A boy runs through a water fountain at a shopping mall to cool off in Beijing. Getty Images
A boy runs through a water fountain at a shopping mall to cool off in Beijing. Getty Images
A boy runs through a water fountain at a shopping mall to cool off in Beijing. Getty Images
A boy runs through a water fountain at a shopping mall to cool off in Beijing. Getty Images

Beijing experiences record temperatures for third day as people are asked to stay indoors


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Beijing and parts of northern China are experiencing record temperatures, with authorities urging people to limit their time outdoors.

The Nanjiao observatory in southern Beijing on Saturday for the first time recorded temperatures above 40°C (104 degrees Fahrenheit) for a third consecutive day, according to the China Meteorological Administration.

In nearby Hebei province and the port city of Tianjin, temperatures have also soared above 40°C over the past few days, prompting authorities to issue “red” alerts for extreme weather.

In China’s four-tier weather alert system, the red indicates the most severe conditions.

On Thursday, Beijing experienced its second-hottest day on record – with temperatures soaring to 41.1 C (106 F). It was also the highest temperature recorded in China’s capital during June.

Beijing’s all-time high of 41.9 C (107 F), since modern records began, occurred on July 24, 1999.

People shelter from the sun under umbrellas after visiting the Forbidden City during a heatwave in Beijing on June 24 AFP
People shelter from the sun under umbrellas after visiting the Forbidden City during a heatwave in Beijing on June 24 AFP

Chinese meteorologists say the current heatwave has been caused by warm air masses associated with high-pressure ridges in the atmosphere and compounded by thin cloud covers and long daylight hours around the summer solstice.

Other countries in Asia have experienced deadly heatwaves in recent weeks, which scientists say are aggravated by rising global temperatures, caused partly by the burning of fossil fuels.

In China, the heatwave has coincided with a three-day public holiday, the Dragon Boat Festival, devoted to eating rice dumplings and racing boats propelled by teams of paddlers.

Beijing’s weather authorities urged residents to avoid exercising outdoors for long periods and take measures to shield from the sun.

Temperatures in the capital are expected to drop to around 34 C (93 F) on Monday before rising again next week.

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German plea
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the German parliament that. Russia had erected a new wall across Europe. 

"It's not a Berlin Wall -- it is a Wall in central Europe between freedom and bondage and this Wall is growing bigger with every bomb" dropped on Ukraine, Zelenskyy told MPs.

Mr Zelenskyy was applauded by MPs in the Bundestag as he addressed Chancellor Olaf Scholz directly.

"Dear Mr Scholz, tear down this Wall," he said, evoking US President Ronald Reagan's 1987 appeal to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate.

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Know before you go
  • Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
  • If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
  • By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
  • Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
  • Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.

 

Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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A%20MAN%20FROM%20MOTIHARI
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Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.

Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.

Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.

Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.

About%20My%20Father
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Global Fungi Facts

• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil

Updated: June 24, 2023, 12:26 PM`