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Troops On Standby, Kaohsiung Shuts Down As Taiwan Prepares For Super Typhoon Krathon

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Kaohsiung braces for direct hit as residents and authorities prepare for the worst

Taiwan on Tuesday, mobilized nearly 40,000 troops to assist with emergency preparations and rescue operations as Super Typhoon Krathon nears the island’s heavily populated southwestern coast.

The storm, forecast to make landfall on Wednesday, is expected to bring life-threatening storm surges and intense winds, with residents being urged to stay indoors.

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The island’s Central Weather Administration (CWA) has warned that Krathon, labeled a super typhoon by the U.S. Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center, could cause severe flooding along the coast, particularly in low-lying areas around the port city of Kaohsiung.

The city, home to 2.7 million people, has declared a public holiday, urging residents to avoid unnecessary travel and stay home as the storm approaches.

Coast guard officials are also engaged in a race against time to locate 19 sailors who abandoned their ship ahead of the storm.

Taiwan, no stranger to typhoons, typically experiences storms making landfall along its mountainous eastern coast.

However, Krathon’s predicted path across the western plains has heightened concerns about potential damage to more densely populated areas.

The CWA reports that the typhoon will make landfall near Kaohsiung before moving northeast across central Taiwan and exiting into the East China Sea.

Forecaster Li Meng-hsiang from the CWA warned of wind gusts exceeding 150 kph (93 mph) and raised concerns over the storm surge, which could cause tides to breach inland areas.

“If heavy rainfall coincides with the storm surge, it will severely hamper drainage, increasing the risk of widespread flooding,” Li said.

Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai, addressing the public after a disaster response meeting, drew comparisons between Krathon and Typhoon Thelma, which devastated the city in 1977, killing 37 people and leaving the area without power or water.

“This storm’s strength and trajectory are similar to Thelma. We must take all necessary precautions,” Chen urged. “After Thelma, the city was left in a state of devastation. Please avoid going outside unless absolutely necessary.”

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense confirmed that over 38,000 military personnel have been placed on standby, ready to deploy for rescue operations and disaster relief efforts. Local residents, too, have been making preparations.

“It’s going to hit us directly, so we need to be fully prepared,” said Chen Ming-huang, a fisherman securing his boat in Kaohsiung’s harbor. “If the winds are too strong, the ropes might snap, and my boat could be lost.”

With Krathon poised to bring destructive winds, torrential rain, and the possibility of landslides, authorities across southern Taiwan are warning residents to remain vigilant and stock up on essentials.

As the storm draws closer, flights have been canceled, public transportation has been suspended, and schools and businesses across the region have closed in preparation for the typhoon’s landfall.

Krathon is expected to be one of the most powerful storms to strike Taiwan in recent years, with authorities warning that the combination of high winds, storm surge, and flooding could result in significant damage.

Taiwan is bracing for the worst, as Kaohsiung and the surrounding areas make final preparations ahead of the storm’s expected landfall.

 

International News

US Takes Drastic Action Against UK-Based Palestine Action, Declares Group ‘Terrorist’

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The United States has taken drastic action against the UK-based Palestine Action group, designating it as a “specially designated global terrorist” organisation and imposing sanctions on the group.

The designation was announced on Wednesday by the US, which accused Palestine Action of supporting “an act of terrorism.”

The US also designated two other organisations — Italy-based Autistici/Inventati, also known as A/I Collective, and the pro-Palestinian group Masar Badil — as terrorist organisations.

US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott described the three groups as “violent far-left terrorist groups.”

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington would deploy its financial powers against the organisations.

“Political terrorism has no place in our society, and we will continue to cut the financial lifelines of these groups until they are eliminated,” Bessent said.

Palestine Action was established in 2020 and is currently appealing a ban imposed on it by the British government.

The UK ban has resulted in thousands of arrests, while rights organisations have criticised the move, arguing that it amounts to criminalising dissent.

According to its stated objective, Palestine Action seeks to end what it describes as “global participation in Israel’s genocidal and apartheid regime.”

The group gained increased international attention after Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas fighters in southern Israel.

The latest US designation comes as President Donald Trump’s administration continues its efforts to target organisations it considers part of the far-left movement.

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In April, Amnesty International criticised what it described as attempts by the leaders of the United States, Israel and Russia to impose a new “predatory” world order through crackdowns on dissent.

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International News

US Military Newspaper Chiefs Sacked Over Editorial Freedom Row

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The United States Department of Defense has fired the editor-in-chief, publisher and a reporter of a long-running military newspaper amid a growing dispute over editorial independence.

The newspaper’s editor-in-chief, Erik Slavin, told CBS News that he was dismissed for “insubordination” after speaking to the network about disagreements with the Department of Defense.

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The department had earlier this year said it wanted to steer the publication’s coverage away from what it described as “woke distractions.”

The newspaper’s publisher, Max Lederer, who had served in the position since 2007, was also notified that he was being terminated. His dismissal came just three days after he announced plans to retire from the publication.

Reporter Lara Korte also confirmed that she had been fired for alleged insubordination.

“Today, I was informed that the Department of Defense is firing me for insubordination after I told a CBS reporter that I work for Stars and Stripes — not the Pentagon, not any administration, and not any policy maker,” Korte wrote on X.

The dismissals came only days after the newspaper published a report detailing grim conditions faced by crewmembers aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

The report triggered fresh criticism of President Donald Trump’s handling of the war with Iran. The aircraft carrier had been deployed before the conflict in the Middle East began in February.

Last weekend, the US military announced that a new carrier strike group had arrived in the region, while Trump said the Lincoln would be replaced.

Slavin had also drawn attention last month after publicly opposing what he described as attempts by the Department of Defense to interfere with the newspaper’s editorial decisions.

During an interview on “CBS Sunday Morning,” Slavin was asked whether there were any editorial red lines he would not cross.

“‘Don’t run a perfectly accurate story, run this instead. Here it is, written by the Pentagon.’ That would be a red line,” he said.

Lederer had announced his retirement on Tuesday, with his departure initially scheduled for September 30.

He said his decision followed fundamental differences between his leadership philosophy and the plans the Department of Defense had for the organisation.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has faced criticism from sections of the media over his approach to journalism since taking charge of the department in 2025.

The independence of US military media outlets has increasingly come under scrutiny.

Shortly before Lederer announced his retirement, active-duty US Navy Captain William Urban was installed as military deputy to the publisher, a move interpreted by some, including Democratic lawmakers, as weakening the publication’s editorial independence.

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Ferrari’s First Electric Car Makes History With Record $40m Auction Sale

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Ferrari’s first fully electric car, the Luce, has made automotive history after a bespoke version of the vehicle sold for a record $40 million at a charity auction in California.

The tailor-made Ferrari Luce “Chassis 0” was sold during Monterey Car Week on Saturday, becoming the most expensive new car ever sold at auction, according to collector car auction company RM Sotheby’s.

The winning bid was 36 times the car’s original estimate of $1.1 million.

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Ferrari USA celebrated the landmark sale in an Instagram post, saying, “The bids kept climbing. Then, history was made,” while describing the transaction as a new record for the highest-priced new car ever sold at auction.

The sale comes months after Ferrari unveiled the Luce in May. The electric model features a distinctive bubble-like design that differs significantly from the Italian automaker’s traditional angular styling and has received mixed reactions from some Ferrari enthusiasts.

Ferrari previously described the Luce as “a different sort of Ferrari for a different sort of Ferrari client.”
The Luce is powered by four electric motors, with one motor driving each of its four wheels.

The exclusive “Chassis 0” features a pearl-like semi-gloss finish with a personalised pigment that produces changing reflections ranging from green to violet when struck by light.

Its interior is equally distinctive, featuring Perla Le Mans metallic leather and black design elements against a predominantly white background.

Ferrari said proceeds from the record-breaking auction will go to The Ferrari Foundation to support educational initiatives.

Following the auction, the vehicle will return to Maranello, northern Italy, where it was built, before being delivered to the unnamed winning bidder in the first quarter of 2027.

Meanwhile, deliveries of the regular Ferrari Luce, priced at about €550,000 ($640,000), are expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026.

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