Vietnam prepares to evacuate half a million people ahead of Typhoon Kajiki
More than 16,500 soldiers and 107,000 paramilitary personnel have been mobilised to help with the evacuation. Tens of thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate from Vietnam’s coastline facing the South China Sea, with airports and schools shut as authorities brace for Typhoon Kajiki. The Vietnamese government said on Monday that about 30,000 people had been evacuated from coastal areas. Authorities said on Sunday that more than half a million people would be evacuated and ordered boats to remain in port. “This is an extremely dangerous fast-moving storm,” the government said in a statement on Sunday night, warning that Kajiki would bring heavy rains, flooding and landslides. More than 16,500 soldiers and 107,000 paramilitary personnel have been mobilised to help with the evacuation and to stand by for search and rescue, the government said in a statement. The typhoon with winds of up to 166km/h (103mph) at sea is due to make landfall on Monday afternoon, the country’s weather agency said. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center said conditions suggested “an approaching weakening trend as the system approaches the continental shelf of the Gulf of Tonkin where there is less ocean heat content”. Two airports in the Thanh Hoa and Quang Binh provinces have been closed, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam. Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air cancelled dozens of flights to and from the area on Sunday and Monday. Coastal provinces have banned ships from going out to sea starting Monday and were calling in those already out, said Vietnam’s news agency. Vietnam is prone to storms that are often deadly and trigger dangerous flooding and mudslides. More than 100 people were killed or went missing due to natural disasters in the first seven months of 2025, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. Advertisement Last year, Typhoon Yagi killed about 300 people and caused property damage of approximately $3.3bn. ‘A bit scared’ The waterfront city of Vinh was deluged overnight, its streets largely deserted by morning with most shops and restaurants closed as residents and business owners sandbagged their property entrances. “I have never heard of a typhoon of this big scale coming to our city,” 66-year-old Le Manh Tung, in the city of Vinh, told the AFP news agency. He is sheltering alongside other evacuated families at an indoor stadium. “I am a bit scared, but then we have to accept it because it’s nature – we cannot do anything.” Houses run the risk of collapse from the storm, and even high-rise buildings could suffer serious damage, said Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, the official Vietnam News Agency reported. The storm is projected to move inland across Laos and northern Thailand. Kajiki hit the southern coast of China’s Hainan Island on Sunday as it moved towards Vietnam. About 20,000 residents were evacuated from the Chinese province, which downgraded its typhoon and emergency response alerts on Monday morning. But authorities warned of heavy rain and isolated storms in cities in the southern part of the province. Adblock test (Why?)
Al Jazeera journalist killed in Israeli attack on Nasser hospital in Gaza
[unable to retrieve full-text content] An Al Jazeera journalist is among 15 Palestinians killed in an Israeli attack on the Nasser hospital in Gaza.
US National Guard troops begin carrying weapons in Washington, DC
The military said some troops are now carrying guns as Trump claims there is now ‘no crime’ in the US capital. National Guard troops patrolling the United States capital at the direction of President Donald Trump have started carrying firearms, the military said on Sunday. “Starting the late evening of August 24, 2025, [Joint Task Force-DC] service members began carrying their service-issued weapon,” the Joint Task Force-DC said in a statement. The troops are only authorised to use force “as a last resort and solely in response to an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm”, the statement said. Unnamed officials told the Reuters news agency that the National Guard would either carry M17 pistols or M4 rifles. The announcement came as Trump claimed, without evidence, on Sunday that there is “NO CRIME AND NO MURDER IN DC!”, one week after he deployed troops there. In the same post on Truth Social, Trump said he might “send in the ‘troops’” to neighbouring Baltimore, which he described as “out of control” and “crime-ridden”. Responding to an invitation from Maryland Governor Wes Moore to visit Baltimore and walk its streets, Trump said: “I would much prefer that he clean up this Crime disaster before I go there for a ‘walk’.” However, according to the Baltimore police department, there was a double-digit reduction in gun violence in July compared with the previous year. The city has had 84 homicides so far this year – the fewest in more than 50 years, according to Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott. In Washington, DC, which has a population of just more than 700,000 people, thousands of National Guard and federal law enforcement officers are now patrolling the streets. Advertisement The National Guard is a part-time force of reserve soldiers, which, according to the US Army, can be called on to respond to domestic emergencies, overseas combat missions and “counter-drug efforts”. People protest against Trump’s use of federal law enforcement and National Guard troops in the city during a rally along the U-Street corridor in northwest Washington, DC, on Saturday [Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo] Their presence in the national capital, along with federal law enforcement officers, has been met by protests, as well as fear and confusion from residents. At Trump’s request, some Republican governors have sent hundreds of National Guard troops to Washington, DC, which the president has depicted as being in the grip of a crime wave, although official data shows crime is down in the city. Since Washington, DC, is not a state, the president has the power to take over policing in the capital for up to 30 days. Many residents have long advocated for the district to become a state. However, Democrats did not further pursue efforts to make it a state after passing a bill in favour of it through the then-Democrat-controlled House of Representatives in 2020. Meanwhile, JB Pritzker, the Democratic governor of Illinois, on Sunday rejected Trump’s push to send troops into Chicago. “Donald Trump is attempting to manufacture a crisis, politicise Americans who serve in uniform, and continue abusing his power to distract from the pain he is causing working families,” Pritzker said in a statement. Adblock test (Why?)
South Korea’s Lee set to meet Trump, with trade and security high on agenda
Seoul, South Korea – South Korean President Lee Jae-myung is set to meet United States President Donald Trump for the first time in a high-stakes visit to his country’s closest and most important ally. After a one-day meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo, Lee arrived in Washington, DC, on Sunday ahead of an official working-level meeting at the White House with Trump. It will be the first time the two heads of state meet. Their summit follows a trade deal in July in which Washington agreed to cut its reciprocal tariff on South Korea to 15 percent from an initially proposed 25 percent. The meeting is crucial for South Korea, whose engagement with the Trump administration was disrupted by domestic political turmoil, ignited by the brief declaration of martial law announced in December by the country’s impeached former president, Yoon Suk-yeol. Discussion will focus on ironing out details of the unwritten July trade deal, which involves South Korea agreeing to buy $100bn in US energy and invest $350bn in the US economy. On top of those dizzying sums are direct investments in the US, which are expected from South Korean companies, and which Trump has mentioned will be decided during their talks. Accompanied by first lady Kim Hea-kyung, Lee will lead a delegation formed by the heads of South Korean top conglomerates, including Samsung Electronics, SK Group, Hyundai Motor and LG Group. The four companies alone are already known to contribute approximately 126 trillion won ($91.2bn) in direct investments to the US, according to the South Korean daily Maeil Business Newspaper. Advertisement Choi Yoon-jung, a principal research fellow at the Sejong Institute in Seoul, said Lee needs to be deliberate and direct with Trump in the talks, as “South Korea is in a tough predicament in terms of trade with the US compared to the past”. “It will be important for President Lee to explain how investments will be designed to serve US national interests and to remind Trump that the two nations are close trading partners who went through large ordeals to realise their Free Trade Agreement over two decades ago,” Choi told Al Jazeera. Mason Richey, a professor of international politics at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS), said the direction of the talks on investments is likely to be “unpredictable”. “Not only are the current 15 percent tariffs overwhelmingly likely to stay on, but the investment part of the deal is likely to remain unclear and subject to unpredictable adjustment by the White House,” Richey told Al Jazeera. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers under construction at the Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering facility on Geoje Island, South Korea, on December 7, 2018 [Ahn Young-joon/AP] Analysts say shipbuilding is one area where Trump clearly desires to have South Korea as a key partner to play catch-up to China’s naval fleet, which leads in terms of sheer numbers and is also making technological advancements. Officials in Seoul have previously stated that a key component of the tariff deal with Washington would include a partnership worth about $150bn to assist in rebuilding the US shipbuilding industry. To that end, after visiting the White House, Lee will head to Philadelphia to visit the Philly Shipyard, which was bought by the South Korean company Hanwha Group last year. Analysts also say that battery production and semiconductors are some other sectors where Trump has set clear objectives to increase US capacity, and where South Korea has shown willingness and interest in being that partner. “The South Korean government is also willing to actively participate in the ‘modernisation’ of its alliance with the US, that could include increasing contributions to upholding the region’s security and development,” said the Sejong Institute’s Choi. Another major discussion point will be Seoul and Washington’s defence posture regarding the growing threats from North Korea, as well as the development of a strategic alliance to address the changing international security and economic environment. “The pressures for the role of US forces on the Korean Peninsula to evolve has been growing for years,” Jenny Town, the director of the Washington, DC-based research programme 38 North, told Al Jazeera. Advertisement This evolution was especially so with great power competition increasing from China, Town said. “The Trump administration is focused on how to maximise resources for US interests and priorities, so it is likely that some changes will be made during this term,” Town said. “How drastic or dramatic those changes will depend on a number of factors, including the state of the US domestic political infrastructure that provides checks and balances to executive decisions,” she said. A US Senate defence policy bill for fiscal year 2026 includes a ban on the use of funds to reduce the number of US Forces Korea (USFK) troops to below the current level of 28,500 service members. “This makes it unlikely that there will be an immediate change in troop deployment numbers in South Korea,” Choi said. “So, the big point of contention will be the job assignment of the troops to match US interests. I think there’s a possibility of Trump asking South Korea to take on a bigger role in regional security, such as taking part in the conflict involving Taiwan.” Financial negotiations between Trump and Lee may also tip into security details, as the US president has regularly called for South Korea to pay more for the US troops stationed on its soil. Trump has made that same call since his first presidential term. In addition to providing more than $1bn for the presence of USFK forces, South Korea also paid the entire cost of building Camp Humphreys, the largest US base overseas, situated 64km (39 miles) south of Seoul. Trump has said that he wants defence spending to reach closer to 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) for all US allies. Today, South Korea’s defence budget is at 3.5 percent of GDP. Transfer of wartime operational command – referring to the transfer of control of South
Has Israel become a divisive issue in Europe?
Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp resigns after failing to secure sanctions against Israel over Gaza atrocities. Earlier this month, Slovenia joined Spain and Belgium in imposing an arms embargo on Israel. Germany followed suit, partially, halting the sale of weapons to Israel that could be used in Gaza “until further notice”. The Netherlands has also imposed a partial ban on parts for Israeli fighter jets, while Italy suspended all new military exports to Israel in October. But it is the recent resignation of Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp, after his government failed to agree to sanctions against Israel, that raises questions: Will this one action trigger a broader political fallout across the 27-nation bloc? Presenter: Adrian Finighan Guests: Mpanzu Bamenga – member of the Dutch Parliament and human rights lawyer Ori Goldberg – political commentator and author Rene Wildangel – Middle East analyst and former foreign policy adviser to the German Parliament. Adblock test (Why?)
Moscow says Russia and Ukraine exchange 146 prisoners each
The exchange comes amid diplomatic efforts to solve the conflict and a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia overnight. Russia and Ukraine have each exchanged 146 prisoners of war (POWs) after mediation by the United Arab Emirates, the Russian Ministry of Defence says about the latest in a series of exchanges that has seen hundreds of POWs released this year. “On August 24, 146 Russian servicemen were returned from the territory controlled” by Kyiv, the ministry said on Telegram on Sunday. “In exchange, 146 prisoners of war of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were transferred” to Ukraine, it added. The ministry said the freed Russians were in Belarus receiving psychological and medical care. Large-scale prisoner exchanges were the only tangible result of three rounds of talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul from May to July. They remain one of the few areas of cooperation between the two countries since Russia’s war on its neighbour began in 2022. Russia also said “eight citizens of the Russian Federation – residents of the Kursk region, illegally detained” by Kyiv, were also returned as part of the exchange. Kursk sits on the border with Ukraine. On Sunday, Russia also accused Ukraine of carrying out an overnight drone attack on a nuclear plant that caused a fire and damaged an auxiliary transformer. The attack forced a 50 percent reduction in the operating capacity at reactor number three at the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, 60km (38 miles) from the Russia-Ukraine border, according to Russian officials, who added that several power and energy facilities were targeted in the strikes. Advertisement US revokes permission Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Washington has revoked permission for strikes in Russia with United States-manufactured weapons, confirming an earlier report in US media. He added that Kyiv has lately been using its own weapons to hit its enemy and does not consult on this with Washington. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov slammed Zelenskyy on Sunday for “obstinately insisting, setting conditions, demanding an immediate meeting at all costs” with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The developments came as Ukraine marked its Independence Day on Sunday, commemorating its 1991 declaration of independence from the Soviet Union. The efforts to settle the conflict have been ongoing since US President Donald Trump held talks in Alaska with Putin a week ago, but Trump has been unable thus far to coax Putin into a meeting with Zelenskyy. Trump said on Friday that in two weeks he should know whether progress is possible in his bid to end the Russia-Ukraine war as he again raised the prospect of imposing sanctions on Moscow. Adblock test (Why?)
Zelenskyy marks Ukraine Independence Day alongside Canada’s PM in Kyiv
NewsFeed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has delivered a defiant address against Russia during Ukraine’s Independence Day commemorations. They were attended by Canada’s prime minister who reiterated Western support for Kyiv. Published On 24 Aug 202524 Aug 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
Why protesters in the UK are being arrested under ‘terror’ laws
Why some protests in the UK are being criminalised, and what that means for free speech. In Britain, citizens protesting against the war in Gaza are being arrested and detained under “terrorism” laws. Activists and legal experts warn that “public safety” is being used as a pretext to silence dissent, curb free speech and criminalise legitimate political activism. Presenter: Stefanie Dekker Guests:Clare Hinchcliffe – mother of imprisoned activistLaura O’Brien – head of protest teamMatt Kennard – investigative journalist and author Adblock test (Why?)
Israeli military uproots thousands of Palestinian olive trees in West Bank
Israeli destruction in al-Mughayyir near Ramallah is part of push to forcibly displace Palestinians, researcher says. The Israeli military has destroyed about 3,000 olive trees in a village near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, the head of the local council says, as Palestinians face a continued wave of violence across the territory in the shadow of Israel’s war on Gaza. The Israeli military issued an order on Saturday to uproot olive trees in a 0.27sq-km (0.1sq-mile) area in al-Mughayyir, a village of about 4,000 residents northeast of Ramallah. The army justified the measure by saying the trees posed a “security threat” to a main Israeli settlement road that runs through the village’s lands. The destruction was carried out as al-Mughayyir has been under lockdown since Thursday after an Israeli settler said he was shot at in the area. The deputy head of the village council, Marzouq Abu Naim, told Palestinian news agency Wafa that Israeli soldiers had stormed more than 30 homes since dawn on Saturday, destroying residents’ property and vehicles. For decades, the Israeli military has uprooted olive trees – an important Palestinian cultural symbol – across the occupied Palestinian territory as part of the country’s efforts to seize Palestinian land and forcibly displace residents. The West Bank also has seen a surge in Israeli military and settler violence since Israel launched its war on Gaza in October 2023, and tens of thousands of Palestinians have been forced out of their homes. Palestinian men collect wheat after an attack by Israeli settlers in al-Mughayyir in May [File: Mohammed Torokman/Reuters] More than 2,370 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians have been reported across the area from January 2024 to the end of July this year, according to the latest figures from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Advertisement The highest number of attacks – 585 – was recorded in the Ramallah area, followed by 479 in the Nablus region in the northern West Bank. At least 671 Palestinians, including 129 children, also have been killed by Israeli forces and Israeli settlers across the West Bank in that same time period, OCHA said. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment on Saturday on the uprooting of the olive trees in al-Mughayyir. Hamza Zubeidat, a Palestinian researcher, said the destruction is part of Israel’s “continuous” effort to force Palestinians off their lands. “We have to be clear that since 1967, Israel is still implementing the same plan of evicting the Palestinian population from the countryside and the cities of the West Bank. What’s going on right now is just a continuous process of this eviction of Palestinians. It’s not a new Israeli process,” Zubeidat told Al Jazeera. He noted that al-Mughayyir has a long agricultural history and, like other villages in the West Bank, relies almost entirely on agriculture and livestock as its main source of income. “This area where more than 3,000 olive trees [were] uprooted is one of the most fertile areas in this part of the Ramallah area,” Zubeidat explained. “Uprooting trees, confiscated water springs, blocking and preventing Palestinians from accessing their farms and water sources means more food and water insecurity.” Adblock test (Why?)
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy urges Global South to pressure Russia to end war
Ukrainian leader calls for wider international support to get Russia to negotiating table amid faltering peace efforts. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on countries in the Global South to support diplomatic efforts to push Russia to agree to end its war with Ukraine. In a social media post following talks with his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday, Zelenskyy stressed that the conflict “must be brought to an end” and that “the killings and destruction must be stopped”. “I reaffirmed my readiness for any format of meeting with the head of Russia,” the Ukrainian leader said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “However, we see that Moscow is once again trying to drag everything out even further. It is important that the Global South sends relevant signals and pushes Russia toward peace.” The comments come as a renewed diplomatic effort, spearheaded by United States President Donald Trump with support from European countries, to push Moscow to end its war in Ukraine has appeared to stall. On Friday, Trump expressed frustration with Moscow over the lack of progress in efforts to negotiate a peaceful settlement to end the war, despite his recent meeting with Putin in Alaska. The US president renewed a threat that he would consider imposing sanctions on Russia if there was no momentum within the next two weeks. Trump has been trying to arrange a summit between Putin and Zelenskyy, which has long been sought by the Ukrainian leader, to discuss an end to the war. But on Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said there were no plans for such a meeting. Lavrov said in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” programme that Putin had made clear he was ready to meet Zelenskyy, provided there was a proper agenda for such a session, something the Russian foreign minister said was lacking for now. Advertisement “Putin is ready to meet with Zelenskyy when the agenda would be ready for a summit. And this agenda is not ready at all,” Lavrov said. Amid the push for a diplomatic resolution, fighting has continued to grind on the battlefield. Russia’s Ministry of Defence said in a statement on Telegram on Saturday that its forces in eastern Ukraine had taken two villages in the Donetsk region, Sredneye and Kleban-Byk. That followed the capture of three other villages in the region a day earlier. The capture of Kleban-Byk would represent further progress towards Kostiantynivka – a key town on the road to Kramatorsk, where a major Ukrainian logistics base is located. Adblock test (Why?)