Iran and US hit tankers in biggest wave of attacks on shipping since war began

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By Enas Alashray, Idrees Ali and Jana Choukeir Reuters Iran said on Wednesday it had attacked 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz after the U.S. sank five Iranian oil tankers, in the biggest wave of attacks on shipping by both sides since the start of the six-month-old war. The attacks sent the price of ‌oil surging, with benchmark Brent crude futures breaching $100 a barrel for the first time since July. At least one seafarer aboard a tanker was reported killed and another listed as missing. The ‌incidents follow a month of relative calm, during which the U.S. has sought to pressure Iran through economic means. Iran said it had fired ballistic missiles at a U.S. military base in Jordan. Jordan said it intercepted 18 missiles, with the remaining two ​falling harmlessly in unpopulated areas. A U.S. official said all American troops were accounted for. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said it would sharply escalate its response to any further attacks, and said I...
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Tropical Storm Tapah makes landfall in southern China, forcing evacuations and school closures

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By KANIS LEUNG,Associated Press

 Schools closed, flights were disrupted and tens of thousands of people were evacuated in southern China as Tropical Storm Tapah made landfall Monday.

The economic hub of Guangdong province near Hong Kong halted some train and ferry services ahead of the storm, according to the official Xinhua news agency. Dozens of scenic areas were closed and some 60,000 people were evacuated across the region by Sunday afternoon, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

CCTV said the storm made landfall around the coastal area of Taishan city in Guangdong at around 8:50 a.m. local time, with maximum sustained winds near its center reaching 30 meters (98 feet) per second.

Hong Kong’s observatory raised its No. 8 storm signal on Sunday night, the third-highest in the city’s weather system. It said Tapah was packing maximum sustained winds near the center of about 68 miles (110 kilometers) per hour at 9 a.m.

Before the observatory lowered its storm signal Monday afternoon, the financial hub saw about 100 flights canceled, with some travelers sleeping on chairs as they waited for travel information at the airport.

A runway at the airport was closed after an HK Express plane from Beijing hit the grass during landing. Smoke reportedly was seen coming from its landing gear at one point. No injuries were reported and it was unclear whether the incident was related to weather, police said.

Twelve people were injured in the storm and sent to hospitals for treatment. The government received over 160 reports of toppled trees and three flooding cases in the city, with hundreds of people seeking refuge in temporary centers. Court hearings were suspended.

In the Chinese casino hub of Macao, minor flooding occurred in some areas, Hong Kong-based broadcaster TVB reported.

After hitting Guangdong, the storm moved northwest toward Wuzhou city in the Guangxi region, CCTV reported.



from The Times Of Earth https://ift.tt/BbITXoW

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