Hanoi, July 11 (IANS) Two people were killed and 10 others injured in an expressway pile-up in Vietnam’s northern region on Thursday morning, Vietnam News Agency reported.

The accident, involving a pickup truck, a seven seater and a 16-seat minibus, was reported on Hanoi-Hai Phong expressway at around 9 a.m. local time, reported Xinhua news agency.

Two people, including the minibus driver, were confirmed dead on the spot. Ten others sustained severe injuries.

The three vehicles were seriously damaged.

According to the preliminary investigation results, the accident happened when the pickup truck and the minibus collided lightly, abruptly stopping in the middle of the expressway’s highest-speed lane. The sudden halt caused the seven-seater vehicle following behind to directly rear-end the stationary vehicles, Viet Nam News reported.

Traffic accidents killed 5,343 people and injured 9,552 others in Vietnam in the first half of 2024, according to the General Statistics Office.

–IANS

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Seoul, July 11 (IANS) The United States saw the second-hottest June in its 130-year record, with the average temperature reaching 22.1 degrees Celsius, 3.4 degrees above the long-term average, the country’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported.

The month was marked by severe weather incidents, extreme temperatures, and significant precipitation variations across different regions, according to the monthly report from the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), a division of NOAA.

An estimated 24 million people endured their hottest nights ever recorded, particularly across the West, South, and Northeast, Xinhua news agency reported.

Heatwaves plagued these regions alongside the Great Lakes and Puerto Rico, shattering temperature records and posing serious health risks, the report said.

The US states of Arizona and New Mexico bore the brunt of the heat, both experiencing their hottest Junes ever recorded, with 18 additional states ranking among their top 10 warmest Junes on record.

Fueled by the extreme heat, the devastating South Fork fire, which ignited on June 17, ravaged over 70 square kilometres in New Mexico, destroying nearly 1,400 buildings and claiming two lives.

While the nation grappled with exceptional heat, catastrophic flooding struck parts of the Midwest. Days of heavy rains caused rivers and streams to overflow their banks, forcing residents to evacuate as water destroyed roads and bridges.

On June 30, Hurricane Beryl made a record-breaking entrance into the Atlantic Ocean, becoming the earliest Category 4 hurricane storm ever to form in the Atlantic Ocean in June.

Last month, four new billion-dollar weather and climate disasters were confirmed, including two hail events that impacted the US state of Texas in late April and Colorado in late May, one severe weather event that impacted the central, southern and eastern parts of the country in mid-May, and a tornado outbreak that impacted portions of the Central United States in mid-May.

Moreover, for the January-June period, the average contiguous US temperature was 50.9 degrees Fahrenheit (about 10.5 degrees Celsius), ranking second-warmest on record for this period, NCEI added.

There have been 15 confirmed disasters so far this year, resulting in at least 106 fatalities and more than $37 billion in economic losses.

The United States has sustained 391 separate weather and climate disasters since 1980, where overall damage reached or exceeded $1 billion. The total cost of these 391 events exceeds $2.755 trillion, according to the report.

–IANS

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Singapore, July 11 (IANS) Singapore’s law enforcement officers seized more than 600 kg of smokeless tobacco in operations conducted through May and June, according to a statement issued by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) Thursday.

HSA and police officers attended the joint operations, and 27 offenders are assisting with investigations for peddling and possession of smokeless tobacco products, Xinhua news agency reported.

Smokeless tobacco, such as chewing tobacco, snuff and snus, is prohibited in the city-state. It contains carcinogens, or chemicals known to cause cancer. Anyone convicted of the import, distribution, or sale of smokeless tobacco is liable to a fine, imprisonment, or both.

Officers found smokeless tobacco hidden under drain covers and stuffed into rubbish bins and electrical boxes at Chander and Veerasamy roads, the authorities said.

–IANS

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Seoul, July 11 (IANS) South Korean Vice Defence Minister Kim Seon-ho on Thursday vowed to strengthen defence cooperation with Australia, his office said, amid growing arms industry ties between the two countries.

Kim made the remark during a bilateral defence conference in Canberra, which discussed key threats in the Indo-Pacific region and ways to bolster cooperation between the militaries and defence industries of the two countries, Yonhap news agency reported.

South Korean defence companies, including shipbuilders Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, also participated in the conference to feature their products.

“Amid a grave global security environment, (the conference) presented an opportunity to further strengthen relations between South Korea and Australia,” Kim said. “(We) will make further efforts to strengthen bilateral defence and arms industry cooperation.”

The two countries have bolstered defence ties in recent years, with Canberra signing major deals to purchase South Korean weapons systems, including the Redback infantry fighting vehicle and K9 howitzers.

South Korea has sought closer security ties with Australia, with their top diplomats and defence chiefs discussing Seoul’s potential participation in part of the AUKUS security partnership in May.

The United States, Britain and Australia launched a security pact known as AUKUS in 2021 to counter China’s assertiveness.

Seoul has welcomed considerations of its possible inclusion in Pillar 2 of the partnership, which covers cooperation in advanced technologies.

–IANS

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Seoul, July 11 (IANS) The declaration adopted by the leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) at this week’s summit sends a strong message to Russia and North Korea against their growing partnership and illegal military cooperation, an official said on Thursday.

The leaders of NATO member countries “strongly” condemned North Korea’s exports of artillery shells and ballistic missiles to Russia and voiced “great concern” over the two countries’ deepening partnership, Yonhap news agency reported.

“We welcome the adoption of the declaration,” foreign ministry spokesperson Lim Soo-suk said in a press briefing.

“It sends a strong message to Russia and North Korea. We urge the countries to take the international community’s concerns seriously and immediately stop related activities,” Lim said.

The declaration came as the leaders of NATO member countries attended a summit in Washington on Wednesday, just weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un announced an upgrade of their security partnership with a treaty committing to mutual military assistance in case either of them is attacked.

–IANS

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