Temperatures have topped a record 40°C in some regions since late July, and crops such as rice and maize have begun to show signs of damage, North's Rodong Sinmun said.

NORTH Korea on Thursday called for an "all-out battle" against record temperatures that threaten crops in a country already grappling with tough international sanctions over its nuclear weapons programme.

The resulting drought has brought an "unprecedented natural disaster", the isolated nation said, warning against crop damage that could savage its farm-reliant economy, battered by sanctions despite recent diplomatic overtures.

"This high-temperature phenomenon is the largest, unprecedented natural disaster, but not an obstacle we cannot overcome," the North's Rodong Sinmun said, urging that "all capabilities" be mobilised to fight the extended dry spell.

Temperatures have topped a record 40°C in some regions since late July, and crops such as rice and maize have begun to show signs of damage, the mouthpiece of the ruling Workers' Party said in a front-page commentary.

"Whether the current good crop conditions, for which the whole nation has made unsparing investment and sweated until now, will lead to a bumper year in the autumn hinges on how we overcome the heat and drought," it added.

Similar past warnings in state media have served to drum up foreign assistance and boost domestic unity.

"I think the message was a precautionary one to minimise any impact on daily life," said Dong Yong-seung, who runs Good Farmers, a group based in Seoul, capital of neighbouring South Korea, that explores farm projects with the North.

But the mention of unprecedented weather, and a series of related articles, suggest the heat wave could further strain its capacity to respond to natural disasters, said Kim Young-hee, a defector from North Korea and an expert on its economy at Korea Finance Corp in Seoul.

The warning comes after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un announced in April a shift in focus from nuclear programmes to the economy, and held an unprecedented June summit with US President Donald Trump in Singapore.

Since then, the young leader has toured industrial facilities and special economic zones near the North's border with China, a move experts saw as a bid to spur economic development nationwide.

"He has been highlighting his people-loving image and priority on the economy but the reality is he doesn't have the institutions to take a proper response to heat, other than opening underground shelters," added Mr Kim, the economist.

Drought and floods have long been a seasonal threat in North Korea, which lacks irrigation systems and other infrastructure to ward off natural disasters.

Last year, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation warned of the North's worst drought in 16 years, but late summer rains and privately produced crops helped avert acute shortages.

There appear to be no immediate signs of major suffering in the North, with rice prices stable around 62 U.S. cents per kg through the year to Tuesday, a Reuters analysis of data compiled by the Daily NK website showed.

The website is run by defectors who gather prices through telephone calls to traders in the North, gaining a rare glimpse into the lives of ordinary citizens. REUTERS</s>SEOUL (THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - The extreme heat wave gripping the Korean Peninsula is forecast to reach its highest temperature in the coming days, South Korea's state weather agency said on Tuesday (July 31).

While the daytime high in Seoul rose to 38.3 degrees Celsius around 3pm local time (2pm Singapore time) on Tuesday, the figure is likely rise to 39 deg C on Wednesday, the highest temperature in the city since the government started compiling the data in 1907, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

On Tuesday, KMA issued additional extreme heat wave warnings for Gyeongju and Cheongsong in North Gyeongsang province. The warnings had been issued in almost all regions across the country as the daytime highs rose to over 35 deg C for past few days.

Twenty-seven people have died of heat stroke and more than 2,200 people have been taken to the hospital for heat-related conditions as of Tuesday, according to the Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

This year's number of heat casualties appears to have jumped from last summer when 1,574 patients and 11 deaths related to heat were reported.

South Koreans are also enduring days of tropical nights, during which the lowest temperature remains above 25 deg C from 6pm to 9am the next day.

The blistering heat wave with daytime highs hovering around 35 deg C is to continue until the end of this week, according to the weather agency. The temperature is 4 to 7 deg C higher than the last year's average summer temperature.

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"Usually, we see the hottest days early to mid-August. So the hot weather is likely to continue," an official from the KMA told The Korea Herald.

While several factors are behind the extreme heat wave this year, the main cause is the high atmospheric pressure from northern China and southern Mongolia which has expanded to reinforce the North Pacific anticyclone, the official explained.

"Being under high atmospheric pressure means the air from above circulates downward. And because of the clear skies, the air is heated and the cycle has repeated, resulting in the high temperatures," the official said.

In the Cabinet meeting Tuesday, Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon ordered a review of lowering the price of electricity for the socially disadvantaged, viewing the extreme weather condition as a "special disaster" situation.

Interior and Safety Minister Kim Boo-kyum also called for all administrative efforts to be put toward protecting those vulnerable to the hot weather, such as the elderly and said the ministry will designate special agents to check on them.

The minister also ordered active promotion of a campaign which recommends people call their parents to check how they are doing and talk to them about preventing heat-related problems.

Regional governments are also moving to check their heat-related policies, including Seoul which operates daytime heat shelters with air conditioning and monitoring of homeless in public areas.

Gyeonggi provincial government will also conduct inspections to see whether the measures to prevent heat-related accidents are appropriately implemented, in 10 cities from Wednesday until Aug 10.</s>SEOUL, Aug 2 (Reuters) - North Korea on Thursday called for an "all-out battle" against record temperatures that threaten crops in a country already grappling with tough international sanctions over its nuclear weapons programme.

The resulting drought has brought an "unprecedented natural disaster", the isolated nation said, warning against crop damage that could savage its farm-reliant economy, battered by sanctions despite recent diplomatic overtures.

"This high-temperature phenomenon is the largest, unprecedented natural disaster, but not an obstacle we cannot overcome," the North's Rodong Sinmun said, urging that "all capabilities" be mobilised to fight the extended dry spell.

Temperatures have topped a record 40°C (104°F) in some regions since late July, and crops such as rice and maize have begun to show signs of damage, the mouthpiece of the ruling Workers' Party said in a front-page commentary.

"Whether the current good crop conditions, for which the whole nation has made unsparing investment and sweated until now, will lead to a bumper year in the autumn hinges on how we overcome the heat and drought," it added.

Similar past warnings in state media have served to drum up foreign assistance and boost domestic unity.

"I think the message was a precautionary one to minimise any impact on daily life," said Dong Yong-seung, who runs Good Farmers, a group based in Seoul, capital of neighbouring South Korea, that explores farm projects with the North.

But the mention of unprecedented weather, and a series of related articles, suggest the heat wave could further strain its capacity to respond to natural disasters, said Kim Young-hee, a defector from North Korea and an expert on its economy at Korea Finance Corp in Seoul.

The warning comes after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un announced in April a shift in focus from nuclear programmes to the economy, and held an unprecedented June summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore.

Since then, the young leader has toured industrial facilities and special economic zones near the North's border with China, a move experts saw as a bid to spur economic development nationwide.

"He has been highlighting his people-loving image and priority on the economy but the reality is he doesn't have the institutions to take a proper response to heat, other than opening underground shelters," added Kim, the economist.

Drought and floods have long been a seasonal threat in North Korea, which lacks irrigation systems and other infrastructure to ward off natural disasters.

Last year, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation warned of the North's worst drought in 16 years, but late summer rains and privately produced crops helped avert acute shortages.

There appear to be no immediate signs of major suffering in the North, with rice prices stable around 62 U.S. cents per kg through the year to Tuesday, a Reuters analysis of data compiled by the Daily NK website showed.

The website is run by defectors who gather prices through telephone calls to traders in the North, gaining a rare glimpse into the lives of ordinary citizens.

Crops are good this year because there was little flooding to disrupt the early spring planting season, said Kang Mi-jin of the Daily NK, based in Seoul.

"They say nothing remains where water flowed away, but there is something to harvest after the heat," Kang said, citing defectors. "Market prices are mainly determined by Chinese supplies and private produce, rather than crop conditions."

The October harvest would reveal any havoc wreaked by the weather, Kim Young-hee added.

North Korea suffered a crippling famine in the 1990s when a combination of bad weather, economic mismanagement and the demise of fuel subsidies from the Soviet Union all but destroyed its state rationing system.

However, rationing has slowly been overtaken by an increase in foreign products, mainly from China, and privately produced food sold in North Korean markets, a factor experts say U.N. reports overlook.

The neighbours are in talks to help the North modernise its economy, step up disaster response measures and expand forests in a follow-up to April's historic summit between Kim and South Korea's President Moon Jae-in.

Across the border, temperatures hit 39.6°C (103.28°F) in Seoul on Wednesday, their highest since weather authorities began monitoring in 1907. The heat has caused 29 deaths and injuries to more than 2,350 people, health officials have said. (Reporting by Hyonhee Shin, Editing by Soyoung Kim and Clarence Fernandez)</s>SEOUL, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Seoul recorded its highest temperature ever on Wednesday as a deadly heat wave continues to bake the country.

The temperature in central Seoul hit a record high 103 degrees Fahrenheit, the highest since weather forecasters started tracking temperatures in 1907.

Heat wave warnings have been issued in most of the regions across the country.

At least 27 people have died of heatstroke, as of Sunday, and more than 2,000 people have fallen ill with heat-related symptoms, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The ongoing heat wave has caused more than 350,000 deaths of livestock in the southern province of North Gyeongsang. The North Chungcheong Province also reported some 260,000 livestock deaths.

Food prices have also surged amid the sweltering heat.

Prices for agricultural products jumped by 4 percent last month compared to July of last year, according to a consumer price figure by Statistics Korea, Financial News reported.</s>Rome, July 31 - The heat wave Italy is enduring has prompted the health ministry to declare a maximum, level three alert for five cities in the north and centre of the country on Tuesday - Bologna, Bolzano, Genoa, Perugia and Pescara. Three more cities, Florence, Rieti and Campobasso, will be put on level three alert on Wednesday. The intense heat is forecast to last until the first weekend of August, at least.</s>Rome, July 31 - The health ministry is set to put 18 cities on the maximum, level three alert on Thursday due to Italy's ongoing heat wave, up from five on Tuesday. The north and centre of the country are worst-hit. The cities on red alert will be Bolzano, Bologna, Brescia, Campobasso, Florence, Frosinone, Genoa, Latina, Milan, Perugia, Pescara, Rieti, Rome, Turin, Trieste, Venice, Verona and Viterbo. The intense heat is forecast to last until the first weekend of August, at least. National grid company Terna said that Italy's electricity consumption reached its highest level so far this year, 56,400 MW, at 14:30 on Tuesday as people put their air conditioning on full blast to cope with the heat. That is still some way below the all time high of 60.500 MW reached on July 22, 2015.</s>Heat at record temperatures for over a week now is taking its toll in British Columbia.

On Sunday, July 29th, 13 locations, most in the interior of the province, broke long-held records.

Lytton got to 41.4 C while Whistler Village was up at 36 C.

The summer of 2018 started off with a record-breaking heat wave in June, but in July, along with the heat, the smoke-filled air due to forest fires, is adding to the challenge.

Heat advisories have been issued for nine days now in tandem with air quality warnings due to the smoke from forest fires burning in Richmond, and the Okanagan Valley.

Added to this are weather patterns that are bringing smoke from raging forest fires in Siberia. People with respiratory issues are advised to stay indoors.

Several beaches in the Vancouver region have been closed due to e-coli growth, but public pools have extended hours to help people cope.

Meteorologists say the extreme heat is coming to an end today, and tomorrow there should be a 10 degree drop in temperature due to what they call a “stratus surge”.

“That’s when the very cool air that’s overlying the Pacific Ocean, where the fog bank sits, is going to surge inland through Juan De Fuca Strait and onshore.” Environment Canada spokesman, Matt MacDonald explained to Lisa Johnson of CBC Vancouver.

The skies may cloud over as well, but rain would be most welcome at this point.

“It’s been a solid 20 days since we’ve seen any precipitation and I think a lot of people are yearning for it now.” MacDonald said.</s>More than 300 people died in July from weather-related disasters in one of Japan’s deadliest months in recent years.

First came record rainfall. Disaster authorities say at least 220 people were killed early in the month by severe flooding and landslides in western Japan, with nine more still missing and presumed dead. That was followed by record temperatures topping 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). The heat has been blamed for 116 deaths.

The toll was high, even for a country prone to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and typhoons. One of the wealthiest nations in the world, Japan has used its technological prowess to build substantial defences against natural disasters. Rivers are lined with tall walls and man-made embankments to keep them from overflowing. Skyscrapers, built on shock-absorbing systems, are designed to sway in an earthquake instead of toppling.

Western Japan saw historic rainfall at the end of the first week of July. Warm and humid air from the Pacific Ocean intensified a seasonal rain front, triggering torrential downpours, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. What was left of a typhoon earlier in the week added to water levels.

The death toll was the largest from a major storm since 1982, according to the Nippon.com website.

About half the victims were in Hiroshima prefecture, where the more than 100 deaths exceeded the 77 killed by landslides in the same state in 2014. Also hard-hit was neighbouring Okayama prefecture, where a river embankment collapsed in Kurashiki city, submerging neighbourhoods in one-story high floodwaters.

More than 70,000 troops and emergency workers were dispatched to distribute supplies and dig through debris to search for the missing. As of Sunday, more than 10,000 people remained in evacuation centres, unable to return home. Workers and volunteers who descended on the region to help clean up and rebuild soon faced another risk: heatstroke.

One measure of the heat is the number of people taken to hospitals by ambulance with heatstroke symptoms. That figure more than tripled to nearly 10,000 in the second week of July and topped 22,000 in the third week before falling back to a still high 13,700 last week, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said Tuesday.

The mercury hit 41.1 degrees Celsius on July 23 in Kumagaya, a city about 65 kilometres northwest of Tokyo, the highest ever recorded in Japan. The temperature reached 39 C the same day in central Tokyo.

Two lingering high-pressure systems trapped warm and humid air above the region, bringing record temperatures for about two weeks.

The blistering heat wave has also gripped neighbouring South Korea, where 26 people have died of heat-related causes in July, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday.

Many of the victims in Japan were elderly people who were not using air conditioning. Authorities and news media repeatedly urged people to stay inside and turn on the air conditioning. A first-grade student died on a school outing to a park.

The record heat reignited a simmering debate about how athletes and spectators will fare at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 2020. Organizers promised a slew of measures to combat the heat, including an early morning start to the marathon.</s>It's Day 8 of heat without a break for B.C.'s South Coast, expected to be the hottest yet in a stretch that's making Vancouver wonder what was so bad about all that rain anyway.

With no precipitation in 20 days, Grassy parks went yellow weeks ago.

Wildfire smoke has oozed in from near and far, mixing with local stenches near trash cans and alleys.

Even the beaches, which normally bring relief with salty sea air, are crying foul: high levels of E. coli prompted health officials to close Kitsilano and Sunset beaches this weekend.

But soon, says Environment Canada, it will actually cool down and clear out, as the "ridiculously resilient ridge" of high pressure that's stagnated the air for weeks is expected to give up on Wednesday.

As expected, the weekend was cooking, and a baker's dozen of temperature records fell across B.C. on Sunday.

Lytton, B.C., was the hottest spot in the province, hitting 41.4 C and breaking a record for July 29 that had been held for nearly a century.

Twelve of the 13 locations were in the Interior, including Prince George, Williams Lake, Mackenzie and Burns Lake. Comox, on Vancouver Island, was the one coastal location that hit a new temperature high for the day, at 32.2 C.

Monday was expected to be a degree or two higher than Sunday, and more records could fall, says meteorologist Matt MacDonald of Environment Canada.

The Lower Mainland's prolonged heat warning — since last Monday, July 23 — hasn't itself broken any records though, says MacDonald, because the system for heat warnings changed in B.C. this year.

It has rivaled the deadly heatwave of 2009 in duration, but not absolute temperature, he said.

That year, the end of July saw temperatures at Abbotsford, B.C. reaching 38 C, whereas this year they've hit 34 C.

Heat warnings continued Monday for many parts of B.C., including Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, Greater Victoria, Whistler, the Sunshine Coast, the Okanagan Valley and elsewhere.

After a peak of heat on Monday, Tuesday is expected to cool and then a big change is coming Wednesday in what meteorologists call a "stratus surge," said MacDonald.

"That's when the very cool air that's overlying the Pacific Ocean, where the fog bank sits, is going to surge inland through Juan De Fuca Strait and onshore."

When that happens, skies will turn cloudy and grey.

"It's also going to cut our temperatures by almost 10 degrees Celsius, so a much needed cooling finally on Wednesday," he said.

Going into the long weekend, temperatures are likely to be below seasonal norms, and there may even be a spit of rain before next week, said MacDonald.

"It's been a solid 20 days since we've seen any precipitation and I think a lot of people are yearning for it now."</s>The thermometer reads 105.8 degrees Fahrenheit in Kumagaya city, north of Tokyo on July 23, 2018. Searing hot temperatures are forecast for wide swaths of Japan and South Korea in a long-running heat wave.

Deaths from extreme heatwaves will increase dramatically by 2080 if humans are unable to adapt as temperatures rise around the world due to global warming, a new study suggests.

Researchers from Monash University in Australia said the uptick in deaths will start in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, before moving to Australia, Europe and the United States.

Researchers in the study created a model to estimate the number of deaths from heatwaves in 412 communities across 20 countries between 2031 to 2080.

Projections used different scenarios such as levels of greenhouse gas emissions, preparedness and adaption strategies and population density.

The study found under the worst-case scenario in Australia, deaths from heat waves in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne will surge 471 percent compared to the period between 1971 and 2010.

"If we cannot find a way to mitigate the climate change and help people adapt to heatwaves, there will be a big increase of heat wave-related deaths in the future, particularly in the poor countries located around the equator," said Yuming Guo, associate professor at Monash University and the study's lead author, in a statement.

Their findings were published in the journal PLOS Medicine.

The study recommends several changes to limit the number of deaths related to excessive heat, including making more drinking water available to the public and creating a heat wave warning system.
An intense heat wave hits South Korea, which started at the end of July and is forecast to reach its highest temperature in the coming days. The heat wave kills 27 people, while more than 2,200 are taken to the hospital.