Iran's forces boarded civilian ship, says US
WASHINGTON • The US military has accused Iranian forces of boarding a civilian vessel in international waters in the Gulf.
In a tweet on Wednesday, the US military's Central Command said two ships and a helicopter belonging to the Iranian military overtook and boarded a ship believed to be a Liberian-flagged oil tanker near the Strait of Hormuz but released it later.
In July last year, Iran briefly seized a British-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf after Britain seized the Iranian tanker Grace 1, accused of violating sanctions on Syria.
REUTERS
2019 one of 3 hottest years on record
LONDON • A report in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society showed 2019 as the third-warmest on record since the 1800s, behind only 2015 and 2016.
The annual report also found that each decade since 1980 has been successively warmer than the one before, with the most recent (2010-2019) being around 0.2 deg C warmer than the previous (2000-09). Lake temperatures were above the long-term average and permafrost temperatures continued to rise.
Scientists who took part in the report said a number of extreme events, such as wildfires, heatwaves and droughts, are linked to the rise in global temperature, which is linked to another climate indicator: the ongoing rise in emissions of greenhouse gases, notably carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane.
REUTERS
Mount Sinabung erupts again
JAKARTA • Indonesia's Mount Sinabung erupted again yesterday, with a string of blasts that sent plumes of ash 2km into the sky, triggering a flight warning and fears of lava flows.
The activity marked at least the eighth time that the rumbling volcano on Sumatra island has erupted in less than a week, although there were no injuries or major damage reported.
The authorities issued a warning to planes flying near the volcano which last saw a deadly eruption in 2016.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
6 out of 10 N. Koreans undernourished
SEOUL • About six out of 10 North Koreans, or 15.3 million people, are said to be suffering from undernutrition this year.
The latest report by the US Agriculture Department's Economic Research Service says some 45 per cent of the population will likely remain undernourished in 2030. North Korea was one of three countries in Asia, along with Afghanistan and Yemen, with the highest rates of food insecurity, according to the UN.
THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Trudeau's life - in comic book form
OTTAWA • Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to have his life story turned into a comic book.
TidalWave Productions, the publication which has profiled global politicians for over 11 years, will detail both Mr Trudeau's personal and professional milestones - from growing up in the spotlight as the son of former premier Pierre Trudeau, to the death of his brother in an avalanche before he became Canada's 23rd prime minister in 2015.
The 24-page comic book, to be released on Sept 16, takes a look at the global media frenzy surrounding Mr Trudeau's "camera-ready looks" and "easygoing nature".
REUTERS
