A damaged bridge after the rains and floods caused by the remnants of Typhoon Doksuri in Zhuozhou, China. Reuters
A damaged bridge after the rains and floods caused by the remnants of Typhoon Doksuri in Zhuozhou, China. Reuters
A damaged bridge after the rains and floods caused by the remnants of Typhoon Doksuri in Zhuozhou, China. Reuters
A damaged bridge after the rains and floods caused by the remnants of Typhoon Doksuri in Zhuozhou, China. Reuters

Death toll rises to 33 in China floods as Asia braces for next typhoon


  • English
  • Arabic

The death toll in Beijing’s worst flooding on record rose to 33 on Wednesday with 18 people still missing, as parts of eastern Asia braces for another typhoon.

The 33 people died in heavy rains that lashed the capital between July 29 and August 2, officials said, in the worst flooding since records began 140 years ago.

Seven people were killed in Sichuan province, state media said on Wednesday, with four others rescued from floodwaters.

Millions of people have been affected by unusually heavy rains across northern China this month.

There were 147 people killed or reported missing nationwide due to natural disasters in July, Beijing stated last week.

Almost 60,000 homes collapsed in the city's mountainous outskirts, Beijing authorities said, and extensive damage could take up to three years to repair.

Tourist sites in the capital were shut and thousands of people evacuated from their homes ahead of Typhoon Doksuri last month, which killed dozens in the Philippines and caused damage estimated at billions of dollars.

In Japan, Toyota and Nissan plants have stopped operations in anticipation of Typhoon Khanun, which South Korea has warned is "extremely powerful".

Areas of East Asia have been hard hit by sweltering heat this summer, followed by a series of typhoons and flooding that have wreaked havoc in the Philippines, Taiwan, China and Korea.

Typhoon Khanun is expected to sweep across South Korea, into Seoul and across North Korea, the national Meteorological Administration said on Wednesday.

It would be the first time this has happened since records began in 1951.

Coffee: black death or elixir of life?

It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?

Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.

The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.

The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.

Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver. 

The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.

But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.

Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.

It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.

So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.

Rory Reynolds

Our legal consultants

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Don't get fined

The UAE FTA requires following to be kept:

  • Records of all supplies and imports of goods and services
  • All tax invoices and tax credit notes
  • Alternative documents related to receiving goods or services
  • All tax invoices and tax credit notes
  • Alternative documents issued
  • Records of goods and services that have been disposed of or used for matters not related to business
HIJRA

Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy

Director: Shahad Ameen

Rating: 3/5

The Voice of Hind Rajab

Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees

Director: Kaouther Ben Hania

Rating: 4/5

Where to buy and try:

Nutritional yeast

DesertCart

Organic Foods & Café

Bulletproof coffee

Wild & The Moon

Amasake

Comptoir 102

DesertCart

Organic Foods & Café

Charcoal drinks and dishes

Various juice bars, including Comptoir 102

Bridgewater Tavern

3 Fils

Jackfruit

Supermarkets across the UAE

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now

Most F1 world titles

7 — Michael Schumacher (1994, ’95, 2000, ’01 ’02, ’03, ’04)

7 — Lewis Hamilton (2008, ’14,’15, ’17, ’18, ’19, ’20)

5 — Juan Manuel Fangio (1951, ’54, ’55, ’56, ’57)

4 — Alain Prost (1985, ’86, ’89, ’93)

4 — Sebastian Vettel (2010, ’11, ’12, ’13)

Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

Japan 30-10 Russia

Tries: Matsushima (3), Labuschange | Golosnitsky

Conversions: Tamura, Matsuda | Kushnarev

Penalties: Tamura (2) | Kushnarev

War and the virus
F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

Updated: August 09, 2023, 8:44 AM`