Briefly

KOREAN PENINSULA

Joint military drills start after virus delay

The Republic of Korea and the United States began annual military exercises on Tuesday following a coronavirus delay, with the drills likely to infuriate the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, which has long considered them rehearsals for invasion. The drills came as tensions remain high between Seoul and Pyongyang after the DPRK blew up an inter-Korean liaison office on its side of the border in June and threatened military measures. The Combined Command Post Training will run until Aug 28 and "focus on the maintenance of the combined defense posture" between the two countries, the US Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

MAURITIUS

Oil cleanup team turns to mangroves

A Japanese disaster relief team helping to clean up a devastating oil spill off the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius is focusing on mangroves, beaches and wetlands after most of the oil at sea had been collected, it said on Tuesday. A Japanese bulk carrier struck a coral reef on July 25, spilling about 1,000 tons of fuel oil in what environmentalists say is the country's worst ecological disaster, killing wildlife and damaging pristine waters. Japan sent six officials, mainly oil-spill experts, to Mauritius last week and plans to send another team of environment ministry officials and specialists this week. The full impact of the spill is still unfolding, scientists say. As island residents scrambled to mop up the oil slicks and clumps, they saw dead eels and other fish floating in the water, as fuel-soaked seabirds limped ashore.

SPAIN

Ex-monarch has been in UAE since Aug 3

Former monarch Juan Carlos I has been in the United Arab Emirates since he left his country amid a growing financial scandal, the Spanish royal household said on Monday, resolving a two-week mystery and reining in speculation over the ex-king's whereabouts. The Spanish government and Royal House officials have been tight-lipped about Juan Carlos' location since Aug 3, when he published a letter to his son, King Felipe VI, that said he was moving outside Spain due to the "public repercussions of certain episodes of my past private life".

CANADA

Minister quits amid 'rift' with Trudeau

Canada's finance minister announced his resignation on Monday amid reports of differences with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over government spending to protect the economy during the coronavirus pandemic. Bill Morneau said he is leaving politics and has put his name forward as a candidate to lead the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Trudeau thanked Morneau for his five years as finance minister. Morneau and Trudeau have reportedly butted heads amid spending to backstop the pandemic-hammered economy. Morneau said he was not asked to resign but added that he is no longer the appropriate person for the job.

UNITED STATES

Death Valley's 54.4 C in frame for record

The hottest air temperature recorded anywhere on the planet in at least a century, and possibly ever, was reached in Death Valley in California's Mojave Desert on Sunday afternoon where it soared to 54.4 C. An automated observation system run by the US National Weather Service at Furnace Creek reported the record at 3:41 pm local time. A temperature of 56.7 C was recorded in Death Valley in July 1913. California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an emergency heat proclamation on Monday to free up energy capacity as a heatwave scorched the state.

Agencies - Xinhua