Flash floods facts

A water pump station is seen at a flooded area after Ukrainian military forces opened a dam to flood an residencial area in order to stop advance of Russian forces. The intentional flooding of a small village north of Kyiv that created a quagmire and submerged cellars and fields, but prevented a Russian attack on the capital, was worth all the sacrifice, residents said. Ukrainian forces opened a dam early in the war in Demydiv, causing the Irpin River to flood the village and thousands of acres around. The move has since been credited with stopping Russian soldiers and tanks from breaking through Ukraine's lines. "Of course, it was good," said a man who lives in the village, but would not reveal his name. "What would have happened if they (Russian forces) …. were able to cross the little river and then went onto Kyiv?" More than a third of some fields have been flooded, said another man, who also did not reveal his name. Close Some two months later, people … [Read more...] about Ukraine village flooded intentionally to prevent Russian attack

Bangkok has flooded in many areas after 10 hours of torrential rain beginning at 3pm yesterday and continuing into the early hours of this morning, according to the Department of Drainage and Sewage. The most affected areas are Chatuchak, Lak Si, Don Mueang and Lat Phrao. In some places, the water level has reached higher than 1 metre. The floods caused traffic jams this morning, namely at Ratchayothin Intersection and Ratchadapisek – Lat Phrao Intersection. Now, the roads are starting to return to normal. However, some sections of the roads may still be flooded, so bear this in mind if you are driving in Bangkok today. The Department of Drainage and Sewage reported that flood solution projects are going ahead in Bangkok and should be completed in many areas by the end of May. The projects will definitely help alleviate Bangkok’s flooding situation this monsoon season, according to the department. SOURCE: CH7 Get more from The Thaiger FREE APP: ANDROID or iOS … [Read more...] about Flooding in Bangkok after 10 hours of torrential rain

What does it take to trigger a crash in the stock market? A once-in-a-century pandemic? The biggest war in Europe in 70 years? The US Federal Reserve instantaneously cutting off the supply of the opium of record liquidity and low interest rates? Multi-year high inflation? How about black magic? The Oxford Dictionary defines black magic as a type of magic that is believed to use the power of the devil in order to do evil. In a world where boring financial data, profit and loss statements, and complex macroeconomic events sway the everyday movement of stock prices and stock indices, one Rajkot-based stockbroker claimed last week that he spent more than Rs 8 crore to engineer a multi-day crash in the stock market with the help of esoteric black magic. Close “We are responsible to a great extent for today’s fall and the fall of the past few days in the market. You won’t believe it, but we have spent over Rs 8.5 crore today in kala jadu (black magic) to create … [Read more...] about A lone bear, black magic and a $235 billion stock market crash

The Railways has short terminated/cancelled 29 trains because of the downpour. (Representational image) Assam has been hit by incessant rains and landslides. At least three people have died in the state and transportation has been hit. The Railways has short terminated/cancelled 29 trains because of the downpour. Check the full list of cancelled trains below: Trains have been further cancelled or partially cancelled. @ANI @PIB_Guwahati @PIBAgartala @ddnewsagartala @ddnews_guwahati @airnews_ghy @airnews_agt @airnews_silchar @silcharNOW @News18Northeast @DY365 @DimahasaoPolice @DimaDipr @cacharpolice @diprassam @RailMinIndia https://t.co/qk4ijqIWLl pic.twitter.com/9DvdyDPpJ5 — Northeast Frontier Railway (@RailNf) May 15, 2022 Close Dima Hasao, Cachar and Karbi Anglong districts have been the worst-hit by the deluge. In Dima Hasao, the Indian Air Force rescued over 100 passengers from a railway station on May … [Read more...] about Rain, landslides hit Assam. Check full list of cancelled trains

- A + A (May 18): Asian sponsors of blank-check firms are facing a tough market for initial public offerings wherever they turn, as a combination of increasing regulatory scrutiny and fading investor demand shutters the window for new listings from the US to Asia. In the past three months, at least six Asia-related special purpose acquisition companies seeking a combined $1.3 billion from US IPOs have been scrapped, according to data provider SPAC Research. Of 12 blank-check firms that have filed to go public in Hong Kong, only one has actually started trading. It’s a similar pattern in Singapore, where SPACs have stalled after three inaugural IPOs in January. “The global IPO market has obviously been very quiet so far this year,” Paul Uren, JPMorgan Chase and Co.’s Asia Pacific head of investment banking, said in an interview with Bloomberg TV. “What we need to see for that to change is lower volatility and investors with more of a risk-on mentality.” Asia was … [Read more...] about Asia’s SPAC Hopefuls Have Nowhere to Turn As IPO Market Shuts

- A + A (May 18): Asian sponsors of blank-check firms are facing a tough market for initial public offerings wherever they turn, as a combination of increasing regulatory scrutiny and fading investor demand shutters the window for new listings from the US to Asia. In the past three months, at least six Asia-related special purpose acquisition companies seeking a combined US$1.3 billion from US IPOs have been scrapped, according to data provider SPAC Research. Of 12 blank-check firms that have filed to go public in Hong Kong, only one has actually started trading. It’s a similar pattern in Singapore, where SPACs have stalled after three inaugural IPOs in January. “The global IPO market has obviously been very quiet so far this year,” Paul Uren, JPMorgan Chase and Co’s Asia Pacific head of investment banking, said in an interview with Bloomberg TV. “What we need to see for that to change is lower volatility and investors with more of a risk-on mentality.” Asia was … [Read more...] about Asia’s SPAC hopefuls have nowhere to turn as IPO market shuts

When a $70 million NFT sold at Christie’s last spring—a time before Bored Apes, Cool Cats, and Lazy Lions roamed the earth—some scoffed at the fortune spent on computer pixels that could be copy-pasted to your screen for free. But the lot wasn’t just a jpeg, it was the jpeg—and the money went to claim the original work, or the one we would call “authentic.” Take away that distinction, and yes, the file is worthless. advertisement advertisement It’s a high-stakes game that’s rife with fraud, abuse, and theft, and not even the biggest players are immune. But OpenSea, the planet’s largest NFT marketplace, might have a few tricks up its sleeve. This morning, it’s rolling out two products to safeguard the authenticity of collections on its platform. The first streamlines the verification of creator accounts, and the second banishes copymints, or spoofs of existing NFTs, using image recognition. Verified badges are among OpenSea’s so-called … [Read more...] about OpenSea is on a new quest to ban copymints, armed with AI, Twitter threads, and Discord chats

FILE PHOTO: Senator Joel Villanueva thanks colleagues for their help and contribution in perfecting Senate Bill No. 2234, creating the Department of Migrant Workers on Tuesday, December 14, 2021. (A. Calvelo, V. Domingo/Senate PRIB) MANILA, Philippines — Reelected Senator Joel Villanueva said Wednesday that he is open to joining the Senate minority bloc in the incoming 19th Congress. Villanueva said the remark after being asked what his preferred Senate committees are, following the proclamation of the so-called Magic 12 at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City. “When it comes to committees, preferential committees, etcetera, I don’t mind. In fact, I can even say that I’m open to being part of the minority,” he said before the proclamation of the winning candidates in the May 9 senatorial election. In the 18th Congress, Villanueva belonged to the majority bloc. Currently, he is the chairman of the Senate committees on labor, employment, and human … [Read more...] about Villanueva open to join Senate minority bloc

Elon Musk, who is in talks to acquire Twitter, has said he will conduct his own research to ascertain the actual number of spam accounts on the platform. Twitter Chief Executive Officer Parag Agrawal stood by the company’s estimate that less than five percent of its daily active users were “fake or spam”,  as Elon Musk expressed doubts about it. Elon Musk , whose deal to buy Twitter is presently on hold, has said he will conduct his own research to ascertain the actual number of spam accounts on the social network. Let’s talk about spam. And let’s do so with the benefit of data, facts, and context… — Parag Agrawal (@paraga) May 16, 2022 In a Twitter thread on May 16, Parag Agrawal opposed the idea of an external estimate of fake accounts. Elon Musk disagreed with the comment, responding to it with a poo emoticon. Close “We don’t believe that this specific estimation can be performed externally, given the critical need to use both public and … [Read more...] about As Parag Agrawal stands by Twitter spam estimates, Elon Musk’s emoji response

For one small Ukrainian company, conflict has become a key mile marker. Fashion editors Kate Zubarieva, 33, and Asya Varetsa, 31, conceived of the idea for their fashion label, Sleeper , during the 2014 Revolution of Dignity--a five-day clash between protesters and the Ukrainian government in Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, which eventually led to the ousting of the country's president, Viktor Yanukovych. Then, in February 2022, after Russia invaded the country , the Ukrainian company rapidly laid down manufacturing roots in another country. As Russia began planning a military offensive against Ukraine in December 2021, the Sleeper team began to prepare for the worst, and the founders knew they had to make a series of tough decisions. In about two to three weeks, the apparel company helped relocate 30 employees abroad and 40 to more western regions of Ukraine. It also transitioned its production to Turkey. "We knew we had a good amount of savings to sustain the … [Read more...] about No One at the Ukrainian Fashion Brand Thought Russia Would Really Invade, But They’re Glad They Planned for It Anyway