Magnitude 6.2 Earthquake Hits off Taiwan's Northeastern Coast
The quake, which shook some buildings in Taiwan's capital Taipei, had a depth of 88.1 km.
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Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
Pakistan's Punjab extends summer break for schools until Aug. 31
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's most populous Punjab province has extended summer vacations for all private and public schools till Aug. 31, the provincial government said on Thursday. While the reason for the decision was not explicitly mentioned by authorities, it comes amid intense monsoon showers that have flooded several Punjab cities in recent weeks. The province has reported the highest number of deaths at 164 and 580 injuries since the rains first began on June 26, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). The rains and floods have also caused widespread destruction of homes and swept away livestock and crops. 'It is hereby notified that summer vacations in all public and private schools in province of Punjab are extended w.e.f (with effect from) Aug. 14 to Aug. 31, 2025,' the Punjab School Education Department said in a notification. 'All schools (public and private) shall reopen on Monday, Sep. 1, 2025 resuming a full/normal week for all classes.' The decision marks a change in the academic calendar of schools which were previously scheduled to open on Aug 14. Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat also confirmed the decision in a post on X, but did not mention the reason either. Pakistan has seen erratic changes in its weather patterns which have led to frequent heat waves, untimely rains, cyclones and droughts in recent years. Scientists have blamed the events on human-driven climate change. The Punjab government also declared an early summer break in late May for all public and private schools due to a prolonged heatwave across the province.
Al Arabiya
7 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
France's huge wildfire will burn for days, authorities warn
France's biggest wildfire in decades will continue burning for several more days, authorities warned Friday, even though the flames have been brought under control. The massive blaze in the southern department of Aude has scorched more than 17,000 hectares (42,000 acres) — an area larger than Paris — killing one person, injuring 13, and destroying dozens of homes. About 2,000 firefighters remain on duty around the fire zone, which was declared under control on Thursday night. But the fire won't be 'declared extinguished for several days,' said Christian Pouget, the prefect for Aude. 'There is still a lot of work to be done.' Authorities have banned access to the affected forests until at least Sunday, saying roads in the area are too dangerous due to downed power lines and other hazards. Pouget said roughly 2,000 people who were forced to flee the flames have not yet been allowed to return home. Hundreds are spending the nights in school gyms and village halls across the region. The fire is the largest in France's Mediterranean region in at least 50 years, according to government monitors. Southern France is particularly prone to wildfires. At its peak, the flames were consuming about 1,000 hectares of land per hour, authorities in the nearby city of Narbonne said. Two days of shifting, powerful winds made the blaze difficult to contain. A 65-year-old woman who refused to evacuate was found dead in her burned home. Thirteen others — including 11 firefighters — were injured. – 'Unprecedented catastrophe' – Prime Minister Francois Bayrou called the wildfire a 'catastrophe on an unprecedented scale' during a visit to the region on Wednesday. 'What is happening today is linked to global warming and linked to drought,' Bayrou said. Environment Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher wrote on X Thursday that the blaze was the largest in France since 1949. The country has already recorded around 9,000 wildfires this summer, mostly near the Mediterranean coast. The Aude department has seen a sharp increase in areas burned in recent years, worsened by low rainfall and the uprooting of vineyards that once served as natural firebreaks. In Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, the village worst hit by the fire, thick smoke rose Thursday from pine-covered hills above the vineyards, where dry grass continued to smolder. With Europe facing more heatwaves this August, several countries remain on high alert for wildfires. Portugal on Thursday extended emergency measures due to the elevated fire risk. In Spain, fire crews near the southern town of Tarifa secured areas around hotels and tourist spots after bringing a major blaze under control. That fire also destroyed hundreds of hectares. Andalusia's regional interior minister, Antonio Sanz, said on X that 'the return of all evacuated people' had been authorized after the fire was 'stabilized.' Spanish media reported the fire began in a camper van parked at a beach campsite and spread rapidly due to strong winds. Around 1,550 people and 5,500 vehicles were evacuated from camps, homes, and hotels, Sanz added. Spain is currently experiencing a heatwave, with temperatures nearing 40°C in many regions. Officials have reported more than 1,000 excess deaths in July that could be attributed to the extreme heat. Climate experts say global warming is driving longer, more intense, and more frequent heatwaves around the world — creating more favorable conditions for wildfires.
Arab News
10 hours ago
- Arab News
France's huge wildfire will burn for days: authorities
SAINT-LAURENT-DE-LA-CABRERISSE, France: France's biggest wildfire in decades will burn for several more days even though it has been brought under control, authorities said Friday as hundreds of firefighters kept up a battle against the flames. The giant blaze in the southern department of Aude has burned through more than 17,000 hectares of land — an area bigger than Paris, killing one person, injuring 13 and destroying dozens of homes. About 2,000 firefighters are still on duty around the blaze which was declared under control on Thursday night. The fire will not be 'declared extinguished for several days,' said Christian Pouget, the prefect for Aude. 'There is still a lot of work to be done.' Authorities have banned access to the forests that were devastated by the fire until at least Sunday. They said that roads in the zone were too dangerous because of fallen electricity lines and other hazards. Pouget said that about 2,000 people forced to flee the flames had still not been allowed back to their homes. Hundreds of people are sleeping in school gyms and village halls across the region. The fire is the biggest in France's Mediterranean region for at least 50 years, according to government monitors. The southern region suffers more than others from wildfires. At its most intense, the flames were going through around 1,000 hectares of land per hour, according to authorities in the nearby city of Narbonne. Two days of strong and changing winds made the blaze difficult to predict. A 65-year-old woman, who had refused to evacuate, was found dead in her scorched house, while 13 people were injured, 11 of them firefighters. The wildfire is a 'catastrophe on an unprecedented scale,' Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said Wednesday during a visit to the affected region. 'What is happening today is linked to global warming and linked to drought,' Bayrou said. Environment minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher wrote on X Thursday that the fire was the largest in France since 1949. The country has already seen around 9,000 wildfires this summer, mainly close to its Mediterranean coast. The Aude department in particular has recorded an increase in areas burned in recent years, aggravated by low rainfall and the uprooting of vineyards, which used to help slow down the advance of fires. In Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, the village hardest hit by the fire, thick smoke rose Thursday from the pine hills overlooking the vineyards where dry grass was still burning. With Europe facing new August heatwaves, many areas are on alert for wildfires. Portugal on Thursday extended emergency measures because of the heightened risk of fires. Near the Spanish town of Tarifa, fire crews secured areas near hotels and other tourist accommodations after controlling a major blaze that also destroyed hundreds of hectares. Antonio Sanz, interior minister for Andalusia's regional government, said on X that 'the return of all evacuated people' had been authorized after the fire was 'stabilized.' Spanish broadcaster TVE reported that the fire started in a camper van at a beach campsite, and spread quickly in strong winds. About 1,550 people and 5,500 vehicles were evacuated from camps, hotels and homes, Sanz said. Spain is experiencing a heatwave with temperatures nearing 40C in many regions, and officials reported 1,060 excess deaths in July that could be attributed to intense heat. Climate experts say that global warming is driving longer, more intense and more frequent heatwaves around the world, making for more favorable forest fire conditions.
