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California braces for Tropical Storm Hilary

ABOVE & BELOW: Fallen trees on a parked car in Los Angeles, United States; and a fire truck near a motorist stranded in rising floodwaters. PHOTO: AP

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Tropical Storm Hilary deluged arid parts of Mexico and then drenched Southern California in the United States (US) from the coast to inland mountains and deserts, forcing rescuers to pull several people from swollen rivers. Millions expected more flooding and mudslides, even as the storm begins to weaken.

The storm first made landfall in Mexico’s arid Baja California Peninsula on Sunday in a sparsely populated area about 250 kilometres (km) south of Ensenada. One person drowned. It then moved through mudslide-prone Tijuana, threatening the improvised homes that cling to hillsides just south of the US border.

The first tropical storm to hit Southern California in 84 years, Hilary dropped more than half an average year’s worth of rain on some areas, including the desert resort city of Palm Springs, which saw nearly 7.6 centimetres of rain by Sunday evening.

Forecasters warned of dangerous flash floods across Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, and fire officials rescued 13 people from knee-deep water in a homeless encampment along the rising San Diego River. Meanwhile, rain and debris washed out some roadways and people left their cars stranded in standing water. Crews pumped floodwaters out of the emergency room at Eisenhower Medical Centre in Rancho Mirage.

The Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation’s second largest school system, said all campuses would be closed, as did districts across the region. San Diego schools postponed the first day of classes to tomorrow.

The Palm Springs Police Department said in a statement on Sunday that 911 lines were down and that in the event of an emergency to text 911 or reach out to the nearest police or fire station.

The storm was projected to weaken as it continued moving northward over California and into Nevada, but a hurricane specialist with the National Hurricane Centre Richard Pasch said “very heavy” rain and strong winds are still likely. Southern California got another surprise on Sunday afternoon as an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.1 hit near Ojai, about 130km northwest of downtown Los Angeles, according to the US Geological Survey. It was felt widely and was followed by smaller aftershocks. There were no immediate reports of major damage or injury, according to a dispatcher with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.

Hilary is just the latest major climate disaster to wreak havoc across the US, Canada and Mexico. Hawaii’s island of Maui is still reeling from a blaze that killed over 100 people.

ABOVE & BELOW: Fallen trees on a parked car in Los Angeles, United States; and a fire truck near a motorist stranded in rising floodwaters. PHOTO: AP
PHOTO: AP

Clinton Global Initiative will return to New York

Bill Clinton. PHOTO: AFP

NEW YORK (AP) – The Clinton Global Initiative 2023 will convene “leaders, innovators and dreamers” – ranging from World Bank President Ajay Banga and the Bahamas’ Prime Minister Philip E Davis to Airbnb Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Brian Chesky, World Central Kitchen founder Jose Andres and Ford Foundation CEO Darren Walker, as well as A-list actors Orlando Bloom, Matt Damon, and Ashley Judd – in New York on September 18 and 19 to keep up the momentum addressing global issues generated by the conference when it returned last year after a six-year hiatus.

Former president Bill Clinton, former secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Clinton Foundation Vice Chair Chelsea Clinton announced that the conference would seek more commitments to address climate change, health care issues, gender-based violence, the war in Ukraine and other issues.

Bill Clinton. PHOTO: AFP

Trump will skip GOP presidential primary debates

Donald Trump. PHOTO: AP

NEW YORK (AP) – Former president Donald Trump confirmed on Sunday that he will be skipping tomorrow’s first Republican presidential primary debate – and others as well.

“The public knows who I am & what a successful Presidency I had,” Trump wrote on his social media site. “I will therefore not be doing the debates!” His spokesman did not immediately clarify whether he plans to boycott every primary debate or just those that have currently been scheduled.

The former president and early Grand Old Party (GOP) frontrunner had said for months that he saw little upside in joining his GOP rivals on stage when they gather for the first time in Milwaukee tomorrow, given his commanding lead in the race. And he had made clear to those he had spoken to in recent days that his opinion had not changed.

“Why would I allow people at one or two per cent and zero per cent to be hitting me with questions all night?” he said in an interview in June with Fox News host Bret Baier, who will be serving as a moderator. Trump has also repeatedly criticised Fox, the host of the August 23 primetime event, insisting it is a “hostile network” that he believes will not treat him fairly.

Trump had been discussing a number of debate counterprogramming options, including sitting for an interview with ex-Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who has been hosting a show on the website formerly known as Twitter. Carlson was spotted at Trump’s Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club ahead of the announcement, according to a person familiar with the visit who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss it. The New York Times reported on Saturday the interview set to air tomorrow has already been taped.

Donald Trump. PHOTO: AP

“We cannot confirm or deny – stay tuned,” said Trump spokesman Steven Cheung.

The idea had been one of several alternatives Trump had floated in conversations in recent weeks. They included possibly showing up in Milwaukee at the last minute or attending but sitting in the audience and offering live commentary on his Truth Social site. He had also discussed potentially calling into different networks to draw viewers from the debate, or holding a rally instead.

The decision marks another chapter in Trump’s ongoing feud with Fox, which was once a staunch defender, but is now perceived to be more favourable to his leading rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Fox executives and hosts had lobbied Trump to attend, both privately and on the network’s airwaves. But Trump, according to a person close to him, was unswayed, believing executives would not have been wooing him if they weren’t concerned about their ratings.

A person familiar had said earlier on Sunday that Trump and his team had not notified the Republican National Committee of his plans.

Meanwhile, Trump’s rivals had been goading him to appear and preparing in the hopes that he might, concerned that a no-show might make them appear like second-tier candidates and deny them the opportunity to land a knockout blow against the race’s Goliath that could change the trajectory of the race.

Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, one of the few candidates willing to directly take on Trump, has been accusing the former president of lacking “the guts to show up” and calling him “a coward” if he doesn’t.

A super PAC supporting DeSantis released an ad in which the narrator says: “We can’t afford a nominee who is too weak to debate.” And in a posting on Sunday on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, DeSantis campaign spokesman Andrew Romeo said the Florida governor looked forward to sharing his vision tomorrow on what he’ll do as president because “no one is entitled to this nomination, including Donald Trump. You have to show up and earn it.”

Fresh blaze in Greece as wildfires rage

A firefighter operates during a wildfire near the northeastern town of Alexandroupolis, Greece. PHOTO: AP

ATHENS (AFP) – Greek firefighters backed by water bombing planes battled a fresh blaze yesterday and warned of an “extreme” risk of fires in the region around the capital, Athens.

A large wildfire broke out in the central region of Boeotia, about 100 kilometres north of Athens, rescue services said.

People on a beach and in two communities near where the fire started yesterday were told to evacuate.

Around 56 firefighters assisted by four water-dropping aircraft were battling the flames, an official from the fire service told AFP.

Civil protection authorities warned of an “extreme” fire risk in the region around Athens and other parts of southern Greece.

Fires also continued to burn out of control for a third day in northeastern Greece near the port city of Alexandroupolis. Firefighting crews are deployed on several fronts and are trying to halt the fire’s progression towards the Dadia National Park, which suffered substantial damage from wildfires last year.

A firefighter operates during a wildfire near the northeastern town of Alexandroupolis, Greece. PHOTO: AP

More than 200 firefighters with the help of aircraft, volunteers and police were battling the blaze.

Seven firefighters and one volunteer had to be taken to hospital with injuries, the official said.

Some 12 communities have been evacuated over the weekend and civil protection authorities urged residents to remain indoors due to the smoke.

The area has been officially declared to be in a state of emergency.

The very hot and dry conditions which increase the fire risk will persist until Friday, according to meteorologists.

Last month, around 20,000 people, mostly tourists, had to be evacuated from Rhodes island after a fire broke out and was fanned by strong winds.

Almost 17,770 hectares were ravaged in 10 days in the south of the holiday island in the southeastern Aegean Sea.

At the end of July, Greece experienced its worst heatwave ever for a month of July, with temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius in many places, according to the National Observatory in Athens.

France sizzles in late summer heatwave

PHOTO: AFP

PARIS (AFP) – Tens of millions of people in France sweated through a late summer heatwave yesterday, with record temperatures expected in the Rhone valley region and a forest fire also blazing in the southeast.

Temperatures are expected to peak today and tomorrow, with the most intense heat in the southern parts of the country where the mercury is already pushing past 40 degrees Celsius.

Health authorities have placed 50 out of 96 departments in mainland France in the second-highest heat warning level, with some areas expected to be placed in the maximum red category in the coming days.

“Some records could be broken, notably on Tuesday in the Rhone valley with 40-42˚C expected,” national weather service Meteo France said.

The heatwave is “intense and long-lasting” and “particularly late in the season,” it added.

The current high temperatures are the hottest of the season, Meteo France said.

PHOTO: AFP

Air strikes kill eight fighters in Syria’s northwest

Fighters from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Syria’s Idlib province. Photo: AFP

BEIRUT (AFP) – At least eight fighters were killed in air strikes early yesterday targeting a rebel base in Syria’s northwest, a war monitor said.

“Warplanes carried out air strikes on the western outskirts of Idlib city, targeting a military base belonging to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)… killing at least eight fighters,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Several other fighters were wounded in the strikes, with some in critical condition, said the Britain-based monitor, which relies on a wide network of sources inside Syria. Extremist group HTS, led by Syria’s former Al-Qaeda affiliate, controls swathes of Idlib province, parts of which form the last bastions of armed opposition to President Bashar al-Assad’s rule.

HTS also controls parts of the adjacent Latakia, Hama and Aleppo provinces.

An AFP correspondent at the site said the extremist group cordoned off the area after the strikes, which came shortly after midnight.

Syria’s civil war broke out in 2011 after the government’s repression of peaceful demonstrations escalated into a deadly conflict that pulled in foreign powers and global extremists.

On August 5, three family members, all civilians, were killed when warplanes struck the outskirts of Idlib city, the Observatory said at the time.

On June 25, air strikes killed at least 13 people including nine civilians in Idlib province, in what the Observatory said was the deadliest such attack on the country this year.

A member of the Turkistan Islamic Party, a Uyghur-dominated extremist group, was among the four fighters killed in those strikes, which also wounded at least 30 civilians, the monitor had said.

Damascus has clawed back much of the territory it had lost to rebels early in the conflict.

Fighters from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Syria’s Idlib province. PHOTO: AFP

From Wonder Woman to spy heroine

    Gal Gadot in a scene from the movie. PHOTO: THE STAR

    ANN/THE STAR – After portraying the Amazon warrior Wonder Woman in the fictional realm of Themyscira for six years, actress Gal Gadot is poised to shift the action back to Earth in the espionage thriller Heart of Stone.

    From her debut in the 2008 drama Bubot, Gadot has embraced various female roles, including Gisele Yashar in the Fast And Furious franchise, agent Natalie Jones in Keeping Up With The Joneses, and Sarah Black in Red Notice.

    In Heart of Stone, the 38-year-old adds another dynamic action heroine to her repertoire by portraying intelligence operative Rachel Stone – a character already being acclaimed as the “female James Bond”. She also doubles as a producer for the film.

    Speaking with StarLifestyle in June, Gadot said it was the groundbreaking success of the Wonder Woman franchise that sparked her interest in creating more female-led action films.

    “After the success of Wonder Woman, I realised that there was an audience for these types of films… that there’s room for more female-driven action films. So this gave me the confidence to start this project and develop it,” she said.

    During StarLifestyle’s exclusive interview, the actress expressed love for the spy-action genre, citing the James Bond, Mission: Impossible, Die Hard and Bourne franchises as some of her favourites. While Gadot found inspiration in these films, she reiterated in the production notes that she refuses to relay on its success by gender-swapping the male leads to create a heroine.

    Gal Gadot in a scene from the movie. PHOTO: THE STAR

    Instead, she told StarLifestyle that she strives to create more original roles that spotlight women’s strength, intelligence and complex personality in “their own right” – something she believes Heart of Stone delivers.

    “I love Rachel because she’s a woman of many contradictions. She’s, on the one hand, an incredible spy and agent but at the same time, she’s having a hard time working with the system and the rules. She’s a loose cannon but she’s very methodical in everything that she does.

    “I felt like she had so many different layers to play with that would make her character very delicious to me,” Gadot said. Despite having a long list of action roles in her impressive portfolio, Gadot never gets tired of getting her hands dirty.

    She has jumped from motorcycles to moving cars in Fast Five and was pulled by her waist and shoulders at a high speed in Wonder Woman 1984.

    For her role in Heart of Stone, Gadot’s character can be seen engaging in close combat, getting in a motorcycle chase and skipping across an exploding blimp in the sky.

    To minimise the use of CGI, Director Tom Harper made sure to keep the big stunts grounded and realistically achievable in real life.

    “It’s really important that (Rachel) felt human rather than some sort of superhero. We wanted it to be as big, dramatic and impactful as it could be, where everything should be possible, but only just barely possible,” he said in the production notes.

    Of the sequence where Stone runs across an exploding blimp, Gadot – who has a black belt in karate – told Empire magazine that she spent time in a wind tunnel trying to replicate the vertiginous conditions of the scene.

    Ever the perfectionist, the actress told StarLifestyle that she trained for months to refine her stunt work. “It’s funny because every film that I do, I feel like this is the most action I’m going to do. And then comes the next one and the bar goes even higher.

    “With this one, the bar went up but we had such fantastic stunt teams. I’m lucky I got to work with several people from my previous films, so it’s like a second family.

    “And it was intense. We had action scenes taking place on a snowy mountain, up in the air, in the desert and in so many different locations. It was a lot,” she said.

    Speaking of filming in multiple locations, Heart of Stone was shot in five countries – Britain, Portugal, Italy, Iceland and Morocco.

    Shooting Heart of Stone in different locations was necessary to get audiences visually interested, the actress said in the production notes. “I like to think of going to the movies as an opportunity to experience interesting places.

    “Beyond great action, you get to see these locations you may not otherwise experience. Quite literally, it’s the perfect getaway movie!” she said. – Anndrea A Webber

    Love interrupted

    PHOTO: ENVATO

    CNA – If you’ve ever been in a romantic relationship, you’ve probably experienced the frustrating moment when you realise that while you were talking about something, your partner was engrossed in their phone.

    Considered a relationship breach, “phubbing” – a blend of “phone” and “snubbing” – seems harmless at first glance. However, mounting research reveals its potential harm.

    Recent findings linked frequent phubbing to lower marital contentment, while a 2022 study identified its ability to generate feelings of distrust and exclusion. Another study revealed a reciprocal pattern, where heavy phubbers tend to receive the same treatment in return, resulting in a ripple effect.

    “Phubbing can be a range of different behaviours, from glancing at your phone in the middle of a conversation, to checking your phone when the conversation stalls out a little bit, or keeping your phone close by,” said board certified couple and family psychologist and the Chief Academic Officer at the Family Institute at Northwestern University Anthony Chambers.

    He said the issue comes up among the couples he works with on an almost weekly basis.

    “It is a funny word, but it really can have an impact,” Dr Chambers added. Fortunately for most couples, it’s a relatively easy issue to fix, he said. These strategies can help.

    PHOTO: ENVATO

    1. ESTABLISH CLEAR GROUND RULES

    To the extent it is possible, couples should be aligned about how they define phubbing, and what they are willing to put up with, Dr Chambers said.

    But Professor in the Couple and Family Therapy programme at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Katherine Hertlein, whose research has focused on the effect of technology on couples and families, said she’s often surprised by how few couples – even those who may have met online – have clear phone or technology rules in place.

    A few starter questions she encourages couples to consider: What are the rules around when we talk to others? When is the phone present? When do we put it away?

    “I know people don’t want to do this in their relationships, but truly it’s the number one strategy,” Dr Hertlein said.

    Dr Chambers has had success in helping couples establish phone-free zones, whether that’s a particular room in the home where phones are off-limits, or a stretch of time when devices need to be put away.

    Partners should set the boundary together: No phones in the bedroom? No phones at meal time? (Research has found that when people keep their phones on the table, they tend to feel more distracted and less socially engaged.)

    It may help to establish lighthearted consequences for breaking the rules, Dr Chambers said: Perhaps a partner who whips out a phone at dinner needs to pay for the meal or do the dishes after.

    He also encourages couples to take control of their pop-up notifications. “That can be a really big trigger,” he said. “You hear the beep or the buzz, and you’re sort of trained to pick up the phone and say, Oh, what’s this? What’s going on here?”

    2. IF YOU’RE UPSET ABOUT PHUBBING, TALK ABOUT IT

    Obvious? Yes. But Dr Chambers frequently works with couples where phubbing behaviours have been left to simmer until they become a bigger problem.

    One partner may feel like the other is spending time on their phone in lieu of helping out with the kids or household tasks, or that they find work e-mails or the news more interesting than family time.

    He has worked with many clients who have admitted they had no idea how much distress their behaviours were causing until they were in a therapy session.

    “As soon as you’re starting to identify those feelings of being hurt or frustrated or being snubbed, those are the times when you need to let your partner know,” he said.

    3. NARRATE WHAT YOU’RE DOING

    A partner may be upset by phubbing because it’s simply bad manners. But in the context of a romantic relationship, there can be added layers of hurt, particularly if one partner feels like he or she is having to compete for the other’s attention, Dr Hertlein said.

    “The important thing to remember here is that it’s often what your partner perceives is happening that is creating the anxiety and creating the issue,” she said. “For instance: I perceive that you are engaging with other people to the exclusion of me.” Dr Hertlein noted that people tend to put their phones face down and then only pick them up for a moment or two, which can feel unintentionally secretive.

    For that reason, it may help to narrate what you’re doing when you are using your phone in front of your partner, Dr Hertlein said. If you are depositing a mobile cheque or replying to a work e-mail, let your partner know. Communication is the key to getting past phubbing, Dr Chambers emphasised.

    “I can’t stress enough the importance of letting your partner know how you feel,” he said.

    “Once you have understanding and clarity, you can really start to see the boost in relationship satisfaction.”

    Injured Stones out until September, says Guardiola

    PHOTO: CNA

    CNA – John Stones will be out of action until after the international break due to an injury, Manchester City Manager Pep Guardiola said, casting doubt on the defender’s availability for England’s Euro qualifier against Ukraine and friendly with Scotland next month.

    Stones, 29, suffered a muscle injury during pre-season training and did not feature in wins over Burnley, Sevilla and Newcastle United.

    PHOTO: CNA

    USA end basketball World Cup preparation with Germany win

    USA’s Austin Reaves passes the ball while being guarded by Germany’s Maodo Lo. PHOTO: AFP

    ABU DHABI (AFP) – Anthony Edwards, Austin Reaves and Tyrese Haliburton inspired a remarkable United States of America (USA) comeback against Germany in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, to ensure the Americans wrapped up their five-game series of World Cup tune-ups with a perfect winning record.

    USA trailed the Germans by 16 points late in the third quarter before LA Lakers’ Reaves and Indiana Pacers’ Haliburton came off the bench to help launch a much-needed fightback, scoring crucial threes and setting up Edwards for a monster finish to the game.

    The Minnesota Timberwolves guard top-scored with 34 points and it was an Edwards three-pointer halfway through the fourth quarter that levelled the clash before the Americans secured a 99-91 victory.

    USA and Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr paid tribute to Edwards and believes this national team call-up could provide a springboard for the 22-year-old.

    “He is unquestionably ‘the guy’. He knows it, but now the team knows it and I think the fans see it, but we see it in practice every day,” said Kerr.

    USA’s Austin Reaves passes the ball while being guarded by Germany’s Maodo Lo. PHOTO: AFP

    “He genuinely believes he is the best player in the gym every single night and he’s such a dynamic young player but I think he’s taking a leap.

    “And if you think about USA basketball over the years, a lot of young players have taken a leap in these World Cup, Olympic competitions and it feels to me like Anthony is taking that leap.” Toronto Raptors’ Dennis Schroeder spearheaded Germany’s offence, tallying up 16 points and 10 assists, while Franz Wagner of the Orlando Magic top-scored with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

    “Germany was great, they were so physical,” said Kerr.

    “Schroeder is such a tough match-up and gets penetration and they did a good job on the glass, they beat us up rebounding-wise, so we were trying to make decisions during the game, do we go bigger or do we try to get more playmaking on the floor?

    “They forced us into a lot of difficult decisions.”

    With exhibition game wins over Puerto Rico in Las Vegas, Slovenia and Spain in Malaga, and Greece and Germany in Abu Dhabi, USA now head to the World Cup in Manila, where they tip off their campaign against New Zealand on August 26.

    They are looking to improve on their poor seventh-place performance in the competition four years ago.

    “The hard part is when you don’t know your team quite well enough yet, you’ve got a lot of options but no clear decisions, no clear moves,” explained Kerr, who has the challenging task of putting together a group with no national team experience in the span of a few weeks.

    “And so, right now, tonight, was definitely sort of, let’s try to find a group that clicks and stay with them.

    “We have 12 great players and every night could be different, we just got to find a group that can click.

    “We still go to Manila feeling like we have a lot of room for growth but we also go there with a lot of confidence in ourselves in the group, in the fibre of the group, the connection, they really like each other, they play well together, and they fight.

    “So that’s a huge step.”

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    Borneo Bulletin is the leading English daily in the country. It was first published by Brunei Press. Today, Borneo Bulletin has become the foremost source of information on local and foreign affairs, and the region’s business news.

    © 2013 Borneo Bulletin Online - The Independent Newspaper in Brunei Darussalam, Sabah and Sarawak

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