News in Brief

China floods: 200 dead or missing
Afp, Beijing

Torrential rain and landslides in China have left more than 200 people dead or missing in recent days, state media and the government said as the country braced for an approaching typhoon yesterday.
Official figures also showed deaths in several other parts of the country.

Typhoon Soulik nears Taiwan
Afp, Taipei

Hundreds of villagers were evacuated and schools and businesses shut down in Taiwan yesterday as it prepared for the arrival of Typhoon Soulik, expected to pound the island with powerful winds and heavy rain over the weekend.
Packing winds of up to 209 kilometres an hour (130 miles), Soulik is expected to make landfall on the north-east coast around 3:00am Saturday, the Central Weather Bureau said.

Nepal flood toll hits 60
Afp, Kathmandu

The death toll from recent floods triggered by heavy monsoon downpours in Nepal has climbed to at least 60, police told AFP yesterday.
Some 6,000 homes were damaged by the floods, which mainly hit southeastern Nepal over the past four days, Khatiwada said.

Cambodian pardons opposition leader  
Afp, Phnom Penh

Cambodia's opposition leader in exile won a royal pardon yesterday, vowing to return to help his party fight strongman premier Hun Sen who is seeking to extend his nearly three decade grip on power.
Sam Rainsy, who lives in France, had faced 11 years in jail after he was convicted in absentia for charges including publishing a false map of the border with Vietnam. The pardon was requested by Prime Minister Hun Sen "in the spirit of reconciliation", a government official said on condition of anonymity.

Japan heatwave kills 12
Afp, Tokyo

A severe heatwave that hit Japan a week ago has claimed at least a dozen lives, reports said yesterday.
The mercury has topped 35 degrees celsius in areas right across the country for several days, with no immediate end to the misery in sight. Thousands of people have been taken to hospital suffering from heatstroke.