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Nov. 6 (UPI) — President Donald Trump’s calls to ramp up nuclear weapons testing last week have put nuclear watchdogs and world leaders on alert while experts say the United States has little to gain.

In a post on Truth Social on Oct. 29, Trump said he is ordering the Department of Defense to immediately begin testing nuclear weapons “on an equal basis.” What this means remains unclear, though Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in an appearance on FOX News these would not be full-scale explosive tests.

“These are not nuclear explosions,” Wright said. “These are what we call non-critical explosions.”

The comment by Wright echoes the stance Brandon Williams, under secretary of energy for Nuclear Security in the Department of Energy, shared during his Senate confirmation hearing in May. Williams said testing nuclear weapons above the criticality threshold would not be advisable.

According to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons and Nuclear Weapons Ban Monitor, the United States possesses more than 5,000 nuclear weapons. It has performed 1,054 explosive nuclear tests, more than any other country.

The type of testing the president is calling for is an important distinction to make, Dylan Spaulding, senior scientist for the Union of Concerned Scientists, told UPI. The delivery systems of nuclear weapons and the components of the weapons are commonly tested.

Subcritical tests are also performed. These are tests that do not yield a sustained nuclear reaction that would cause an explosion.

“He did mention testing on an equal basis,” Spaulding said. “If that’s the case, in fact the United States already does conduct all the kinds of tests of our nuclear delivery systems and even the components of the weapons themselves that other countries do.”

The United States and most of the rest of the world, aside from North Korea, have refrained from full-scale nuclear weapons testing for more than 30 years. In 1993, the United States signed a unilateral moratorium on explosive testing under the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.

Breaking from the treaty is likely to open the door to escalation in the form of other countries, including adversaries like China and Russia, openly testing nuclear explosives, Henry Sokolski, executive director of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center, told UPI.

“What if those countries decided that maybe this is a cue for them to test?” Sokolski said. “Would that provoke any of the larger states that signed [the treaty] but didn’t ratify to test?”

The only country to break from the agreement in this treaty is North Korea, conducting six nuclear tests concluding in 2017.

Sokolski argues that the United States has the least to gain by breaking the moratorium and setting off a precedent for open nuclear weapons testing. The United States’ research in the field is extensive, beyond that of any other country. Other countries, such as Russia, China, India, Pakistan and North Korea stand to benefit the most from more explosive research while the United States would likely gain little more knowledge.”

“I spend a lot of time talking to weapons designers about this. You don’t test for reliability testing generally,” Sokolski said. “That requires 10 to 20 datapoints. That means 10 to 20 tests of each design. That seems kind of wasteful. You don’t design to prove things you’ve already proven.”

“If you’re doing a design that is totally radical, that’s something different, but we’re not,” he continued. “We’re fiddling with yield-to-weight ratios. There are countries like Israel who have tested once, in 1979, one test. Are you telling me their stockpile is unreliable and doesn’t work? If you want to make weapons you can do it very cheaply and quickly without testing.”

Spaulding agrees that full-scale testing is not necessary, adding that scientists continue to analyze data from the repository of the United States’ nuclear weapons testing history.

“We are still learning from those underground tests,” he said. “Other countries don’t have that advantage right now but we would be essentially giving them permission to catch up by returning to testing.

The argument for more live-testing of nuclear weapons capabilities is that it can insure and assure that the stockpile of weapons is reliable.

The United States has the Stockpile Stewardship Program that already tests the reliability and safety of its nuclear weapons. Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, told UPI the scientific community is “very confident” in the program.

While the United States is one of only nine countries that have not ratified the treaty, it is legally bound as a signatory to not violate the object or purpose of the agreement, Kimball said. He is doubtful that this will deter Trump.

Of the 1,054 explosive nuclear tests performed by the United States, 928 have been conducted at the Nevada Nuclear Site in south-central Nevada about 65 miles outside of Las Vegas. The site is the only candidate for hosting further nuclear testing, according to experts.

The last explosive test was conducted in 1992 before the United States began observing the international moratorium.

Past tests at the site yielded observable health and environmental impacts on residents of the region and beyond.

“Anyone born in ’63 or earlier, they were exposed to some level of strontium 90, which was showing up in the baby teeth of American children in the 50s and 60s,” Kimball said. “It accumulates in the teeth because you drink milk and it gets concentrated in the teeth.”

The United States joined the Soviet Union and United Kingdom in the Limited Test Ban Treaty in 1963, in part because of the baby teeth study. The treaty banned nuclear weapons testing in the atmosphere, outer space and underwater.

Subjects of the baby teeth study were children in the St. Louis area, more than 1,600 miles from the Nevada nuclear test site.

With the atmospheric testing ban in place, explosive testing was moved underground in deep boreholes. This was meant to limit nuclear fallout, lessening environmental and health implications.

The vertical testing shafts are reinforced to limit geological impacts but the powerful explosions still generate fractures in the earth and the leakage of radionuclides, a hazardous radioactive material.

People who lived downwind of the Nevada test site, known as downwinders, have experienced higher than average rates of cancer.

“These downwinders, in their second generation, they’re still suffering from some of these adverse health effects,” Kimball said. “They are particularly angry. Trump’s announcement is a slap in the face to them as they see it. They want to see all forms of testing, above and below ground, concluded.”

Restarting full-scale testing would be no small task, Sokolski said. What he refers to as a “quick and dirty” test, one that provides an explosion but little in the way of research, would take months and millions of dollars to prepare.

“To get data, depending on how much data, we could be talking about one to two years and much, much more money, maybe approaching a higher order of magnitude, a billion [dollars],” Sokolski said. “Those stumbling blocks are the ones of interest.”

Explosives Officer Lana Washington is set to face some daunting times in Trigger Point’s third series as Vicky McClure teases another high-stakes season for the ITV hit series.

Vicky McClure promises more adrenaline, danger and depth in the explosive third series of Trigger Point – but her alter ego Lana is set for a gruelling addiction and PTSD battle.

“It’s more exciting,” she says, “We made it bigger. We’ve got new cast members. People that weren’t on series two were really excited to be on the show.”

This year, the hit ITV show doesn’t just go bigger – it gets bolder. “We’re moving with the times,” Vicky McClure adds, “We’re making sure that it feels epic.”

Once again, the Line Of Duty star returns as bomb disposal expert Lana Washington – while also taking the reins as an executive producer.

Series three opens with a nerve-wrecking emergency: Lana is called to a wasteland where a man is trapped inside a taxi. A sign nearby orders him to “confess” to a mysterious crime – or die trying to escape.

What first appears as a one-off hostage crisis quickly spirals. As panic builds up, Lana realises she’s hunting a serial perpetrator. New actors have joined the line-up. Lost Kingdom star Mark Rowley plays Rich Manning, and Primeval actor Jason Flemyng is villain Steven Wyles.

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“I always play a lot of baddies and I look like a baddie but the truth is he’s another little man that is fighting the system and that has been hard done by,” Jason says.

“He’s had enough of the capitalist system putting profit before people. He takes retribution.” The villain quickly develops a complicated bond with Lana.

“She’s not battling him, it’s just that he’s breaking the law and doing something which puts other people in danger. That’s the essence of that relationship,” Jason says.

Their bond culminates in a brutal face-off – one Jason vividly remembers. “We shot in this town hall in Wembley and we parked underneath it,” he says.

“I went to see Oasis recently and went to the town hall because that’s where Vicky and I had a fight. I parked right outside because I knew the town hall.”

This season also digs deeper into Lana’s personal trauma. After surviving a kidnapping by a terrorist group in season two, she’s still grappling with the aftermath.

“When we first started talking about series three, we wanted to touch on PTSD for sure and how that was for Lana,” Vicky says. “It’s so unique to everybody. We all know Lana’s lost a lot of people close to her throughout the series. There’s no way that’s not going to have an effect on her.”

The emotional toll takes unexpected forms. “We’ll see Lana going through an addiction while she’s working and how she handles that, who picks up on it,” Vicky teases, “She’s incredible but she’s also human. She makes a lot of mistakes. That’s the downfall of being a heroic character.”

Vicky also gets an upgrade – literally. “We’ve had three different bomb suits now,” Vicky says, “This was the lighter version and it was still bloody heavy . It was much easier to walk in.”

Despite the physical and emotional intensity, Vicky thrives on bringing Lana’s vulnerability to the surface. “It’s been nice because Lana’s having to lean more on other people,” she says.

“There’s a much closer knit between the EXPOs (Explosive Officers),” she adds, crediting former British Army bomb disposal expert Joel Snarr for his insight. “There’s a lot of life in it. It feels real. We’re trying to get into the mentality of an expo and speaking to people like Joel, you get that.”

Even the smallest details matter to Vicky. “One thing that drives me nuts is watching people drink tea on telly without tea or (carrying) bags without anything in them,” she says, “I’ve got this bag on my back every day, so I fill it with anything that Lana needs. I feel like I’ve got the weight of Lana on me.”

She even recalls a particularly funny moment on set. “They’d made a foam breezeblock for me. I know I’m 42 and cracking on but I can still pick up a breezeblock,” she says.

“Cut to take five and I was like, ‘what the hell did I choose the real one for?’ But the foam one looked terrible. After Trigger Point, I feel fit as a fiddle, which is rare for me because I’m not a massive fan of the gym. I went there once this year.”

Production for series three rolled straight into filming for series four, after ITV swiftly renewed the drama. The cast and crew spent a total of nine months shooting in London. “We just strap in and get the job done,” says Vicky.”

Trigger Point airs on Sunday 26th October on ITV.

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Heavy rains continue to disrupt rescue operations in the Himalayan nation as authorities struggle to respond to the crisis.

Landslides and flash floods, triggered by heavy rains, have killed at least 47 people, blocked roads and washed away bridges in Nepal.

Thirty-five people were killed in separate landslides in the Ilam district in the east bordering India, Kalidas Dhauboji, a spokesperson for the Armed Police Force, said on Sunday.

Nine people were missing after being washed away by floods since Friday and three others were killed in lightning strikes elsewhere in Nepal, he added, as relentless downpours pummelled eastern and central regions of the Himalayan nation.

“Rescue efforts for the missing persons are going on,” said Shanti Mahat, a National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority spokesperson in Nepal.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has declared Monday and Tuesday as public holidays nationwide, exempting emergency services and disaster response teams, as the government battles the crisis.

Government spokesperson Rameshwar Dangal cited forecasts of heavy rains as justification for the unusual measure.

Meteorological authorities have also placed more than a dozen districts on red alert, with department chief Kamal Ram Joshi warning the residents near waterways to evacuate immediately, The Kathmandu Post newspaper reported.

The alert covers major population centres, including parts of the capital, Kathmandu, with Bagmati, Gandaki, Lumbini and Madhesh provinces expected to bear the brunt of continued downpours through Monday morning.

Transport infrastructure has suffered extensive damage, with landslides cutting all major routes into Kathmandu.

The Araniko Highway connecting Kathmandu to China’s border is blocked after road collapses at multiple points, while the BP Highway linking the eastern regions is buried under debris.

Aviation authorities suspended domestic flights on Saturday due to poor visibility, though international operations continued with some disruptions.

“Domestic flights are largely disrupted, but international flights are operating normally,” said Rinji Sherpa, a spokesperson for Kathmandu airport.

The crisis has been compounded by its timing, striking as hundreds of thousands of people return from their homes following the Dashain celebrations, Nepal’s most important religious festival. Thursday was the main day of the two-week festival when people travel to their native villages to visit their families.

Of particular concern is the Koshi River in southeastern Nepal, where water levels have surged to more than twice their normal volume.

Local official Dharmendra Kumar Mishra confirmed that all 56 sluice gates at the Koshi Barrage have been opened – compared with the usual 10 to 12 – while authorities consider restricting heavy vehicles from crossing its bridge.

The river regularly causes devastating flooding in India’s Bihar state during the monsoons.

In the eastern Indian hill region of Darjeeling in West Bengal state, at least seven people were killed due to landslides following heavy rainfall, according to local media reports.

“Seven dead bodies have already been recovered from the debris. We have information about two more people. Work is being done to recover their bodies too,” Abhishek Roy, a Darjeeling district police official said on Sunday, the Reuters news agency reported.

Hundreds of people die every year in landslides and flash floods that are common in mostly mountainous Nepal during the monsoon season, which normally starts in mid-June and continues through mid-September.

THIS is the dramatic moment Ukrainian drones destroy two Russian bridges used by troops as a key supply route.

The crossings in the Belgorood region were obliterated when two “cheap” drones struck a stash of Vlad’s mines hidden beneath them.

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Video shows the device locking in its target before descending on the bridge.

As a whole stretch of the deck explodes, flames and clouds of thick smoke balloon into the air.

Surrounding trees and forest land are blown up in its path.

Ukraine’s 58th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade, which conducted the operation told CNN they had taken a closer look at the bridge after “it became clear that something was going on there”.

When they sent a drone to the area, they discovered a huge pile of anti-tank mines and other ammunition.

The bridges were mined as they were of key strategic importance to Putin.

Lining them with explosives gave him the option of suddenly blowing them up in case of a Ukrainian advance.

This isn’t the first time Ukraine has demolished Russian crossings.

Just a couple months ago, Ukraine blitzed Russia’s iconic Kerch bridge with more than a tonne of underwater mines.

The pre-dawn blast sent a plume of water erupting into the sky.

Ukraine‘s SBU intelligence service said the blast left the bridge in an “emergency state” after devastating its foundations.

It was at least the third attempt to destroy the key road and rail link from Russia to occupied Crimea.

The same SBU special forces unit behind Sunday’s historic drone strikes in Russia claimed responsibility for the pre-dawn attack.

They claimed their agents spent months mining the substructure of the 12 mile road and rail link.

This came as Ukrainian special forces blew Vladimir Putin’s bridges to pieces last year using US-made missiles.

Incredible footage showed a series of attacks with Himars rockets in Russia‘s border region as Kyiv marches on with its brave advance into Kursk.

According to Kyiv, important Russian equipment was destroyed along with Vlad’s bridges.

Video also showed Ukrainian Defence Forces demolishing Russian field munitions, fuel depots, a radio-electronic warfare complex, and a 152-mm D-20 gun, a Ukrainian military officer told the Kyiv Post.

DOC Martin is the latest TV classic hit by trigger warnings — with viewers warned the medical show ­contains “medical procedures”.

The ITV comedy-drama, starring Martin Clunes, features the notice on its ITVX streaming service.

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In one scene, Clunes’ Dr Martin Ellingham is asked to remove a mole from a patient’s face.

The removal is shown from behind, with no blood seen.

But bosses warned the show “contains a mild medical procedure”.

Another episode tells viewers they could see “one scene of moderate peril” after a man gets injured.

And a series three instalment warns of “scenes of injury which some viewers may find upsetting”.

In series six, people are alerted to “bloody scenes of a medical nature”.

Tory MP Sir Alec Shelbrooke said: “The clue’s in the name — it’s a show about a doctor.

“It’s another example of trigger warnings stepping over the line.”

We have told how TV favourites Rising Damp, Father Ted, Midsomer Murders and Michael Palin’s Around The World in 80 Days were also hit with warnings.

ITV was approached for comment.

Torrential rain struck Chisoti, a town in Kishtwar district in Indian-administered Kashmir, on Thursday morning.

At least 37 people have been killed after a sudden cloudburst unleashed torrential rain in Indian-administered Kashmir, a disaster management official said, marking the second major disaster in the Himalayas in just over a week.

The deluge struck Chisoti, a town in Kishtwar district, on Thursday morning. The site serves as a key stop along the pilgrimage route to the Machail Mata temple, a revered Himalayan shrine dedicated to Goddess Durga.

Television footage showed terrified pilgrims crying as water surged through the settlement.

Omar Abdullah, chief minister of the federal territory of Jammu and Kashmir, described the situation as “grim” and said confirmed details were slow to emerge from the remote location.

Mohammed Irshad said rescue teams scouring the devastated Himalayan village of Chositi brought at least 100 people to safety.

“Dead bodies of 37 people have been recovered,” said Irshad, a top disaster management official, adding there was no count of any missing people available.

According to Ramesh Kumar, divisional commissioner of Kishtwar, the cloudburst hit at about 11:30am local time. He told ANI news agency that police and disaster response teams were on the ground, while army and air force units had also been mobilised. “Search and rescue operations are under way,” Kumar said.

An official, who asked not to be named as they were not authorised to speak to the media, said the flood swept away a community kitchen and a security post set up to serve pilgrims. “A large number of pilgrims had gathered for lunch and they were washed away,” the official told the news agency Reuters.

The India Meteorological Department defines a cloudburst as a sudden, extreme downpour exceeding 100mm of rain in an hour, often triggering flash floods and landslides in mountainous regions during the monsoon.

Last week, a similar disaster in Uttarakhand, another Himalayan state, buried an entire village under mud and debris after heavy rains.

The Srinagar weather office has warned of further intense rainfall in several parts of Kashmir, including Kishtwar, and urged residents to avoid unstable structures, power lines and old trees due to the risk of fresh landslides and flash floods.

WASHINGTON — A last-ditch effort by California Democrats to redraw the state’s congressional map for the 2026 election, countering a similar push by Texas Republicans, is now up against the clock.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday that Democrats are moving forward with a plan to put a rare mid-decade redistricting plan before voters on Nov. 4. But state lawmakers will craft a “trigger,” he said, meaning California voters would only vote on the measure if Texas moved forward with its own plans to redraw Congressional boundaries to add five more Republican seats.

“It’s cause and effect, triggered on the basis of what occurs or doesn’t occur in Texas,” Newsom said. “I hope they do the right thing, and if they do, then there’ll be no cause for us to have to move forward.”

Democratic lawmakers in Texas on Monday left the state to deprive Republicans of the quorum needed to pass the new maps. Republican lawmakers voted 85 to 6 to send state troopers to arrest them and bring them back to the Capitol, a move that is largely symbolic, since the lawmakers won’t face criminal or civil charges.

The outcome of the dueling efforts between Texas and California could determine which party controls the House of Representatives after the 2026 midterm elections, which Democrats see as the last bulwark to President Trump’s actions in his second term. Trump has pushed Republicans to add more GOP seats in Texas, hoping to stave off a midterm defeat.

Democrats hold 43 of California’s 52 congressional seats. Early discussions among California politicians and strategists suggest that redrawn lines could shore up some vulnerable incumbent Democrats by making their purple districts more blue, while forcing five or six of the state’s nine Republican members into tougher reelection fights.

But nothing official can be done until state lawmakers return from recess to Sacramento on Aug. 18.

Democrats, who hold a supermajority in the Legislature, would have less than a month to draw a new map, hold hearings and negotiate the language of a bill calling for the special November election, leaving just enough time for voter guides to be mailed and ballots to be printed.

Democratic lawmakers and operatives said Monday that the timeline is doable, but they would have to act quickly.

California’s Democratic congressional delegation expressed consensus during a video meeting Monday with moving forward with a ballot measure that would allow mid-decade redistricting only if another state moves forward with it, according to a person familiar with the virtual meeting, and that the change would be temporary. They expressed their support for the independent commission.

California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas said the Democratic caucus met Sunday night “to discuss the urgent threat of a continued, blatant Trumpian power grab — a coordinated effort to undermine our democracy and silence Californians.”

Democrats in the California Senate and Assembly held separate meetings to discuss redistricting. David Binder, a pollster who works with Newsom, presented internal polling that showed tepid early support among voters for temporarily changing state laws to allow the Legislature to draw new maps for elections in 2026, 2028 and 2030.

“Our voters must be empowered to push back,” Rivas said. “California has never backed down — and we won’t start now.”

Texas Democrats resist

Democratic lawmakers’ exodus from Austin on Monday denied Republicans the quorum necessary to proceed with a vote on a redrawn state map that could net Republicans five congressional seats.

Democratic lawmakers balked at threats from Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. The Texas House Democratic Caucus put out a statement riffing on a slogan made famous during the Texas Revolution: “Come and take it.” One member of the caucus noted that being absent was not a crime and that Texas warrants can’t be served in Illinois or New York, where many lawmakers have gone.

“There is no felony in the Texas penal code for what he says,” said Rep. Jolanda Jones, a Democrat. “He’s trying to get soundbites, and he has no legal mechanism.”

The Texas House Republican speaker, Dustin Burrows, said that Democrats leaving does not “stop this House from doing its work. It only delays it.”

But Abbott’s legal options to get his redistricting bill passed, by expelling Democrats or compelling their return, appear narrow, likely forcing the governor’s office to make challenges in courtrooms based in Democratic districts. Abbott has until the end of the year to secure new maps for them to be used in the state’s March 3 primaries.

At a news conference last week in Sacramento, Newsom compared Trump’s pressure on Abbott to add five Republican congressional seats as akin to his efforts to “find” 12,000 votes to win Georgia after the 2020 election.

“We’re not here to eliminate the commission,” he said. “We’re here to provide a pathway in ’26, ’28 and in 2030 for congressional maps on the basis of a response to the rigging of the system by the president of the United States. It won’t just happen in Texas. I imagine he’s making similar calls all across this country. It’s a big deal. I don’t think it gets much bigger.”

Escalation on a deadline

For decades, redrawing California’s electoral maps amounted to political warfare. In 1971, then-Gov. Ronald Reagan vetoed a redistricting plan that he called “a mockery of good government.” The California Supreme Court ultimately drew the lines, and did so again in 1991, when then-Gov. Pete Wilson rejected maps drawn by Democrats.

California’s state lawmakers last drew their own district lines in 2001, after members of both parties signed off on a plan drawn up to protect incumbents.

In 2008, California voters stripped state lawmakers of the power to draw their own districts by passing Proposition 11, which created an independent redistricting commission. Two years later, voters handed the power to redraw congressional district maps to the same panel by passing Proposition 20. That group drew the lines before the 2012 elections, and again after the 2020 census.

California set the date for its last statewide special election — the 2021 attempted recall of Newsom — 75 days in advance. County election officials would need at least that much time to find voting locations and prepare ballots for overseas and military voters, which must be mailed 45 days before election day, one elections official said.

“We need at least a similar timeline and calendar to what took place in 2021 for the gubernatorial recall election,” said Dean Logan, the top elections official in Los Angeles County.

Similarly, he said, counties will “need the funding provided upfront by the state to conduct this election, and the funding to do the redistricting associated with it, because counties are not prepared financially.”

The 2021 recall election cost California taxpayers about $200 million. The preliminary estimate for Los Angeles County to administer the redistricting election is about $60 million.

National fight over state lines

Republican strategist Jon Fleischman, former executive director of the California Republican Party, said Republicans nationally need to take state Democrats’ efforts to redraw the maps seriously — by pulling out their checkbooks.

“Our statewide Republican fundraising has atrophied because it has been over a generation since we had a viable statewide candidate in California,” he said. “The kind of money that it would take to battle this — it would have to be national funding effort.”

While Texas prompted California Democrats to take action, Fleischman said, the issue has enough momentum here that it ultimately doesn’t matter what Texas does.

“If Gavin Newsom places this on the ballot, it means he’s already done his polling and has figured out that it will pass because he cares more running for president that redistricting in California,” Fleischman said. “And he knows he can’t afford to make this play and lose.”

Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican who championed the ballot measure that created the independent redistricting commission, has not weighed in on the mid-decade redistricting efforts in Texas and California. But a spokesperson for the former governor made clear that he vehemently opposes both.

Since leaving office, Schwarzenegger has fought for independent map-drawing across the nation. Redistricting is among the political reforms that are the focus of the Schwarzenegger Institute at USC.

“His take on all of this is everyone learned in preschool or kindergarten that two wrongs don’t make a right. He thinks gerrymandering is evil,” said Daniel Ketchell, a spokesperson for Schwarzenegger. “It takes power from the people and gives it to politicians. He thinks it’s evil, no matter where they do it.”

Wilner reported from Washington, Nelson and Mehta from Los Angeles and Luna from Sacramento.

Above average rainfall recorded in last five days in Sancheong county, where most deaths took place.

The nationwide death toll from heavy rainfall in South Korea has risen to 14, authorities said, as fears grow of more deaths, with 12 more people missing since the disaster began.

Two people died and four went missing in the resort town of Gapyeong on Sunday after a landslide engulfed houses and flooding swept away vehicles, the AFP news agency reported, citing government officials.

A woman in her 70s was killed when her house collapsed in the landslide, while the body of a man in his 40s was found near a bridge after he drowned, South Korea’s official news agency Yonhap reported.

Close to 170mm (6.7 inches) of rainfall was recorded in the area in Gyeonggi province, about 70km (40 miles) east of Seoul, early on Sunday.

But most of the deaths occurred in the southern county of Sancheong, which has seen nearly 800mm (31.5 inches) of rain since Wednesday.

Two bodies were found there early on Sunday during search and rescue operations, raising the number of deaths in the rural county of 33,000 to eight, with six still missing.

The adjacent county of Hapcheon received 699mm (27.5 inches) of rain, while the nearby county of Hadong got 621.5mm (24.5 inches).

Two of the 12 people reported missing were from the southwestern city of Gwangju, Yonhap said.

Yonhap also quoted authorities as saying they have registered 1,920 cases of flooded roads, soil loss and destroyed public facilities, and 2,234 other cases of damage to private property, such as buildings and farmland.

A total of 12,921 people have taken shelter across 14 major cities and provinces, Yonhap said.

South Korea typically experiences monsoon rains in July and is usually well-prepared. But this week, the country’s southern regions were hit by especially intense downpours, with some of the heaviest hourly rainfall on record, official weather data showed.

Scientists say climate change has made extreme weather events more frequent and intense around the world. In 2022, South Korea endured record-breaking rains and flooding, which killed at least 11 people.

Last week, a new register was introduced in Spain that requires all properties used for tourism and short-term holiday rentals to have a mandatory registration code to operate legally

More European countries will crack down on holiday rentals such as Airbnb, property experts have predicted.

Italy could be the next country to target Airbnb after Spain triggered a “domino effect” by introducing stringent new laws aimed at regulating and controlling the market.

Last week, a new register was introduced in Spain that requires all properties used for tourism and short-term holiday rentals to have a mandatory registration code to operate legally. According to some reports, 66,000 properties have been taken off the market.

The Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2030 says many of the properties in question have been deemed illegal because their listings do not show a licence or registration number.

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According to 2024 data from the Spanish statistics office, there were 351,389 short-term rentals advertised in Spain on the Airbnb, Booking.com, and Vrbo platforms. That number has been cut by just under 20 per cent due to the new laws, The Times reports.

The move has been welcomed by protesters who have long argued that the proliferation of holiday lets has pushed up house prices for locals by steadily increasing demand.

From the holidaymakers’ perspective, one potential downside of the decreased supply is that it may lead to increased prices.

If the new system is judged to be a success, other countries may follow suit. A likely candidate is Italy, given that the country is currently engaged in a court battle to ban key boxes on streets in a clampdown on short-term lets.

Kundan Bhaduri, who works at The Kushman Group—a property company that specialises in HMOs—predicted that the Italian government is “clearly next” to crack down on holiday lets.

“Spain’s move to demand a national registry for short-term lets is just the opening salvo. Italy is clearly next. France, Portugal and even the balmy Balearics have all flirted with similar measures,” he said.

Kundan, who is himself an Airbnb landlord, complained that he and his property-letting colleagues often find themselves “painted as moustache-twirling villains standing between honest citizens and affordable housing.”

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Harry Goodliffe, director at HTG Mortgages, said Spain’s ruling could lead to a “domino effect” across the EU.

He continued: “Spain’s crackdown could trigger a domino effect across Europe, and Italy looks next in line. The combination of overtourism and local housing pressures is pushing governments to act, and short-term lets are the obvious target. If Italy tightens the rules, expect thousands of listings to vanish.”

Tony Redondo, founder at Cosmos Currency Exchange, predicted that France is even more likely than Italy to be the next to crack down on Airbnb.

“Italy’s Airbnb regulations are far less stringent than Spain’s crackdown, which resulted in the delisting of 66,000 properties. France may emulate Spain’s approach,” he said.

Back in May an Airbnb spokesperson said: “Airbnb will continue to appeal against all decisions linked to this case. No evidence of rule-breaking by hosts has been put forward, and the decision goes against EU and Spanish law, and a previous ruling by the Spanish Supreme Court.

“The root cause of the affordable housing crisis in Spain is a lack of supply to meet demand. The solution is to build more homes – anything else is a distraction. Governments across the world are seeing that regulating Airbnb does not alleviate housing concerns or return homes to the market – it only hurts local families who rely on hosting to afford their homes and rising costs.”

July 3 (UPI) — Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested former middleweight world champion boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on Wednesday in Studio City, Calif., due to alleged cartel ties.

Chavez “has an active arrest warrant in Mexico for his involvement in organized crime and trafficking firearms, ammunition and explosives,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a news release on Thursday.

“It is shocking the previous administration flagged this criminal illegal alien as a public safety threat, but chose not to prioritize his removal and let him leave and come back into our country,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.

“Under President Trump, no one is above the law — including world-famous athletes.”

DHS accuses Chavez of being a “criminal illegal alien” and said the Biden administration determined he was not an immigration enforcement priority despite knowing he had been “flagged as a public safety threat.”

Chavez legally entered the country on a tourist visa in August 2023 and is “believed to be an affiliate of the Sinaloa Cartel,” which is a designated foreign terrorist organization, according to the DHS.

The tourist visa expired in February 2025, and Chavez on April 2, 2024, filed an application to become a lawful permanent resident.

His application is based on being married to a U.S. citizen, who DHS says is connected to the Sinaloa Cartel through the now-dead son of cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.

DHS officials said Chavez made “multiple fraudulent statements” on the application, determined he illegally was in the United States and was removable as of Friday.

Officials with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in December had notified ICE that Chavez “is an egregious public threat.”

Despite the notice, the Biden administration on Jan. 3 allowed Chavez to re-enter and paroled him into the country at the San Ysidro, Calif., port of entry.

While in the United States, Chavez was arrested, charged and convicted of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol and driving without a license in 2012.

A district judge in 2023 issued an arrest warrant for Chavez for alleged organized criminal activities involving firearms, ammunition and explosives, according to DHS.

He also was arrested on Jan. 7, 2024, by Los Angeles Police and charged with illegal possession of an assault weapon and manufacture of a short-barreled rifle.

Chavez lost a cruiserweight boxing match against Jake Paul by unanimous decision on Saturday.

ROMEO and Juliet has been hit with a trigger warning — with audiences informed it featured violent scenes and death.

Shakespeare’s classic 16th-century love story has been “retold” as a modern ballet.

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But London’s Royal Opera House deemed it necessary to warn potential visitors the production includes themes of “violence and death”.

Sir Ian McKellen, who has appeared in Romeo and Juliet productions throughout his career, previously hit out at “ludicrous” warnings.

He said: “I quite like to be surprised by loud noises and outrageous behaviour on stage.”

It comes four years after The Globe in London warned of “upsetting” themes in the play, and provided a number for The Samaritans.

They were even provided a number for the Samaritans for after the show.

Actor Christopher Biggins said: “Do we have to have signs for everything under the sun?

“It’s a joke. What they are trying to do is insulting to the mentality of theatre-goers.”

The Globe has also warned about themes of “violence, sexual references, misogyny and racism” in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as well as “anti-semitism” in The Merchant of Venice.

In February, the University of the West of England slapped over 200 trigger warnings on Shakespeare’s work – including “bad weather” in The Tempest.

The Royal Opera House was asked to comment.

Relentless monsoon rains across the northeastern states leave a trail of deaths and destruction.

At least 30 people have died in India’s northeast after relentless monsoon rains caused floods and landslides over the weekend, Indian officials and media reports say.

Authorities on Sunday said at least eight people were killed in Assam state and nine more in neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh, many of them buried under earth and debris dislodged by the torrential downpour.

Three members of one family were killed in a mudslide in Assam’s Guwahati, officials said, as heavy rains led to flooding in many areas of the city, leading to long power outages and prompting authorities to shut schools and colleges on Saturday.

Authorities disconnected electricity in several areas to reduce the risk of electrocution, Assam’s Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

In Mizoram state, five people lost their lives in a landslide, while six others died in Meghalaya state. Officials in Nagaland and Tripura states also confirmed two deaths.

Meghalaya’s Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma ordered emergency teams to stay vigilant, “especially in landslide-prone and low-lying areas”, he warned in a public statement.

The Indian Army launched a large-scale rescue effort in Manipur state, evacuating hundreds. “People have been shifted to safer places,” the army said. “Food, water and essential medicines were provided.”

The downpour has continued for three straight days, and India’s weather agency has forecast more heavy rains in the region in the coming days as it issued a red alert for several northeastern districts.

Rivers across the region, including the Brahmaputra, which originates in the Himalayas and flows through India into Bangladesh, have breached their banks, submerging vast areas and cutting off access to many communities.

Floods and landslides are common during India’s June-to-September monsoon season, which is vital for agriculture but often deadly. Dozens of people die each year as rainfall overwhelms fragile infrastructure across the world’s most populous country.

Last month, Mumbai was deluged by rain nearly two weeks before its usual beginning, the earliest monsoon arrival in the capital city of the western state of Maharashtra in over two decades, according to meteorological officials.

Scientists say climate change is altering weather patterns across South Asia, but the precise effects on the monsoon system remain unclear.

• Bitcoin Pepe has gone viral as one of the best crypto presales ahead of the next meme coin market explosion.
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The presale, already in stage 10, has gained momentum, raising over $8m as investor interest surges. As meme coin hype builds across the market, early supporters of Bitcoin Pepe could be holding one of the best meme coin presales.

Shiba Inu breaks out of consolidation with 19% weekly rally

Shiba Inu (SHIB) has broken free from its recent sideways pattern, shifting from a quiet consolidation phase into a strong upward rally. After weeks of low volatility and market indecision, SHIB is now flashing signs of renewed momentum.

Source: CoinMarketCap

Currently trading at $0.00001600, the token has seen a 5.77% gain in the past 24 hours and an impressive 22.48% increase over the past week. With $528 million in daily trading volume and a $9.3 billion market cap, this surge reflects growing bullish sentiment and suggests that Shiba Inu may still have room to run in the current cycle.

Dogecoin poised for rally as analyst predicts $0.27 breakout

In his latest analysis, crypto analyst Ali Martinez states that Dogecoin (DOGE) is gearing up for a strong surge. Martinez noted on X that DOGE is reflecting some resilience by finding support in a vital ascending trendline, which had become a trigger for growing the price in the past and an insurance against sharp corrections.

#Dogecoin $DOGE is rebounding strongly from its ascending support trendline, eyeing a potential move toward $0.27. pic.twitter.com/E3BVdOfo2s

— Ali (@ali_charts) May 10, 2025

Martinez is predicting a possible $0.27 increase in DOGE in the short term based on the development of bullish momentum from the current formation. If DOGE maintains this trajectory and market sentiment holds, traders could see a significant upside in the near term.

Bitcoin Pepe ($BPEP) builds momentum ahead of the next market explosion

$BPEP, the native token of the Bitcoin Pepe ecosystem, is quickly becoming one of the best meme coin presales in the current market cycle. Now in its crypto presale phase, the project has already raised over $8m and is on the verge of entering the next Stage.

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The $BPEP token plays a central role in the ecosystem, powering transaction fees and enabling smart contract interactions. With utility baked into its design, $BPEP could soar in value once listed on exchanges.

Early-stage buyers have already seen gains of over 40%, with the price rising from $0.021 in Stage 1 to $0.0326 in stage 10, thanks to a 5% price increase per round. For those seeking the next big crypto winner, $BPEP remains a compelling bet ahead of its Q2 launch.

As the May 31 launch of Bitcoin Pepe draws closer, excitement is hitting new highs. With growing rumors of major centralized exchange (CEX) listings, the buzz surrounding $BPEP is intensifying. With less than a month to go, the window to buy low is closing fast.

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This article is for informational purposes only and does not provide financial advice. Cryptocurrencies are highly volatile, and the market can be unpredictable. Always perform thorough research before making any cryptocurrency-related decisions.