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Typhoon Mangkhut Slams Hong Kong and Southern China

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, New York Times

Typhoon Mangkhut Slams Hong Kong and Southern China

Typhoon Mangkhut battered Hong Kong and Macau on Sunday with 100 mph wind gusts, drenching rains and 11-foot surges of seawater that inundated the first urban area of Asia to face the wrath of the year’s mightiest storm. Mangkhut left a swath of damaged buildings and scores of injuries in Hong Kong and Macau before churning across China’s southern coast. China’s state television reported at least two people had been killed in densely populated Guangdong province. There were no reports of deaths in Hong Kong, but the government said early Monday that nearly 400 people had sought medical treatment.

Typhoon’s Toll in Philippines: Fatal Landslides and Flattened Villages

A day after Typhoon Mangkhut tore through the Philippines, officials began to discover that the human toll was worse than they had thought. In Benguet province, a landslide crushed a church and a bunkhouse for miners. With other landslide victims in the province, officials feared that the number of deaths could surpass 100. Elsewhere in mountainous parts of Luzon island, landslides buried homes, killing inhabitants who had chosen not to take shelter in one of the evacuation centers. By late Sunday, the unofficial count from police was 59 dead.

Sweden to Close Twitter Feed Making Ordinary People the Voice of a Nation

It was a radical experiment in free speech: Give ordinary people the chance to be, more or less, the official voice of Sweden. But after seven years of Twitter posts on topics as varied as manga comics, ugly sweaters and the dangers of prescription drugs, Sweden is calling it quits. At the end of September, the experiment will end. Anna Rudels, head of communication and digitalization at the Swedish Institute, said @sweden is being shut down because its creators wanted to broaden their scope. Most of the account’s followers come from Sweden, Britain and the United States.

Maori Language, Once Shunned, Is Having a Renaissance in New Zealand

Maori is having a revival across New Zealand. Indigenous people are increasingly embracing their language, rejecting generations of stigma associated with its use. And white New Zealanders are looking to Maori language and culture to help them make sense of their own cultural identity. “This is the new New Zealand,” said Ella Henry, a Maori studies lecturer at Auckland University of Technology. The government has pledged to provide Maori lessons in all New Zealand schools by 2025, despite a dearth of teachers who can speak the language.

What Is Lost When a Museum Vanishes? In Brazil, a Nation’s Story

Ash is still blowing through the park surrounding Brazil’s National Museum, which continues to tally its losses. According to the museum’s deputy director, the fire that burned down much of the building two weeks ago may have consumed 90 percent of the collection. The museum preserved documentation of indigenous languages for which there are no longer any living native speakers. All those records apparently went up in smoke, taking with it a culture. For generations, the National Museum has been where parents passed down to their children what it means to be Brazilian.

In the Balkans, Russia and the West Fight a Disinformation-Age Battle

As Macedonians prepare for the most important vote in their history, Facebook posts urge voters to burn their ballots, websites call for a boycott, and one article says Google may eliminate Macedonian from its list of languages. Macedonian and Western officials say the campaign is directed by Russian-backed groups trying to depress turnout in a vote that could put the Balkan nation on a path to join NATO. The Sept. 30 referendum asks Macedonians whether to end a dispute with Greece by renaming their country North Macedonia. Approval could unblock Greek objections to bringing its neighbor into the Western fold.

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