Day: June 25, 2023

Heavy rains are expected to soak parts of South Korea as the nation braces for the annual monsoon season, the national weather agency said Sunday.

As of 11:00 a.m., a mountainous region of the southern island of Jeju received 80 millimeters of rain, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.

Downpours were expected to start overnight in Jeju and southern coastal areas due to the influence of northbound wind caused by low atmospheric pressure, the weather agency said.

From early Sunday through to the evening, Jeju is likely to receive 40 to 60 millimeters of rain per hour, accompanied by strong wind and lightning, according to the weather agency.

The island is expected to receive up to 100 to 300 mm of rain until Monday and up to 500 mm in its mountainous areas.

Other major areas in the country will also see rain, with the greater capital area expected to receive between 30 mm and 100 mm of rain on Monday.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

North Korea’s vice foreign minister voiced his “strong” support for any decision by the Russian leadership over the recent armed rebellion by the Wagner mercenary group, according to the North’s state media Sunday.

Vice Foreign Minister Im Chon-il made the remarks during his meeting with Russian Ambassador to the North Alexander Matsegora earlier in the day, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Im “expressed firm belief that the recent armed rebellion in Russia would be successfully put down in conformity with the aspiration and will of the Russian people, saying the DPRK will strongly support any option and decision by the Russian leadership,” the KCNA said, using the acronym of the North’s full name.

Im also expressed his confidence that Russia’s army and people will overcome their ordeals and “heroically” emerge victorious in the war with Ukraine, it added.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the chief of Wagner Group, launched an armed revolt against the Russian military leadership Friday, ordering his troops to march on Moscow. But he halted his armed forces’ advance to Moscow a day after a deal, brokered by Belarus, was reached with the Kremlin.

North Korea has been strengthening its ties with Russia despite international condemnation of the war, amid allegations that Pyongyang has provided arms to Moscow for use in the war.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

Heavy rains are expected to soak parts of South Korea late Sunday as the nation braces for the annual monsoon season, the national weather agency said.

While the southern resort island of Jeju and southern coastal areas are receiving 10-20 millimeters of rain per hour, downpours are expected to start overnight in the central Chungcheong Province and some parts of North Gyeongsang Province, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

Heavy rains are expected to be accompanied by strong wind and lightning overnight, according to the weather agency.

Jeju Island, which has already received 50-200 mm of rain, is forecast to see torrential rains Monday. The island is forecast to receive 40-60 mm of rain per hour Sunday night.

Other major areas in the country will also receive downpours, with 20-40 mm of rain per hour expected to fall in the greater capital area from daybreak Monday through the morning.

The KMA said heavy rains are expected until Tuesday and frequent precipitation is also anticipated afterward.

“Safety precautions during the commute to work are advised, as the greater capital area is expected to receive heavy rains through Monday morning,” the weather agency said.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

Long-distance and open water swimmer Ingemar Macarine of Surigao del Norte became the first person to swim solo, unassisted, and nonstop from Bugtong Island in Pio V. Corpus town to the Barangay Matayum lagoon in Cataingan, all in the province of Masbate. The open water swim took place Saturday and in time for the ‘Bagat Dagat (Meet and Celebrate)’ Festival. In a phone interview on Sunday afternoon, Macarine said the swim covered 10.5 kilometers which he finished in four hours and 22 minutes. Locally known as the ‘Pinoy Aquaman,’ based on the fictional American superhero, he had already finished 37 long-distance and open-water swims in the country and abroad. ‘I had some difficulties during the Masbate swim especially when a strong current caught me off guard about 1.5 kilometers away from the lagoon,’ the 47-year-old Macarine said. Speeding up, he added, was also difficult as the strong wind caused turbulence approaching the lagoon area. ‘With strong will and determination I succeeded,’ Macarine said. He added that he made the open water swim to promote the festival and tourism industry of Masbate and at the same, campaign for marine conservation and a healthy lifestyle. His longest open water swim was 24.65 kilometers from Siliman Beach in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental to Tambisan Port in San Juan, Siquijor in 2017, lasting for 11 hours and 21 minutes. He also had two open-water swims in 2016 and 2017 in the United Kingdom and six in the United States. ‘I was unsuccessful during my crossing of the English Channel from the UK to France in 2017 with a distance of 21 miles. I was not able to endure the cold and freezing water,’ Macarine said. Macarine is a lawyer by profession and currently serves as prosecutor in Bohol province. He was born in Placer, Surigao del Norte, and grew up in Surigao City where he studied until high school.

Source: Philippines News Agency

A legislator on Sunday warned the public not to patronize online lending applications as they do more damage than help people who need financial assistance. Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, in an interview with radio station DZBB, said he has been receiving complaints from borrowers who experienced harassment from loan sharks on top of high-interest rates that range from 10 up to 40 percent. Worst, he added, lending firms were able to access and hack the personal data of borrowers and their contacts. ‘May report na kung hindi nakakabayad, pinagbabantaan, minsan daw pinapadalhan pa ng korona, at nagagawan din nila ng paraan na malaman ‘yung mga activities ng nangutang. Nakakaalarma at nakakatakot ito (There were reports that those who failed to pay are being threatened. Sometimes, they received wreaths. They were able to monitor the daily activities of those people who could not pay their loans. This is alarming and scary),’ Gatchalian said. He said the public should be cautious before entertaining the idea of getting loans through online apps. It is highly suspicious if a lending agency could easily lend money, Gatchalian said. ‘Kaya ang first step dapat kung merong nagpapa-utang na napakadali, ibig sabihin niyan hindi tama ‘yan at huwag nang pumasok (The first step if when a lender could lend easily. It means something is not right. Don’t deal with them),’ he said. He advised the public to check the legitimacy of lenders with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) should they plan to make loans through an online app. BSP, he added, has a complete list of legitimate lending firms. The public could also seek the help of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of Information and Communications Technology, and National Privacy Commission if they have issues with lending firms. Gatchalian said he would call for an investigation through the Committee on Banks, Financial Institutions and Currencies regarding the rising concerns against lending apps and companies.

Source: Philippines News Agency

The Philippines is ready to assist Japan in repatriating the remains of Japanese soldiers who died in the country during World War II, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. said on Sunday. In a statement, Abalos said the DILG and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will be closely working with Japan to ensure that the recovery and repatriation will be carried out smoothly. Over 300,000 remains of Japanese soldiers who died during World War II between 1942 and 1945 are believed to still be in the country. ‘Japan remains one of the closest partners and allies of the Philippine government and we are ready to assist them in the recovery of the remains of their fallen soldiers,’ he said. Abalos met with officials of the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW) of Japan headed by Minister for Economic Affairs Nihei Daisuke of the Embassy of Japan on Thursday. DFA Deputy Assistant Secretary Raphael Hermoso also attended the meeting. As the lead of the repatriation effort, Abalos said the DILG is in a strategic position to ensure that the repatriation process will be well coordinated with local government units, where some of the remains lie. Abalos said the DILG will activate its resources and manpower to assist Japan in the repatriation in consonance with the Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) signed between the Philippine and Japanese governments in May 2018. The MOC includes proper collection, handling, storage, and shipment of the remains.

Source: Philippines News Agency