Rains, Landslides in Japan Force Over a Million to Leave Home
Over a million people were forced to leave their homes on Japan’s southern island of Kyushu last week after very heavy rains caused landslides. Some areas got over 39.5 inches (1 meter) of rain in less than a week.
The heavy rains have experts worried about more landslides and possible floods. People in low-lying areas have been moved to higher ground until the danger passes. The government is being careful. Last year over 200 people were killed in landslides and floods following heavy rains.
Near-Total Eclipse of the Sun in South America
People in Chile and Argentina got to see an almost total eclipse of the sun last week. An eclipse of the sun happens when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth. The moon throws a shadow across the sun, blocking its light, causing a “solar eclipse”.
Tens of thousands of people traveled to get a good view of the event, which began around 3:22 in the afternoon. People used special glasses to protect their eyes as they viewed the sun being blocked by the moon, turning the world dark in the middle of the day.
Imelda Marcos Party Sends Hundreds to Hospital
Imelda Marcos was the wife of Ferdinand Marcos. He was the president of the Philippines for over 20 years. Though Mr. Marcos died, Ms. Marcos has remained involved in politics in the Philippines.
Last week, Ms. Marcos celebrated her 90th birthday. Over 2,500 people went to her party. But the food at the party made many people sick. After eating, many people felt dizzy and threw up. Over 200 people were taken from the party to the hospital.
President Trump’s 4th of July Celebration
On July 4, the US celebrates its independence day. In the past, this holiday has been celebrated by US presidents, but not in a big, showy way. This year was different. US President Donald Trump ordered a large event which cost several million dollars. Mr. Trump’s event celebrated US independence from England, but also focused on the US armed forces, like the Army and Navy.
Mr. Trump got a lot of attention for the historical mistakes in his speech. In one part of the speech, he said that the US Army “took over the airports” as part of the battle for independence in 1775. Clearly, airports didn’t exist until much later. Mr. Trump blamed the mistakes on the machine that displayed the speech as he was reading it.