Month: October 2024

The island plunged into darkness on Friday after the collapse of its largest power plant

Hurricane Oscar slammed into Cuba on Sunday, bringing heavy rains and strong winds as the country’s 10 million people were already grappling with a massive power outage. 

The storm struck shortly after the collapse of the island’s largest power plant on Friday, which crippled the national grid and resulted in an almost country-wide blackout, according to reports. Oscar, classified as a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of nearly 80 mph (130km/h), made landfall in the eastern province of Guantanamo, near the city of Baracoa.   

By late Sunday, the hurricane had weakened to a tropical storm with 70 mph winds, the US National Hurricane Center said, adding that the storm could still cause significant flash flooding and mudslides in eastern areas.  

HAVANA – Hurricane Oscar made landfall on Sunday evening in Cuba, where residents were preparing for more chaos and misery as the country grapples with a nearly nationwide power outage in its third day. The arrival of Oscar, after the Friday collapse of Cuba’s largest power plant crippled the whole national grid, piles pressure on a country already battling sky-high inflation and shortages of food, medicine, fuel and water.

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US and Canadian navy ships passed through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, the Taiwanese Defense Ministry said on Monday. 

“One United States and one Canadian naval vessel sailed through the Taiwan Strait from south to north yesterday,” the ministry wrote on X. 

Taiwan’s armed forces maintained full control over the relevant maritime area and airspace during the ships’ passage, and the situation was under control, the ministry added. 

The situation around Taiwan has become significantly more tense since Nancy Pelosi, then-Speaker of US House of Representatives, visited the island in early August 2022. China, which considers the island one of its provinces, condemned Pelosi’s visit, seeing it as US support for Taiwanese separatism, and held large-scale military exercises.

🇨🇳"CHINA'S XI CALLS FOR TROOPS TO PREPARE FOR WAR"
Chinese President Xi Jinping called this week for troops to strengthen their preparedness for war.
Xi made his comments while visiting a brigade of the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force.
Chinese President pic.twitter.com/1fEJaZg877

— JohnTitor17 (@JTitor17) October 20, 2024

Chinese President Xi Jinping has issued a stark warning to the military, urging troops to enhance their readiness for war amid escalating tensions with Taiwan. This directive comes on the heels of extensive military drills conducted by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) around Taiwan, which included the deployment of fighter jets and warships in a show of force. Xi emphasized the need for comprehensive training and solid combat capabilities, stating that soldiers must strengthen their strategic deterrence. Watch the video for details.

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The town of Kfar Kila has been left in ruins by the Israeli incursion into southern Lebanon, according to videos geolocated by CNN.

Kfar Kila, which is across the Lebanese border from the Israeli settlement of Metula, has been targeted by shelling since cross-border fire between the Israeli army and Hezbollah intensified following the outbreak of the war in Gaza last October. Israeli troops are now on the ground in southern Lebanon fighting the Iran-backed militant group.

In a video from October 16, an unnamed Israel Defense Forces soldier stands next to an Israeli flag hoisted in Kfar Kila saying: “What we see here, you can look around, is truly a huge shout-out to all the IDF soldiers.”

Addressing the residents of Metula, the soldier says the IDF is staying in the area until “there is nothing here, only when they do not return here.”

The official Lebanese National News Agency reported another round of Israeli strikes on the town Saturday. Hezbollah, meanwhile, said it had fired artillery shells at a group of Israeli soldiers at Fatima Gate, the border point in Kfar Kila.

The Israeli airstrikes have caused extensive destruction in the southern Lebanese town of Kfarkila. The footage from October 20th shows widespread damage to buildings and infrastructure, highlighting the severe impact of the attacks on the local community. Residents are left… pic.twitter.com/AWhZTceLKA

— Hoopoe Hub (@HoopoeHub1) October 20, 2024

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Chinese state media reported on Saturday that President Xi Jinping on Thursday inspected a brigade of the People’s Liberation Army’s Rocket Force, urging the troops to boost their “deterrence and combat capabilities”.

During the inspection Xi also urged the strategic missile troops to “resolutely fulfil the tasks entrusted by the Party and the people,” state news agency Xinhua said.

The PLA Rocket Force, which oversees the country’s conventional and nuclear missiles

His statement follows large-scale military maneuvers around Taiwan, which Beijing continues to claim as part of China, threatening to take it by force if necessary. Xi’s call highlights growing tensions in the region amid concerns over China’s increasing military assertiveness.

🇨🇳 **Xi Jinping Urges PLA to Prepare for War**

Chinese President Xi Jinping recently directed the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to ramp up its combat readiness and prepare for potential conflict.

His statement follows large-scale military maneuvers around Taiwan, which… https://t.co/17PTtSRkmE pic.twitter.com/knBmg05SLT

— 𝕏 (@AlertChannel) October 20, 2024

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The number of deaths reached 580, the World Health Organization reported, noting new outbreaks of the disease in Niger and Thailand

More than 47,000 cholera cases were registered globally in September 2024, with the number of deaths reaching 580, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported, noting new outbreaks of the disease in Niger and Thailand.

In September, information about 47,234 cholera cases and about 583 deaths was received from 14 countries, territories and areas in three regions of the WHO, the organization said in a newsletter.

The number of contamination cases fell by 15% in this month compared with August, though the mortality rate climbed by 89%. The number of cholera cases reached 17,856 in Afghanistan, 15,047 in Sudan, 5,521 in Pakistan, 3,615 in Nigeria, and 2,706 in Yemen.

More than 47,000 cholera cases were registered globally in September 2024, with the number of deaths reaching 580, the WHO reported, noting new outbreaks of the disease in Niger and Thailand:https://t.co/H0j1L3tftQ pic.twitter.com/Auul6Gj9Er

— TASS (@tassagency_en) October 19, 2024

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Pyongyang has accused Seoul of dropping propaganda leaflets from a drone

North Korea claimed on Saturday to have found fragments of a crashed South Korean military drone, and threatened to retaliate, intensifying a standoff on the peninsula. 

According to Pyongyang’s state-run news agency KCNA, the UAV was likely used to drop leaflets over the capital. Similar drones were spotted scattering leaflets full of “political propaganda and slander”earlier this month, the outlet said. 

“If a violation of the DPRK’s territorial ground, air and waters by ROK’s military means is discovered and confirmed again, it will be regarded as a grave military provocation against the sovereignty of the DPRK and a declaration of war and an immediate retaliatory attack will be launched,” KCNA warned, as quoted by Reuters. 

The involvement of North Korean regular troops to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would be a serious escalation of the war, France and Ukraine’s foreign ministers said at a joint press conference in Kyiv on Saturday.

France’s Jean-Noel Barrot, who was making his first trip to Ukraine since becoming foreign minister in September, is also set to visit the east of the country on Sunday, where France will finance new two new centres for the protection of children impacted by the war.

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Cancer cases have hit a record high, with almost 1,000 people a day diagnosed, according to latest NHS figures.

There were 346,217 diagnoses in England throughout 2022 – 5 per cent higher than the 329,664 recorded in 2021.

The rise was largely due to an increase in detection of prostate cancer, with cases up by more than a quarter to 54,732.

The Cancer Registration Statistics show a 7 per cent increase in overall cancer cases among men in 2022, from 167,917 to 180,877. In women, it was a 2 per cent rise, from 161,747 to 165,340.

Cancer cases in England have reached a new high, nearly 1,000 diagnoses made every day, according to NHS data. In 2022, there were 346,217 cancer diagnoses, 5% increase from 2021. The rise largely stems from a significant increase in prostate cancer caseshttps://t.co/p2rVjeTtQ4

— 🇬🇧 Johannes 🇬🇧 Reform UK (@Johanne31785773) October 19, 2024

Global cancer concerns

At the end of last year I reported that I was seeing melanoma patients who had been stable for years relapse after their first booster (their third injection). The number of my patients affected has been rising ever since. Other oncologists have contacted me from all over the world including from Australia and the U.S.

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South Korean intelligence has found that North Korea has dispatched 12,000 troops, including special operation forces, to support Russia’s war against Ukraine, news reports said Friday, a development that could bring a third country into the war and intensify a standoff between North Korea and the West.

The Yonhap news agency cited the National Intelligence Service as saying that they have already left the country and formed into four brigades. Other South Korean media outlets carried similar reports. 

If confirmed, it would be North Korea’s first major participation in a foreign war. North Korea has 1.2 million troops, one of the largest militaries in the world, but it lacks actual combat experience.

🚨🇰🇵North Korea is sending 12,000 soldiers, including special forces, to fight Ukraine, according to South Korea.

🍿2024 is still full of surprises! pic.twitter.com/QciKl0jU6u

— Aussie Cossack (@aussiecossack) October 18, 2024

Zelenskyy: North Korean troop support for Russia could spark ‘world war

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