Reuters: World

Japan to release Fukushima water into ocean starting Aug 24 Japan said on Tuesday it will start releasing more than 1 million metric tonnes of treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant on Aug. 24, putting into motion a plan that has drawn strong criticism from China. The plan, approved two years ago by the Japanese government as crucial to decommissioning the plant operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) <9501.T>, has also faced criticism from local fishing groups, who fear reputational damage and a threat to their livelihood. "I have asked Tepco to swiftly prepare for the water discharge in accordance with the plan approved by the Nuclear Regulation Authority, and expect the water release to start on August 24, weather conditions permitting," Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Tuesday morning. read more

Russia's first lunar mission in 47 years smashes into the moon in failure Russia's first moon mission in 47 years failed when its Luna-25 space craft spun out of control and crashed into the moon after a problem preparing for pre-landing orbit, underscoring the post-Soviet decline of a once mighty space programme. Russia's state space corporation, Roskosmos, said it had lost contact with the craft at 11:57 GMT on Saturday after a problem as the craft was shunted into pre-landing orbit. A soft landing had been planned for Monday. "The apparatus moved into an unpredictable orbit and ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the surface of the Moon," Roskosmos said in a statement. read more

Eris, BA.2.86: Do I need to worry about COVID again? The World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are tracking a new, highly mutated lineage of the virus that causes COVID-19. Six cases in four countries have been detected since late July. Scientists are keeping an eye on the new lineage, named BA.2.86, because it has 36 mutations that distinguish it from the currently-dominant XBB.1.5 variant. So far there is no evidence that BA.2.86 spreads faster or causes more serious illness than previous versions. The CDC said its advice on protecting yourself from COVID remains the same. read more

China launches drills around Taiwan in angry response to VP's US trip China's military began drills around Taiwan on Saturday, saying it was a "serious warning" to separatist forces in an angry and widely expected response to a visit by Vice President William Lai to the United States, drawing condemnation from Taipei. Lai, the front-runner to become Taiwan's president at elections in January, returned from the United States on Friday, where he officially made only stopovers on his way to and from Paraguay, though he gave speeches while in the country. China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, despite the strong objections of the island's government. read more

Western Canada fires spark new evacuations as firefighters race flames in Yellowknife A massive wildfire in Canada's western province of British Columbia prompted more evacuation orders early on Friday, as firefighters race to move all residents from the remote northern city of Yellowknife to safety. A state of emergency was declared early Friday in Kelowna, a city about 300 km (180 miles) east of Vancouver with a population of about 150,000, and some were told to leave. Some of the hills around the city blazed in the predawn light on Friday. "Residents under Evacuation Alert are advised to be ready to leave their home at a moment's notice," the city said in a statement, adding that people should prepare to be away from their home for an extended period of time. read more

US approves sending F-16s to Ukraine from Denmark and Netherlands The United States has approved sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands to defend against Russian invaders as soon as pilot training is completed, a U.S. official said on Thursday. Ukraine has actively sought the U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets to help it counter Russian air superiority. Washington gave Denmark and the Netherlands official assurances that the United States will expedite approval of transfer requests for F-16s to go to Ukraine when the pilots are trained, the official said. read more

North Korea says Travis King wants refuge from mistreatment, racism in US North Korea concluded that Travis King wants refuge there or in another country because of "inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination" in the U.S. and the military, state media said on Wednesday, Pyongyang's first public acknowledgement of King's crossing from South Korea on July 18. A private in the U.S. Army, King dashed into the North while on a civilian tour of the Joint Security Area (JSA) on the heavily fortified border between the two Koreas. U.S. officials have said they believe King crossed the border intentionally, and have declined so far to classify him as a prisoner of war. read more

US Navy joins Army, Marine Corps in having no Senate-confirmed leader, in historic first The U.S. Navy on Monday became the third branch of the military to no longer have a Senate-confirmed leader for the first time in history, as a Republican senator continues to block military nominations. Retiring Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Mike Gilday gave up command on Monday. The Navy, Army and Marine Corps are now all without a confirmed leader. "This is unprecedented. It is unnecessary. And it is unsafe," U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said during a relinquishment ceremony at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville, who represents Alabama, has blocked hundreds of military nominations from moving forward, saying the Pentagon is improperly using government funding to cover travel costs for abortions for service members and their dependents. read more

Trump swoops into Iowa Fair to scramble DeSantis' effort to reboot campaign Republican presidential rivals Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis were holding competing events in the early nominating state of Iowa on Saturday, at a time when the former president overwhelmingly dominates opinion polls and the Florida governor is scrambling to reset his troubled campaign. DeSantis, who has had two staff shake-ups in the past three weeks and is sinking in the polls, had long planned to attend the Iowa State Fair, a political must for aspiring presidential candidates in the state that kicks off the Republican nominating contest in January. Trump's late announcement on Tuesday that he was also going to attend the event on the same day as DeSantis amounted to a political gate-crashing of an appearance the Florida governor hopes will kick-start his stalled campaign. read more

Taiwan vice president leaves on sensitive trip to United States Taiwan Vice President William Lai left on Saturday for a sensitive trip to the United States, which China has condemned and Taiwanese officials fear could prompt more Chinese military activity around the democratically governed island. Lai, the front-runner to become Taiwan's president in elections in January, is officially making only transit stops in the United States on his way to and from Paraguay for the swearing in of its president. Taipei and Washington say such stopovers are routine and no cause for China to take "provocative" actions, but Beijing has reacted with anger at what it sees as a further sign of U.S. support for Taiwan, which it claims as sovereign Chinese territory. read more

Maui wildfire death toll hits 67 as questions raised over warnings The death toll from the Maui wildfires rose to 67 on Friday as search teams combed through the smoldering ruins of Lahaina, and Hawaiian officials sought to determine how the inferno spread so rapidly through the historic resort town with little warning. The fires became the deadliest natural disaster in the state's history, surpassing that of a tsunami that killed 61 people on the Big Island of Hawaii in 1960, a year after Hawaii joined the United States. Officials have warned that search teams with cadaver dogs could still find more dead from the fire that torched 1,000 buildings and left thousands homeless, likely requiring many years and billions of dollars to rebuild. read more

Maui wildfires kill six as 'apocalypse' strikes Hawaiian paradise Wildfires fanned by winds of a distant hurricane killed at least six people and devastated much of the resort city Lahaina on Hawaii's Maui island on Wednesday, forcing thousands to evacuate as some fled into the ocean to escape the smoke and flames. Multiple neighborhoods were burnt to the ground as the western side of the island was nearly cut off with only one highway open as officials told of widespread devastation to Lahaina, its harbor and surrounding areas. Some 271 structures were damaged or destroyed, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported, citing official reports from flyovers conducted by the U.S. Civil Air Patrol and the Maui Fire Department. read more