Authorities in the South Korean capital deploy a fleet of 200 trucks to cool roads across the vast metropolis after record temperatures are recorded. At least 16 people die from heat-related causes.
The typhoon made landfall in Guangdong province, bringing strong winds and heavy rain. Authorities issued the highest flash-flood alert in several provinces.
A fire broke out at a shoe factory in the city of Jinjiang in Fujian province. Footage aired by state television showed people trapped on the roof of the multistory building as thick black smoke billowed into the sky. President Xi Jinping ordered authorities to "make every effort to carry out rescue operations, determine the cause of the accident and severely punish those responsible."
Japan’s defense minister rejected Beijing’s claims about Tokyo’s military buildup, and addressed his Chinese counterpart’s absence from Asia’s security summit: “Since World War II, we have upheld international law.” China’s defense minister boycotted the Singapore conference for the second year in a row.
After the Beijing summit, US President Donald Trump’s advisers fear China could invade Taiwan within the next five years. There are also concerns over what such a move would mean for US access to the island’s advanced chip industry.
Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, the former police chief facing crimes against humanity charges, defied arrest and called on Filipinos to rally to his defense.
Following the elimination of Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Pyongyang toughens its stance and enshrines a “mutual destruction” mechanism in law. The new amendment stipulates that the military must immediately launch nuclear weapons if the supreme command is neutralized. At the same time, Kim Jong Un has ordered the deployment of advanced artillery that directly threatens Seoul.
A Chinese military court sentenced two former defense ministers to death for corruption, with a two-year reprieve after which the sentence will be commuted to life in prison. The convictions come amid an unprecedented wave of purges in the upper ranks of the Chinese military led by President Xi Jinping, which has already resulted in the removal of more than 100 senior officers.
Twenty-five defectors from the dictatorial state revealed that people face severe punishments, including death, for watching international content, particularly South Korean media.
Beijing announced that it had opened an investigation into Gen. Zhang Youxia, China’s most senior military officer and a deputy to President Xi Jinping on the body overseeing the armed forces. The Wall Street Journal reported that a special briefing for senior officers laid out the suspicions against him: leaking nuclear secrets to the US and accepting bribes in exchange for promoting the former defense minister. The affair could lead to a sweeping purge within the Chinese military.
