According to data collected by The Yomiuri Shimbun, as of 6 p.m. Tuesday, the disaster had claimed the lives of 75 people in 12 prefectures and 16 people were missing. The Tohoku region has seen extensive casualties with more than half of the victims killed in Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures.

In Marumori, Miyagi Prefecture, floodwater in the central part of the town has started to recede but some areas are still underwater. The full scale of the damage is yet to be established.

In areas where embankments had been breached, search and rescue operations are continuing round the clock, as the survival rate of trapped victims is said to fall sharply beyond the 72-hour mark.

In Fukushima Prefecture, 22 bodies were found inside houses and elsewhere after floodwater had receded from residential areas. The death toll in the prefecture is 27, the highest so far among the disaster-hit areas. Many of the victims died in flooded areas along the Abukumagawa river, which runs north to south through the central part of the prefecture, including Motomiya, Koriyama and Sukagawa.

On Saturday night, a car carrying four family members fell into the Kushikawa river in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture. In addition to the mother, 39, and the eldest daughter, 11, whose deaths had already been confirmed, the bodies of the father, 49, on Monday and the eldest son, 8, on Tuesday were found. The car was found on its side about two kilometers downstream.

According to the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry, as of 3 p.m. Tuesday, 73 levees had breached along 52 rivers in seven prefectures, including the Yoshidagawa River in Miyagi Prefecture, the Abukumagawa River in Fukushima Prefecture and the Chikumagawa River in Nagano Prefecture. Twenty-four rivers managed by the central government and 207 rivers managed by 16 prefectures were confirmed to have overflowed. A total of 146 landslides occurred in 19 prefectures.

The ministry has set up a panel of experts to investigate the cause of the embankment collapse along the Chikumagawa River.

According to the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry, about 33,240 households in 10 prefectures were without electricity as of 2 p.m. Tuesday, including about 15,900 houses in Chiba and about 11,240 in Nagano.

In areas hit hard by flooding, it is expected to take about a week for restoration work to resume after floodwaters recede.

According to the Cabinet Office, 289 evacuation centers were supporting displaced residents as of 5 a.m. Tuesday.

Transport networks have also been affected. According to East Japan Railway Co., whose Hokuriku Shinkansen depot was flooded, services are operating between Tokyo and Nagano and between Joetsumyoko and Kanazawa. No timeframe has been given for the resumption of direct trains between Tokyo and Kanazawa.

Her manager found her dead on the second floor of the house at around 3:21 p.m. He visited the house as he had been unable to reach Sulli after their last phone call, which ended at 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Police are investigating the case, but suspect suicide. A suicide note had not been found as of late Monday afternoon.

“It seems that Choi was living alone at the house,” a police official said. “It looks like she ended her life but we will investigate, open to all possibilities.”

Sulli, whose real name is Choi Jin-ri, debuted in 2005 as a child actor on a TV drama show. She was a member of K-pop act f(x), which launched in 2009. She went on a yearlong hiatus in 2014 after being the subject of hateful online comments and rumors.

When she returned the following year, she left the group and turned to acting. She was the host of JTBC’s “Night of Hate Comments” variety show.

By Im Eun-byel (silverstar@heraldcorp.com)http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20191014000871

About 40 lakh postpaid mobile phones have become operational.

The Jammu and Kashmir government had on Saturday informed that all postpaid mobile services will be functional from Monday 12 noon in the Valley.

“Mobile phone connections, to be specific, all postpaid mobile phone connections, irrespective of service provider, will resume from Monday – October 14th at noon. This will happen across the state, in all 10 districts of Kashmir,” Jammu and Kashmir Principal Secretary Rohit Kansal said at a press conference.

However, 20 lakh prepaid mobile phones, besides the mobile and other internet services will remain suspended for now.

Kansal said that the restrictions were imposed to ensure that no life is lost due to externally aided terrorism.

On the lifting of restrictions on communication, Governor Satya Pal Malik had earlier said that “When the curbs on the cell phones have been taken away, we are expecting a large number of tourists to come there (Kashmir). We are also expecting that people if they are somehow not able to do normal activities, have no more excuse not to do that,” News18 reported.

Jammu and Kashmir was put under virtual curfew on 5 August when the Modi government scrapped the Article 370 and split the state into two union territories.

Telephone line services, including mobile phones and landlines, were suspended in the early hours of August 5.

Earlier in September, the government had said that over 90 per cent of the geographical area of Jammu and Kashmir is free of restrictions.

On August 17, partial fixed-line telephony resumed with more than 50,000 landline phones made operational after services in 17 exchanges of the Valley were restored as part of gradual easing of restrictions in a phased manner.

The Government has affirmed that restrictions in Kashmir are aimed at preventing Pakistan from creating trouble through proxies and terrorists.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had earlier justified the restrictions on phone and mobile services in Jammu and Kashmir saying that it was needed to stop communication between terrorists.https://www.thestatesman.com/india/postpaid-mobile-services-restored-kashmir-2-months-internet-suspended-1502809678.html

According to a Yomiuri Shimbun tally, as of 3 p.m. on Monday, the typhoon had claimed the lives of 52 people in 11 prefectures, with 168 people injured. Sixteen people are missing.

The typhoon caused the Chikuma River in Nagano Prefecture and the Abukuma River in Fukushima Prefecture to burst their banks, flooding many houses in low-lying areas.

The Geospatial Information Authority of Japan has released a map of affected areas, indicating the depth of flooding around rivers. Flooding is believed to have reached a maximum depth of about 4.3 meters near the Chikuma River and 5.2 meters near the Abukuma River.

The authority analyzed still and video images taken from the air by a Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry helicopter as well as photos posted on the internet.

In Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, a 77-year-old woman who was being airlifted from a submerged house by a Tokyo Fire Department helicopter on Sunday morning fell about 40 meters to the ground. The woman was taken to hospital but later died from her injuries.

According to the fire department, its air rescue crew was dispatched at the request of the Fukushima prefectural government. It is believed the crew failed to correctly attach the harness that was used to hoist the woman up to the helicopter.

Large-scale power outages occurred following the typhoon. Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. said on Sunday that it expects power to be restored throughout Tokyo, Tochigi, Gunma, Ibaraki, Saitama, Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures by Monday.

Kanagawa and Chiba prefectures have also suffered severe power outages. Power is expected to be restored in most areas by Wednesday. However, it is believed that some areas in Ichihara, Kamogawa, Kyonan and Futtsu in Chiba Prefecture may be without power until around Oct. 20

According to the state’s Home Department sources, the impact of the blast was so strong that the two-storey house in Walidpur village was blown to smithereens. The place comes under Mohammadabad Police Station in Mau district.

People in the area said that they heard a loud explosion and flames erupted from the damaged building soon after. Many people are feared to be trapped under debris, according to the local administration. The debris was now being removed.

Police team and fire-brigade were rushed to the spot and rescue operations are underway. Ambulances have reached the spot.

A huge crowd gathered at the accident site and the local residents are helping in the rescue operations.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed grief over the incident and has instructed the district officials including district magistrate and superintendent of police to provide proper treatment to the injured. He said that all necessary help should be provided to the survivors.

The exact number of injured persons was not immediately known.

(More details are awaited)https://www.thestatesman.com/india/up-11-dead-cylinder-blast-mau-1502809620.html

Cho said in a statement that while “prosecution reform had been (his) life’s mission as a scholar,” “something inconceivable has happened,” and that his role was over.

Cho’s wife Chung Kyung-shim was summoned for questioning by prosecutors for the fifth time Monday morning.

The parliamentary audit of the Justice Ministry was slated for Tuesday.

Cho had served as President Moon Jae-in’s senior secretary for civil affairs since his inauguration. He was appointed as minister of justice on Sept. 9.

By Kim Arin (arin@heraldcorp.com) http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20191014000680

Embankments along 21 rivers were breached and about 140 rivers flooded nationwide as of 6 p.m. Sunday.

The typhoon, which made landfall on the Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture at about 7 p.m. Saturday, led to evacuation orders and advisories being issued to more than 10 million people, mainly in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

The Japan Meteorological Agency held an emergency press conference Saturday, urging citizens to “take action to protect their lives.”The agency said that in the 48-hour span up to 3 p.m. on Sunday, record rainfall was recorded in Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Izu, Shizuoka Prefecture, which were drenched with 1,001 mm and 760 mm, respectively.

Strong winds pounded the area, with a maximum wind speed of 41.5 meters per second recorded at 9:14 p.m. on Saturday in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo.

In response to flooding of the Tama River, the Tokyo metropolitan government requested the Self-Defense Forces be dispatched for disaster relief on Saturday evening.

According to a Yomiuri Shimbun tally, as of 5 p.m. on Sunday, Typhoon No. 19 had claimed the lives of 26 people in Tochigi, Gunma, Kanagawa, Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, Saitama, Chiba and other prefectures, with 19 people missing.

In Tomioka, Gunma Prefecture, a landslide behind a residential area killed one man, and left two others missing.

In Ichihara, Chiba Prefecture, a 50-year-old man was killed when the vehicle he was riding in was blown over by a sudden gust of wind.

In Sagamihara, a woman was found in cardiac arrest in a building that had collapsed due to a landslide early on Sunday and was later confirmed to have died, according to the Sagamihara Fire Bureau.

In Tomi, Nagano Prefecture, a road near the Chikuma River collapsed, taking three vehicles with it. Three people from two of the vehicles were rescued, but three people in the other vehicle that was swept away have yet to be found, according to the city government.

In Nihonmatsu, Fukushima Prefecture, two people were reported missing following a landslide. In Gotenba, Shizuoka Prefecture, two men were swept away in an irrigation channel and one is still missing.

https://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0006078141?fp=390fcc1d1699a2d717c9e3e5323fe963

Officials from Nepal and China signed the agreements on various issues in the presence of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Xi on Sunday morning.

The instruments are related to the partnership between government bodies including the ministries of home; foreign affairs; physical infrastructure and transport; agriculture and livestock development and industry, commerce and supply.

Foreign ministers from Nepal and China as well as finance, home and foreign secretaries and secretaries at related ministries and the Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Hou Yaunqi signed and exchanged the memorandums of understanding and letters of exchange.

Xi arrived in Kathmandu on Saturday in a first visit by a sitting Chinese president to Nepal in over two decades.

While addressing a banquet hosted by Bhandari in honour of Xi on Saturday evening, the Chinese president announced Rs 56 billion economic assistance for Nepal for the next two years—2020 to 2022.

Before the banquet, Xi held talks with Nepali Congress President and former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. During the meeting, Deuba said that his party appreciated Chinese investments that go towards Nepal’s development efforts.

On Sunday morning, Xi held talks with ruling Nepal Communist Party Co-chair and former prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal. According to Dahal’s secretariat, the two leaders discussed ways to deepen relations between the two countries and the two parties.

Xi and the Chinese delegation departed for Beijing on Sunday afternoon.

Numerous arrests were made in at least four districts where gatherings not approved by the police were held.

Police said they arrested two people after a riot police officer was slashed on the neck while dispersing protesters outside Kwun Tong MTR station. The injured officer was sent to hospital for medical treatment.

Tear gas and pepper spray were also deployed against protesters, though Sunday’s protests – the city’s 19th straight weekend of demonstrations – were largely peaceful and attracted smaller crowds than previous ones.

In Mong Kok, police used pepper spray on protesters participating in an unlawful assembly who had refused orders to leave and then heckled at officers, footage from Apple Daily showed.

At least two rounds of tear gas were fired in Tsuen Wan to disperse protesters who had clashed with police, broadcaster TVB reported.

Protesters put up makeshift barriers to block traffic, including erecting lattices with bamboo poles across major roadways in Mong Kok.

The police, who have been accused of deploying excessive force, said in a statement on Sunday they used the “minimum necessary force to disperse protesters”. “We warn the rioters to stop their illegal acts immediately,” they said.

The arrest of the protesters – many clad in black and wearing masks – came after Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Oct 4 invoked an emergency law  to ban face masks during protests. She had said the new law, which kicked in on Oct 5, would bring back “peace and order” to the city.

The ban carries a maximum one-year jail term, but thousands, including school children and office workers, have defied the ban since it came into effect.

Protesters on Sunday continued to vandalise or damage the metro stations. Around 3pm, protesters hurled objects onto the rail track of Sha Tin MTR station, a police statement said, adding that the act ignored the safety of members of the public as the station was in operation at that time.

The protests have led to the suspension of the city’s entire light rail service, MTR Corporation said in an announcement on its website. At least nine MTR stations, including Tsuen Wan, Sha Tin and City One MTR stations, have been shut.

The rail operator also warned that other stations may close at anytime without prior notice, citing safety reasons.

MTR Corporation, which usually carries some 5 million people daily, had said that it will shut early on Sunday at 10pm to allow its staff more time to repair damaged facilities at various stations. The Airport Express service between central Hong Kong and the airport will also be halted.

Earlier in the day, hundreds of protesters staged rallies at shopping malls across the city where they chanted anti-extradition slogans.

At New Town Plaza in Sha Tin, protesters sang the Cantonese protest anthem, Glory to Hong Kong, to a live saxophone rendition, according to TV footage from Apple Daily.

In one incident a group of 50 shoppers inside a mall faced off against riot police outside, chanting “Hong Kong police mafia”. The shoppers cheered when police drove off.

In another mall, a group of riot police were forced to retreat backwards by chanting shoppers until they were outside of the mall.

By late afternoon, however, hardcore black-clad activists had trashed some shops, including a store owned by the Chinese technology company Huawei.

In a statement, police said that many of the masked protesters have sprayed paint and caused damage to the facilities at various malls.

Meanwhile, elderly protesters staged a silent sit-in for a second day to show solidarity with the young protesters, the vast majority of whom are students. Some of the “silver hairs” tied 120 knots in a string that they looped around a tree to signify 120 days of “Carrie Lam’s ignorance and arrogance.”

Hong Kong has been battered by four months of often massive and violent protests against what is seen as Beijing’s tightening grip on the Chinese-ruled city.

About 100 Hong Kong restaurants have shut down because of the protests in the city, Financial Secretary Paul Chan said in a blog post on Sunday. Around 2,000 employees have been affected as a result of the closures, Mr Chan said in the Chinese-language post, citing the catering industry. He did not provide further details.

Some retailers have also had to reduce the number of stores or cut back on staff, and several recent sport and entertainment events have had to be cancelled for security reasons, Mr Chan said.

He urged property owners and developers to follow the lead of railway operator MTR Corporation in offering rent relief to affected retailers, adding that Airport Authority Hong Kong is also considering assistance to its tenants at the airport.

LADY LIBERTY

Earlier on Sunday, protesters scaled the city’s Lion Rock peak and hoisted a large statue they called “Lady Liberty” to rally anti-government activists ahead of more planned demonstrations in the Asian financial hub.

The 3m tall statue, wearing a gas mask, helmet and protective goggles, was carried up the 500m peak in the dead of night by several dozen protesters, some wearing head lamps, during an overnight thunderstorm.

It held a black banner that read “Revolution of our time, Liberate Hong Kong” and could be seen from the city below.

The statue represented an injured woman protester believed by activists to have been shot in the eye by a police projectile.

One of the protesters told Reuters he hoped it would inspire Hong Kong people to keep fighting.

“We are telling people that you mustn’t give up. All problems can be resolved with Hong Kong people’s persistence and hard work to reach our aims,” he said.

The protests started in opposition to a now-abandoned extradition Bill but have widened into a pro-democracy movement and an outlet for anger at social inequality in the city, which boasts some of the world’s most expensive real estate.

Protesters believe China has been eroding Hong Kong’s freedoms, guaranteed under a “one country, two systems” framework introduced with the 1997 handover.

The now-withdrawn extradition Bill, under which residents would have been sent to Communist-controlled mainland courts, was seen as the latest move to tighten control.

China denies the accusation and says foreign countries, including Britain and the United States, are fomenting unrest.

With reporting from Reuters and DPA

According to the Prime Minister’s secretariat, Lee will visit Japan from Oct. 22 to 24 for the enthronement events of Japanese Emperor Naruhito. Lee will attend the enthronement banquet on Oct. 22, and another banquet hosted by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Oct. 23, the secretariat said in a statement.

It has not been confirmed whether Lee will hold a bilateral meeting with Abe, but political observers say a meeting between the two could serve as a chance to ease heightened tensions between the two countries.

Following the top Korean court’s ruling in October last year that ordered Japanese companies to compensate South Korean victims of forced labor during World War II, the relationship between the two allies has soured to its lowest point in recent months, as Japan has refused to accept the court’s decision.

Japan has imposed tighter export restrictions on Korea. Seoul has hit back with similar export control plans and filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization over Tokyo’s export measures.

It also decided to withdraw from a military intelligence-sharing agreement with Tokyo.

Lee and Abe’s meeting, if realized, would be the first time for top-level leaders of the two countries to meet in over a year. President Moon Jae-in and Abe last met in September last year, on the sidelines of a regional economic forum in Vladivostok, Russia.

In August, Kim Sang-jo, Cheong Wa Dae’s chief policy secretary who served as the chairman of the Fair Trade Commission, said the Japanese enthronement events would be a “crucial (turning) point” for the bilateral ties of the two countries.

The Korean prime minister is known to have ties with Japanese figures, having worked as a Tokyo correspondent before turning to politics.

Japanese media outlets, however, said it was “unlikely” Lee and Abe would meet, citing unnamed sources. In a report last week, Kyodo Agency said meetings for Lee may be arranged with former Japanese prime ministers.

Emperor Naruhito ascended the throne in May, as his father Emperor Emeritus Akihito became the first Japanese monarch to abdicate in over 200 years.

When Japanese Emperor Emeritus Akihito ascended the throne in November 1990, Korea sent Prime Minister Kang Young-hoon to attend the event.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20191013000157