Typhoon batters Taiwan, barrels into mainland China

A truck is overturned in southern Pingtung county, Taiwan on September 14, 2016. The island is bracing for the impact of Super Typhoon Meranti.

Hong Kong (Telephost) - Typhoon Meranti aimed for China's mainland after pounding Taiwan, making landfall near Xiamen in Fujian Province, according to CNN meteorologists.

The powerful storm slammed southern Taiwan early Thursday local time, bringing winds of up to 230 mph (370 kilometers per hour) -- faster than a Formula One race car -- at one point and torrential rains.

Meranti is the strongest typhoon since Super Typhoon Haiyan devastated the Philippines in 2013.

Meranti's strength prompted China to issue its highest warning for high ocean waves as emergency crews and officials prepared for the deluge.

"The typhoon will bring gales and heavy rains when it makes landfall," meteorologist Li Mei said, according to state-run Xinhua news agency.

No longer super but still dangerous

Meranti had been classified as a super typhoon, but the storm -- though still dangerous -- has weakened to typhoon status, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center said late Wednesday.

It's now the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

Continued weakening of the storm is expected, but Meranti should remain at typhoon strength for about the next 12 hours, forecasters said.

The main threats to land include large storm surges and coastal inundation, inland flash flooding, mudslides and damaging winds in excess of 90 mph (150 kilometers per hour).

Closings and cancellations in southern Taiwan

Schools and offices across the south of Taiwan closed, and flights were canceled, according to news reports.

Two people were injured, according to Taiwanese authorities. More than 500,000 households lost power, Taiwanese state-run Central News Agency said.

More than 370 domestic and international flights were canceled, train services were suspended and roads were closed.

As of 7 a.M. Local time Wednesday, around 1,500 people had been evacuated from the affected areas, Li Wei-sen of the Taiwan Central Emergency Operating Center told CNN.

Almost 4,000 military and police personnel were deployed to prepare for potential future evacuations, but he said authorities are not expecting major damage or destruction.

In West Dawu, rainfall totaled 707 millimeters or nearly 28 inches, and flood warnings are in place for 16 rivers, the news agency said.

Strong impact expected in China

But the main brunt of the storm will fall on mainland China. Authorities in six southeastern provinces as well as Shanghai initiated emergency response measures, according to Xinhua.

It took only 24 hours for the storm to go from a minimal typhoon (winds of 80 mph) to a super typhoon with winds in excess of 150 mph, CNN meteorologists said.

China's National Meteorological Center issued a red typhoon warning at 6 a.M. Local time Wednesday, while authorities cautioned that waves eight to 13 meters (26 to 42 feet) high could be expected in the northeastern South China Sea.

"Gales and waves up to 12 meters high have been observed off the eastern coast of Taiwan, as the 14th typhoon this year moves westward and is expected to hit the coast of Fujian, Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces on Wednesday and Thursday," Xinhua reported.

Surges are expected off those three provinces, officials said.

The State Oceanic Administration trigged "a class-II emergency response, the second highest level," ships have been ordered back to harbor and people have been told not to venture outside, according to the news agency.

Meranti underwent rapid intensification Monday and Tuesday, growing from a Category 1 equivalent storm to a Category 5; the typhoon then maintained winds of 190 mph (305 kilometers per hour) or greater for more than 24 hours.

Storm veterans

Despite being a frequent sasaran for powerful Pacific typhoons, Taiwan has a track record of limiting their deadly impact. But storms often turn deadlier as they move to the mainland. The flatter terrain -- prone to storm surges and inland flooding -- and higher population density often result in a great number of deaths or displacement of people.

In July, Super Typhoon Nepartak hit in almost the same location as where Meranti is forecast to travel. Nepartak caused at least three deaths in Taiwan and cut power to more than 500,000 but became much deadlier as it moved to the mainland.

Despite weakening to a tropical storm, Nepartak and its associated heavy rainfall of up to 10 inches killed more than 80 people. Meranti is a much stronger storm than Nepartak was, meteorologists said.

Brazil ex-president Lula and wife face charges in corruption scandal

Lula and his wife Marisa Leticia are accused of failing to declare a luxury penthouse

São Paulo (Telephost) - Federal prosecutors in Brazil have asked a judge to file corruption charges against former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

The prosecutors had been investigating whether Lula and his wife failed to declare ownership of a luxury penthouse in the seaside resort of Guaruja.

He has denied owning the flat and says the case is politically motivated.

The flat was built by a construction company implicated in a corruption scandal at state oil company Petrobras.

A former union leader, Lula served as president from 2003 to 2010.

He announced plans earlier this year to run for office again in 2018 but in July he was indicted on charges of obstructing investigations into Petrobras.

His successor as president, Dilma Rousseff, was dismissed by the Senate last month after an impeachment trial.

A judge is due to rule in the next few days whether to formally charge Lula.

The flat was built by the giant construction company OAS, one of the firms at the centre of the Petrobras affair.

Six other people are also facing charges, including two executives from OAS.

The luxury penthouse in the resort of Guaruja is estimated to be worth up to $550,000 ($415,000).

US lifts decades-long trade sanctions against Myanmar

The announcement came as de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi visits Washington

Naypyidaw (Telephost) - Long-standing trade sanctions against Myanmar are to be lifted, US President Barack Obama has said.

The news came as Myanmar's de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, arrived in Washington on her first official visit.

Myanmar's access to trade benefits for poorer nations had been suspended in 1989 over human rights abuses.

President Obama said the country should now be allowed to benefit from preferential tariffs as it emerges from decades of military rule.

He confirmed the move in a letter to Congress on Wednesday, adding Myanmar - also known as Burma - to the Generalised System of Preferences, a list which exempts certain countries from high import taxes.

Though many companies will now enjoy lower tariffs, there are some sanctions which remain in place.

These include a "blacklist" of at least 100 companies and individuals with links to the former military junta, as well as trade in jade and rubies.

President Obama said the lifting of some sanctions would happen "soon", but did not give further details.

"It is the right thing to do to ensure the people of Burma see rewards from a new way of doing business, and a new government," he said.

He also paid tribute to the efforts made towards peace in the country, and the "enormous potentialdanquot; of the country.

Ms Suu Kyi called on the US Congress to eliminate all remaining sanctions against Myanmar.

"Unity also needs prosperity," she said. "People, when they have to fight over limited resources, forget that standing together is important."

"We think that the time has come to remove all of the sanctions that hurt us economically," she said.

Ahead of Aung San Suu Kyi's visit, Human Rights Watch said the sanctions targeted military officials, and "shouldn't be fully lifted until the democratic transition is irreversible."

Ms Suu Kyi, who as opposition leader was kept under house arrest for 15 years, led her National League for Democracy party to victory in Myanmar's first openly contested election for decades in November 2015.

She is barred from the role of president under the country's constitution - instead holding the title of state counsellor - but is widely seen as the country's leader in all but name.

Kerry defends Syria deal with Russia, says Obama backs plan

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei  Lavrov (R) shake hands at the conclusion of their news conference  following their meeting in Geneva, Switzerland where they discussed the  crisis in Syria

Washington (Telephost) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday sought to diffuse criticism of a U.S.-Russian ceasefire agreement on Syria arguing that without it violence would increase significantly with many more Syrians slaughtered or forced to flee the war-torn country.

The deal struck between Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Geneva on Friday agreed to a seven-day period of reduced violence and increased humanitarian aid deliveries.

If the truce holds, U.S. And Russian militaries would begin to coordinate air strikes against Nusra Front and Islamic State militants in an agreed area.

The plan aims to bring together the warring Syrian sides for talks on a political transition, which would involve Syrian President Bashar al-Assad stepping aside.

"It's a last chance to be able to hold Syria together," Kerry said in an interview with NPR's Morning Edition. "If you fail to get a cessation in place now and we cannot get to the table, then the fighting is going to increase significantly."

He added: "What's the alternative? The alternative is to allow us to go from 450,000 people who have been slaughtered to how many thousands more? That Aleppo gets completely overrun? That the Russians and Assad simply bomb indiscriminately for days to come and we sit there and do nothing?"

The five-year war has killed an estimated 430,000 people since the start of the conflict, with roughly 11 million people made homeless in the world's worst refugee crisis.

Senior U.S. Military and intelligence have criticized the plan saying Russia cannot be trusted. The plan envisions the U.S. Military sharing targeting information for strikes against militants with Russian forces.

Kerry said the agreement had the support of U.S. President Barack Obama, with whom he met on Tuesday.

"Well, the president of the United States is ready and I think the military therefore will be ready," he said.

"Nobody's asking people to abrogate our standards, but it is important for us to keep our part of the bargain," Kerry added.

The agreement marks the biggest test yet by Washington that it can work with Moscow to end a war that President Vladimir Putin transformed a year ago when he sent warplanes to join the fight on Assad's side

Kerry said moderate opposition fighters, backed by the United States and Gulf allies, had been losing ground to Russian-backed government forces.

"The dynamic of Assad hammering them and Russia hammering them is going to drive them into the hands of Nusra and ISIL," said Kerry, "And you'll have a greater degree of radicalization of increased intensity."

Twenty-four hours after the truce took effect, senior State Department officials said there had been a reduction in violence.

U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura declared that U.N. Aid access should be possible soon, including to eastern Aleppo, the rebel-held half of the city that is under blockade.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the most intense fighting since the ceasefire began took place on Tuesday night in the village of Maan in Hama province. Insurgents operating in the Hama area included jihadists and nationalist rebels fighting under the Free Syrian Army banner.

It was not immediately clear whether the insurgents were part of the ceasefire, although the senior U.S. Official said all groups except Nusra and Islamic State had to abide by the cessation of hostilities rules.

Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson, Climate Archvillain, to be Named Secretary of State

ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson delivers remarks on March 27, 2015, in Washington.

If it weren't real, it might read like a dark climate change comedy.

President-elect Donald J Trump is expected to turn to the leader of America's largest oil company, and the main villain in a new wave of climate change activism, to lead the State Department: ExxonMobil Corp. CEO Rex Tillerson. Multiple news organizations reported the pick on Saturday.

Tillerson has worked at Exxon for his entire career, which is important since Exxon is currently under investigation for misleading its investors and the American public about the threat of global warming since the 1970s. The investigations and environmental activism surrounding it are known by the hashtag #ExxonKnew.

Attorneys general in Massachusetts, New York and the U.S. Virgin Islands are leading probes into the company for working to deceive the American public and delay climate action.

The climate investigations are similar to the successful prosecution of the tobacco industry in the 1990s for knowing about the dangers of its products and mounting public relations campaigns to convince the public otherwise.

Environmental groups were quick to criticize Tillerson. After all, the State Department is tasked with leading America's diplomacy on climate change.

?This is unfathomable. We can?T let Trump put the world?S largest oil company in charge of our international climate policy," said Mary Boeve, the executive director of 350.Org.

"ExxonMobil is still a leading funder of climate denial and is pursuing a business plan that will destroy our future. Tillerson deserves a federal investigation, not federal office," she said.

The confirmation hearings would provide an opportunity for climate activists to advance the climate investigation since it would put Tillerson under oath before the Foreign Relations Committee. Some pro-climate action members of that panel, such as Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, would likely ask questions to further the investigation.

"We'll be pressuring Senators to turn the confirmation process into a hearing on ExxonMobil?S history of climate deception," Boeve said.

Ledek CEO Apple, Trump Lebih Suka iPhone dengan Home Button

Donald Trump mencuit

Jakarta - Presiden Amerika Serikat, Donald Trump mencuit di akun Twitter miliknya. Ia mengeluhkan soal pengalaman menggunakan ponsel iPhone yang lebih suka dengan fitur tombol beranda atau home botton ketimbang keluaran terbaru yang sepenuhnya touch screen.

Perubahan Apple yang sudah ajeg dengan karakteristik khas tombol home itu juga dirasakan poly konsumennya, termasuk Trump.

Cuitan itu ditujukan kepada CEO Apple Inc, Tim Cook. Dalam beberapa kesempatan, keduanya pula memang seringkali melakukan pertemuan & makan malam beserta terkait kasus bisnis Apple.

"Kepada Tim: tombol pada iPhone [dengan home button] jauh lebih baik daripada menggesek layar [swipe]!" cuit Trump, Jumat (26/10/2019).

Tetapi, seperti diberitakan Reuters, Apple tidak memberikan respons atas cuitan Trump tadi.

Sejak pertama kali diluncurkan 12 tahun silam, ponsel buatan Apple Inc ini memang telah meniadakan fitur home button dalam 2017 silam melalui iPhone X. Ponsel ini menandai revolusi 10 tahun Apple.

Selain berfungsi buat membuka kunci perangkat atau balik ke layar beranda, tombol home jua mampu melakukan konfirmasi pembayaran di toko digital iTunes melalui pindaian sidik jari penggunanya.

Semenjak meniadakan fitur home button, Apple menggantikannya menggunakan menerapkan teknologi pengenalan paras (face ID) buat membuka kunci perangkat.

Ada Keretakan di Opal Tower Sydney, 3.000 Orang Dievakuasi

Evakuasi di rakyat di sekitar Opal Tower, Sydney, Australia yg terdapat keretakan pada bangunannya. (AFP)

Sydney - Ratusan orang telah diberitahu untuk bergegas meninggalkan blok sebuah apartemen di Sydney untuk kedua kalinya. Langkah itu dilakukan setelah muncul retakan di dinding pada Senin 24 Desember 2018.

Banyak orang di Opal Tower berlantai 38 pulang keluar gedung sehabis alarm pertama kali menyala saat suara keras terdengar & ditemukan celah.

BBC yang dikutip pada Kamis (27/12/2018) melaporkan, perusahaan yg membangun Opal Tower, Icon, mengungkapkan bangunan itu masih dalam struktunya & upaya relokasi hanyalah tindakan pencegahan. Langkah tadi dilakukan guna memungkinkan para insinyur dan penyelidik untuk bekerja sepanjang waktu.

Menurut Icon, sejauh ini tidak terdapat rakyat lebih kurang yang berada pada bahaya. Hanya saja upaya sterilisasi pada sebuah tower Sydney itu dilakukan agar perbaikan bisa dilakukan secepat mungkin tanpa gangguan lebih lanjut untuk penduduk.

Pihak berwenang sebelumnya menyampaikan 51 menurut 392 unit di Opal Tower terkena pengaruh. Sementara gedung yg baru terselesaikan dibangun pada Sydney Olympic Park dinyatakan kondusif bagi secara umum dikuasai penduduk buat kembali dihuni.

"Sebanyak tiga.000 orang diungsikan dalam Senin 24 Desember, setelah dinding pendukung internal pada lantai 10 gedung mengalami masalah", berdasarkan polisi.

Icon mengkonfirmasi bahwa panel beton cetakan retak pada Opal Tower Sydney.

Sebuah tim insinyur berdasarkan Icon & pengembang gedung, Ecove sudah menganalisis gedung yg baru selesai athun baru ini.

Pada Rabu 26 Desember, pemerintah New South Wales berkata pihaknya jua sedang memeriksa integritas struktural gedung & menara-menara perumahan di sekitarnya.

Outlet berita lokal telah menerbitkan foto-foto kerusakan bangunan, memperlihatkan plester longgar & dinding runtuh. Tetapi, pengembang bangunan pada Sydney itu, Ecove, menjamin sudah mempertahankan "kualitas tinggidanquot; gedung itu, yang pungkasnya menggunakan baku pada atas industri.

Icon menyampaikan masyarakat mungkin harus tinggal di luar rumah hingga 10 hari. Semua akomodasi akan disediakan sang perusahaan pembangun.

Mengenal Ultima Thule, Objek Terjauh yang 'Tersentuh' Manusia

Ilustrasi waktu New Horizons milik NASA melintasi galat satu objek terjauh di Tata Surya, yaitu Ultima Thule. Foto: Dok NASA

Jakarta - NASA membuka kalender 2019 dengan pencapaian fantastis. Kendaraan antariksa mereka, New Horizons, sukses menyambangi salah satu objek terjauh yang pernah diketahui di Tata Surya.

Adalah Ultima Thule yg dimaksud. Itu adalah salah satu objek Sabuk Kuiper, yaitu sebuah wilayah pada Tata Surya yang berisikan benda-benda angkasa purbakala. Lokasinya terbentang luas menurut orbit Neptunus sampai ke titik yang jauhnya sanggup mencapai 50 AU (astronomical units), atau 50 kali jeda Bumi-Matahari.

New Horizons sukses melewati Ultima Thule dengan jarak relatif dekat, yaitu 3.500 kilometer. Hal ini pun menaruh kabar lebih lanjut terhadap objek Sabuk Kuiper tersebut.

Ultima Thule diperkirakan mempunyai bentuk mirip dengan pin boling. Ia terus berputar dalam porosnya secara horizontal. Untuk ukurannya, objek tadi kurang lebih memiliki panjang 32 kilometer dan lebar 16 kilometer.

Selain itu, ada kemungkinan lain yg membuat Ultima Thule semakin menarik buat diteliti. Ia mampu jadi merupakan dua objek yang terus mengorbit satu sama lain.

Meski yg dianggap di atas masih sekadar prediksi, New Horizons telah mengungkap satu berita soal Ultima Thule. Objek tersebut diketahui berputar misalnya baling-baling, dengan poros mengarah ke New Horizons.

Hal tersebut mengakibatkan kecerahan dari Ultima Thule nir terlalu tampak dari hasil foto yg ditangkap tunggangan antariksa itu sebelumnya. Selain itu, masih banyak yg harus diketahui, misalnya salah satunya periode rotasi dari objek tersebut.

Ultima Thule sendiri ditemukan dalam 26 Juni 2014 kemudian oleh teleskop luar angkasa Hubble milik NASA. Nama resminya merupakan 2014 MU69.

Sedangkan Ultima Thule mempunyai arti 'lebih jauh dari dunia yg sudah diketahui". Nama tadi terpilih melalui pemungutan suara sang publik secara terbuka pada waktu itu.

Seperti disebutkan di atas, Ultima Thule berada di Sabuk Kuiper. Melintasnya New Horizons ke objek tersebut menciptakan misi ini menjadi pelintasan terjauh terhadap objek pada Tata Surya.

2014 MU69 tergolong menjadi "cold classical" di Sabuk Kuiper. Itu ialah, ia memiliki orbit hampir bulat dengan sudut inklinasi rendah. Ultima Thule jua mengitari Matahari, sebagaimana Bumi & objek lainnya pada Tata Surya.