By: Nathaniel Tok
ASIA – East Asia recovering from category 10 typhoon
The category 10 storm typhoon Hato hit Macau, Hong Kong, and the Guangdong province. The typhoon interrupted the water system and cut power in Macau in addition to grounding flights in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Residents in coastal Chinese cities were evacuated and boats were ordered to return to port. The winds reached up to 200 kilometres per hour in Macau, the strongest storm to hit the region since 1968. The typhoon was later downgraded into a tropical storm as it moved west into Mainland China.
With files from Reuters.
USA – Amazon takes over ownership of Whole Foods
The US Federal Trade Commission has stated that it is ending investigation into unfair competition due Amazon’s proposed acquisition of Whole Foods Market Inc. and the grocery chain announced that its shareholders have voted in favor of the deal. Whole Foods will give the Internet retail company Amazon a secure place in the grocery market. Other grocery companies such as Walmart are creating more online shopping options to keep pace with Amazon. Amazon has long tried to compete with traditional businesses by using its ability to deliver products to the homes of customers. The merger with Whole Foods comes at a price of $13.7 billion for the e-commerce giant.
With files from Reuters and NBC News.
NEW YORK – Samsung to launch latest smartphone
Smartphone manufacturer Samsung is preparing to release its newest iteration of the Galaxy Note series, the Note 8 “phablet,” this month. The release, which comes five months after Samsung’s S8 smartphone was put on the market, will see new features like dual rear cameras, iris scanning, and a voice-command assistant. The Note 8 is expected to compete for sales with Apple’s latest iPhone model that will also be unveiled in the coming month. The Note 8 is a replacement for the Note 7 whose battery fires cost Samsung billions of dollars last year.
With files from Reuters.
PAKISTAN – Arsenic water poses poisoning risk for millions of Pakistanis
A recent study found that arsenic levels are increasing in Pakistan’s contaminated groundwater supplies. Roughly 60–70% of Pakistan relies on groundwater and up to 88 million people live in high-risk areas. The hotspots for contamination are concentrated around the Indus River Valley in Pakistan and also in areas around the Brahmaputra River and Ganges River in Bangladesh and India respectively. This issue is even more severe in Pakistani cities that rely on government supplies, which are more likely to be tainted. Arsenic poisoning can cause cancer and damage the skin, organs, and heart.
With files from AP News.
