Connect with us

Trending

Deadly storms rip through US while typhoon expected in Taiwan

Published

on

A soldier of Coast Guard Administration guards on the beach as Typhoon Krathon approaches to Taiwan in Yilan County, eastern coast of Taiwan, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. Chiang Ying-ying/Copyright 2024 The AP. All rights reserved.

At least 133 people have died and hundreds more are still missing after Hurricane Helene tore through the US state of North Carolina in recent days, bogging-down roads, causing blackouts and leaving people stranded.

This is the worst flooding North Carolina has seen in a century, with rainfall estimates in some areas topping more than 61 centimetres.

Officials in the hard-hit tourism hub of Asheville said on Tuesday their water system suffered “catastrophic” damage that could take weeks to fully repair.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper called it “an unprecedented storm requiring an “unprecedented response”.

Government officials, aid groups and volunteers were working to deliver supplies by air, truck and even mule to the town and surrounding mountain communities. At least 40 people died in the county.

Joey Hopkins, North Carolina’s secretary of transportation, asked people on Monday to stay off the roads in the state’s western region due to “severe” damage.

“We do not want you here if you don’t live here and you’re not helping with the storm,” he said at a news conference.

US President Joe Biden wrote on social media platform X Hurricane Helene was not just “catastrophic” — “it was a historic storm for the entire southeast and Appalachia,” he said.

“We’re mobilizing every resource to ensure displaced families can begin to return home and devastated communities can begin to rebuild,” he said.

Due to displacement, mudslides and flooding, shelters were housing more than 1,000 people, according to Federal Emergency Management Agency officials.

Climate change has exacerbated conditions that allow such storms to thrive, rapidly intensifying in warming waters and turning into powerful cyclones, sometimes within hours.

Taiwan braces for Typhoon Krathon

Taiwan closed schools and offices, and evacuated hundreds from vulnerable areas around the island on Tuesday, ahead of a strong typhoon expected to hit its densely populated western coast after lashing northern Philippine islands.

Dozens of flights were cancelled with more than 500 people moved from mountainous regions prone to landslides. The Defence Ministry said nearly 40,000 troops were mobilised to help with rescue efforts.

Typhoon Krathon is expected to hit the major port city of Kaohsiung in the island’’ southwest on Wednesday morning. It is then expected to move across the centre of Taiwan and northeast toward the East China Sea, according to the Central Weather Administration.

It is anticipated to be felt in the capital Taipei, in the north of the island, on Wednesday and Thursday.

The mayor of Kaohsiung, a city of 2.7 million people, asked residents to stay indoors and avoid flooding and landslide-prone areas near rivers, the seaside and the mountains.

Up to 80 centimetres of rain is forecasted in surrounding mountainous areas.

Mayor Chen Chi-mai said Krathon will be “no less powerful” than 1977’s Typhoon Thelma, which devastated the city, leaving 37 dead and 298 injured.

Trending

Gunmen k!ll President General of Ogidi community and one other in Anambra.

Published

on

 

Unidentified gunmen, suspected to be cultists, have k!lled a community leader and one other person in Anambra State.

The President-General of Ogidi community in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, Ikwuka Okoye, popularly known as Anumili (pictured above), was k!lled on Friday, Feb. 6.

The attack was alleged to have been carried out by members of a rival cult group in revenge for the de@th of their leader, who was arrested and k!lled by local security operatives.

During the attack, which took place at the School Field, Ogidi, another man whose identity has yet to be ascertained was also gunned down.

The spokesman for the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the incident in a press statement on Saturday.

Ikenga said the incident is allegedly linked to the recent capture and k!lling of a known notorious cultist within the community.

He said, “The Anambra State Police Command regrets the murd£r of the President-General of the Ogidi community and one other person. The incident, which occurred on the evening of February 6, 2026, at the School Field, Ogidi, is allegedly linked to the recent capture and k!lling of a known notorious cultist within the community.

“Following the report, police operatives swiftly took over the scene of the incident and commenced investigations. The command is currently working with eyewitness accounts and other available intelligence to identify and arrest the perpetrators.

“The Anambra State Police Command assures members of the public that all efforts are being intensified to bring those responsible to justice.

“Residents are urged to remain calm and cooperate with the police as investigations continue.

“Further developments will be communicated in due course.”

Continue Reading

Trending

Police bust syndicate behind nude photo blackmail in Lagos

Published

on

 

Men of the Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU), Lagos, have apprehended three suspects who allegedly run a cyber blackmail and extortion scheme in the state.

According to the spokesperson of the unit, DSP Ovie Ewhubare, the suspects get a hold of their victims explicit photos and then threaten to release them if a ransom is not paid.

He said that the suspects, two males and a female, were apprehended after a petition was filed by a complainant who reported being repeatedly threatened by unknown individuals demanding money.

“The complainant received several phone calls in which the callers threatened to release her nude photographs to the public if she failed to pay them. Acting out of fear and emotional distress, she transferred money to the suspects.

The situation escalated when the suspects demanded an additional N10 million, prompting her to formally petition the police,” he said

The police imagemaker state dthat upon receipt of the complaint, the Commissioner of Police, PSFU, Mr Kayode Ojapinwa, ordered the immediate deployment of operatives to investigate the matter.

“The investigation led to the arrest of the three suspects. Investigations revealed that one of the suspects gained unlawful access to the complainant’s mobile device and fraudulently transferred her nude photographs to his own device. Further findings indicated that he conspired with the other suspects and other accomplices currently at large to demand and receive money from the complainant in several tranches,” he said

According to him, the suspects are currently in police custody and are expected to be arraigned before a court of competent jurisdiction.

The image maker said that investigations were ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the syndicate and to recover all proceeds of the alleged crime.

Continue Reading

Trending

Catholic Priest Collapses And D!es In Front Of Congregation While Walking To Tabernacle To Return Holy Communion

Published

on

A Catholic priest has tragically passed away after suddenly collapsing in front of the congregation during Sunday mass.

The tragic incident took place last Sunday, February 1 in Wiesmath in the district of Wiener Neustadt, Austria.

Shortly after administering Holy Communion, 59-year-old priest Raimund Beisteiner was about to return the host to the tabernacle when he “suddenly” collapsed, according to a statement from the Archdiocese of Vienna.

“Despite immediate professional assistance, he di£d in the church,” the statement said.

The mayor of Wiesmath, Erich Rasner, had also attended the Mass with many other believers and witnessed the dramatic scenes.

The shock in Wiesmath at the loss of the popular priest is great. Beisteiner had shaped the spiritual life of the parish for almost two decades and was highly regarded far beyond the community.

Rasner praised him as an “extremely conscientious, sensitive priest” and also emphasized the personal loss of a friendship that had grown over many years.

A prayer service was organized at short notice for the late priest. It was attended by numerous priests from the deanery as well as Archbishop Josef Grünwidl.

Continue Reading

Trending