used responsibly to significantly increase the effectiveness of defense spending,” Scheller said.
GCC, ASEAN leaders hold first trilateral summit with China
- GCC, ASEAN leaders agree to increase trade volume to $180 billion, engage in FTA negotiations
- Strategic cooperation between the regional blocs was established during their 2023 Riyadh summit
KUALA LUMPUR/DUBAI: Leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Association of Southeast Asian Nations convened in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday for the second ASEAN-GCC Summit and a historic three-way meeting with China.
The ASEAN-GCC Summit and the inaugural ASEAN-GCC-China Trilateral Summit were held alongside the 46th ASEAN Summit, which Malaysia is hosting as the Southeast Asian bloc’s chair this year.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who opened the sessions, said the ASEAN-GCC relationship would be “key in enhancing inter-regional collaboration, building resilience and securing sustainable prosperity for all.”
Strategic cooperation between the 10-member grouping of Southeast Asian nations and the alliance of six Gulf states was established in October 2023, when they held their first summit hosted by Saudi Arabia.
Their meeting in Kuala Lumpur — and the inclusion of China in the talks — comes against a backdrop of geopolitical uncertainty, recently heightened by global tariffs imposed last month by US President Donald Trump.
While most countries were granted a 90-day reprieve from the measures, Southeast Asia’s major economies have since been engaged in efforts to diversify their trading networks.
ASEAN and GCC representatives — including Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Al-Thani, the crown princes of Bahrain and Kuwait, and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan — have agreed to increase bilateral trade and engage in free trade negotiations.
The GCC is now ASEAN’s seventh-largest trading partner, with total trade reaching $130.7 billion in 2023.
“We aim to increase this figure to $180 billion by 2032, as there remains substantial untapped potential in bilateral trade and investment,” Kuwait’s Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid, who is also the president of the current session of the Supreme Council of the GCC, said during the summit.
“We would like to underscore the importance of continuing cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, investment and the arts, and we look forward to the positive outcomes of free trade agreement negotiations between both sides, which will open up investment opportunities and support regional development.”
As the Southeast Asian and Gulf leaders were joined by Beijing’s delegation, led by Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Anwar welcomed the tripartite meeting as a “landmark moment” in international cooperation.
“I am confident that ASEAN, the GCC and China can draw upon our unique strengths to shape a future that is more connected, more resilient and more prosperous for generations to come,” he said.
“ASEAN has long demonstrated that regionalism, anchored in consensus, respect and openness, can succeed. We have thrived in our longstanding partnerships with the GCC and China. Today, we have the opportunity to elevate these ties.”
The combined economies of the GCC, ASEAN, and China now total nearly $25 trillion, with a combined population exceeding 2 billion.
“China has long been a very strategic partner with ASEAN, being the largest trading partner of all ASEAN countries, and it has long taken part in ASEAN-related meetings ranging from ASEAN Plus to ARF (ASEAN Regional Forum),” Dr. Oh Ei Sun, principal advisor at the Pacific Research Center in Kuala Lumpur, told Arab News.
“China has the technology, GCC the money, and ASEAN the market ... As protectionism and unilateralism are on the rise globally, these groupings see the need to strengthen multilateralism, not the least with bringing themselves closer together.”
Amid global turbulence, economic fragmentation and shifting power dynamics, the Kuala Lumpur summits showed the growing ambitions of Southeast Asia and the Gulf region to play a more influential role in international markets and geopolitical affairs.
“This isn’t just another summit, it signals that these regions want a bigger say in how the global economy is run and despite the external factors,” said Kamles Kumar, associate director at Asia Group Advisors in Kuala Lumpur.
“The Global South is no longer content to be on the sidelines.”
China’s participation could be seen as Beijing’s intent to stay close to rising regional alliances, especially in the face of US policies.
“It’s about influence with securing energy links with the Gulf and reinforcing trade ties with ASEAN, while positioning itself as an indispensable partner in South-South cooperation,” Kumar said.
“There is a recognition that momentum is shifting. The quiet push for deeper ASEAN economic cooperation, including conversations around regional supply chains, green infrastructure, and trade integration, is drawing attention. China’s presence underscores that no major player wants to be left out of what comes next.”
Ukrainian climber released from detention days after record-breaking Everest ascent
- “Andrew is now out of custody after a misunderstanding,” said Ushakov’s public relations team
- “He is currently working to clarify all matters with the relevant authorities“
KATMANDU: Ukrainian climber Andrew Ushakov, who completed a journey from sea level to the summit of Mount Everest in a record four days, has been released on bail following his arrest for carrying undeclared foreign currency, a Nepali official told Reuters on Tuesday.
“He has to face the charges in court,” said Chandi Prasad Ghimire, director general of the Department of Revenue Investigation. “If he chooses to raise hands (not fight the case in court) he forfeits the bail money.”
Ghimire had previously said that the bail was set at $60,000 — three times the amount allegedly carried by Ushakov, 40, when he was taken into custody on Sunday.
“Andrew is now out of custody after a misunderstanding,” Ushakov’s public relations team told Reuters on Tuesday. “He is grateful for the support he has received and is currently working to clarify all matters with the relevant authorities.”
Ushakov, a structural engineer who lives in the United States, flew from New York to Nepal on May 15 before scaling Everest without the usual period of several weeks of acclimatization.
He said he did not use Xenon, the gas inhaled by four British former special forces soldiers who scaled Earth’s highest mountain last week, in five days, after leaving London. The climbers used Xenon to pre-acclimatize themselves to the low-oxygen environment they would encounter as they journeyed toward the 8,849-meter summit.
Police official Nakul Pokhrel said that the undeclared foreign currency was detected during baggage screening as Ushakov readied to board a plane leaving Katmandu, Nepal’s capital city.
Anyone carrying foreign currency worth more than $5,000 is required to declare it to the authorities in Nepal.
Trump administration moves to cut $100m in federal contracts for Harvard
- President Donald Trump has railed against Harvard in an intensifying clash
- Harvard filed a lawsuit April 21 over the administration’s calls for changes to the university’s leadership
WASHINGTON: The Trump administration is asking federal agencies to cancel contracts with Harvard University worth about $100 million, a senior administration official said Tuesday.
The government already has canceled more than $2.6 billion in federal research grants for the Ivy League school, which has pushed back on the administration’s demands for changes to several of its policies.
A draft letter from the General Services Administration directs agencies to review contracts with the university and seek alternate vendors. The administration is planning to send a version of the letter Tuesday, the official said. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal deliberations.
The New York Times first reported on the letter.
President Donald Trump has railed against Harvard in an intensifying clash with the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university, calling it a hotbed of liberalism and antisemitism.
Harvard filed a lawsuit April 21 over the administration’s calls for changes to the university’s leadership, governance and admissions policies. Since then the administration has slashed the school’s federal funding, moved to cut off enrollment of international students and threatened its tax-exempt status.
The administration has identified about 30 contracts across nine agencies to be reviewed for cancelation, according to another administration official who was not authorized to speak publicly and provided these details on the condition of anonymity. The contracts total roughly $100 million, including executive training for Department of Homeland Security officials.
Agencies with contracts that are deemed critical are being directed not to halt them immediately, but to devise a plan to transition to a different vendor other than Harvard.
The letter applies only to federal contracts with Harvard and not its remaining research grants.
British far-right figure Tommy Robinson released from prison
- He was jailed for contempt of court in October after repeating false claims about Syrian refugee
- Judge noted ‘absence of contrition or remorse’ from 42-year-old
LONDON: British far-right activist Tommy Robinson has been released from prison after his sentence was reduced by four months.
The 42-year-old, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was jailed for contempt of court in October.
He left Woodhill prison on Tuesday after his 18-month sentence was reduced by the High Court last week.
His sentence was first issued after he admitted to breaching an injunction that prevented him from repeating false allegations against Jamal Hijazi.
The Syrian refugee, a schoolboy at the time of the high-profile incident in October 2018, was assaulted by a fellow student at Almondbury Community School in the English town of Huddersfield.
A video clip of the assault went viral, and Robinson published false claims about Hijazi, who sued him for libel.
Robinson was ordered to pay Hijazi’s legal costs and £100,000 ($135,000) in damages, as well as cease repeating the false claims. Robinson admitted to breaching the injunction on 10 occasions, leading to his imprisonment.
After ordering his early release last week, the High Court judge described an “absence of contrition or remorse” from Robinson, but added: “He has given an assurance that he will comply with the injunction in the future, that he has no intention of breaching it again, and that he is aware of the consequences of what would happen if he breached the injunction again.”
