Nanmadol: Mudslides and flooding as typhoon batters Japan
Rescue workers in Japan have warned of mudslides and flooding as one of the biggest storms in recent decades batters the country, BBC reported.
Typhoon Nanmadol has killed at least two people and injured 90 others since it made landfall on the southernmost island of Kyushu on Sunday morning.
Nine million people have been told to evacuate, and more than 350,000 homes are without power.
Forecasts predict up to 400mm (16 inches) of rain over the next 24 hours.
State broadcaster NHK said one man was killed when his car was submerged in flooding, and another died after being buried in a landslide. One more person remains missing, and reports say 87 others have been injured.
The super typhoon brought gusts of up to 234km/h (145mph), destroying homes, and disrupting transport and businesses. It's equivalent to a category four or five hurricane.
The capital, Tokyo, experienced heavy rain, with the Tozai underground line suspended because of flooding. Bullet train services, ferries, and hundreds of flights have been cancelled; shops and businesses have shut. Local video footage showed roofs ripped off of buildings and billboards toppled over.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida delayed a visit to New York, where he is due to give speech at the UN General Assembly, until Tuesday, to monitor the storm's impact, according to BBC.
The storm is forecast to turn east and pass over Japan's main island of Honshu before moving out to sea by Wednesday.
Scientists have predicted an active hurricane season this year, influenced by a natural phenomenon known as La Niña.
Warmer sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic and Caribbean as a result of climate change may also impact the frequency and intensity of hurricanes, BBC reported.
Covid-19 pandemic is over in the US - Joe Biden
President Joe Biden has declared the pandemic over in the US, even as the number of Americans who have died from Covid continues to rise, BBC reported.
Mr Biden said that while "we still have a problem", the situation is rapidly improving.
Statistics show that over 400 Americans on average are dying from the virus each day.
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said last week that the end of the pandemic is "in sight".
In an interview with CBS programme 60 Minutes aired on Sunday, Mr Biden said that the US is still doing "a lot of work" to control the virus.
The interview - aired over the weekend - was partly filmed on the floor of the Detroit Auto Show, where the president gestured towards the crowds.
But administration officials told US media on Monday that the comments did not signal a change in policy and there were no plans to lift the ongoing Covid-19 public health emergency.
In August, US officials extended the public health emergency, which has been in place since January 2020, through to 13 October.
To date, more than one million Americans have died with the coronavirus disease, according to BBC.
Data from Johns Hopkins University shows that the seven-day average of deaths currently stands at over 400, with more than 3,000 dead in the past week.
In January 2021, by comparison, more than 23,000 people were reported dead with the virus over a single week-long span. About 65% of the total US population is considered fully vaccinated.
Top Republicans criticised the president's remarks, with former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeting: "Biden now says 'the pandemic is over' as he's kicking tens of thousands of healthy soldiers out of the military with his COVID vaccine mandate."
Public health officials have expressed cautious optimism in recent weeks that the world is edging towards a pandemic recovery, but continue to urge people to be careful.
On Monday, Dr Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, acknowledged the situation had improved.
But in comments made at a Washington DC think tank, he said the daily death rate remained "unacceptably high".
"We are not where we need to be if we're going to be able to 'live with the virus,'" Dr Fauci said.
The US recently authorised new vaccines that match the version of the Omicron variant currently dominant in the country, with federal health officials asking Americans to keep their jabs up-to-date.
Last week, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the world has "never been in a better position to end the pandemic".
"We are not there yet," he said. "But the end is in sight."
Covid-19 also continues to have a significant impact on the US economy, with the National Bureau of Economic Research reporting last week that Covid-related disease had slashed the US workforce by about 500,000 people.
Mr Biden said he believes that the pandemic has had a "profound" impact on the psyche of Americans.
"That has changed everything... people's attitudes about themselves, their families, about the state of the nation, about the state of their communities," he said.
"It's been a very difficult time. Very difficult."
More than 6.5 million people have died since the beginning of the pandemic around the world. The US has had the highest death toll, followed by India and Brazil, BBC reported.
One shot dead in Gothatar
A man was shot dead at Gothatar in Kathmandu on Monday. The deceased has been identified as Mohammad Darji of Muslim Tole, Godaita Municipality-2, Sarlahi. He breathed his last during the course of treatment at the Maharajgunj-based Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, police said. According to Dinesh Raj Mainali, spokesperson at the District Police Range, Kathmandu, the incident occurred near Krishna Mandir in Gothatar. Police said that two unidentified persons, who came on a Pulsar motorbike, opened fire at Darji. Police said that they are searching for the people involved in the incident.
Foundation stone laid for motorable bridge linking Nepal, India
The construction of a motorable concrete bridge over the Mahakali River in Darchula district has begun. Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Dilendra Prasad Badu and Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, India, Pushkar Singh Dhami jointly laid the foundation stone for the project amid a function here today. Following the event, Minister Badu said the bridge linking Nepal and India was a need to increase trade between the two countries as well as with China while expressing the hope that the project would help open the door to development in the country. It also helps to ease people's mobility to travel to India for the people of Baitadi and Bajhang districts, he added. "The bridge was also needed to ease mobility of local people and traders. Now, the project would relieve them of hassles involving their visit to Indian cities, Gaddachauki and Gauriphanta, for various purposes." It would also strengthen religious and social relations between the two countries, he said. The 110 meters long bridge will be built with assistances from the Government of India.
