Four cyclones spin in the Pacific Ocean
HONOLULU— Four tropical cyclones are swirling in the Pacific this week.
The most interesting of these is Hurricane Hector, which on Monday had a maximum wind speed just 1 mph short of Category 5. The storm is east of Hawaii and tracking west, but is expected to slide just south of the island chain Wednesday and Thursday.
Only 25 of 1,007 named storms in the eastern Pacific since 1949 have matched Hector’s strength, according to Michael Lowry, a strategic planner at FEMA.
A hurricane hasn’t made landfall in Hawaii since 1992, when Iniki left 22-foot water marks on the island, according to NOAA. No stronger strom has since hit Hawaii.
Mosque debris escape
LADING-LADING, Indonesia — Soldiers have pulled a man alive from the rubble of a mosque flattened by an earthquake on the Indonesian island of Lombok, while thousands of locals waited for aid Tuesday and tourists camped in the lobbies of damaged hotels.
Lombok has been devastated by the magnitude 7.0 quake that struck Sunday night, damaging thousands of buildings and killing at least 98 people. Rescuers expect that figure to rise.
Disaster officials have not said how many people they believe are buried beneath Jabal Nur mosque, but a rescue worker told The Associated Press that about 50 people were praying inside when it collapsed.
New charge for former PM
KUALALUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysia’s anti-corruption agency says former Prime Minister Najib Razak will face a charge of money laundering on Wednesday.
Mr. Najib in July pleaded not guilty to abuse of power and three counts of criminal breach of trust, two months after the scandal led to his surprise election defeat.
The charges are related to the transfer of 42 million ringgit ($10.3 million) into his bank accounts from SRC International, a former unit of the 1MDB fund that U.S. investigators say was looted by Mr. Najib’s associates.
Saudi-Canadian feud
WASHINGTON— The Trump administration on Tuesday urged Canada and Saudi Arabia to settle an escalating diplomatic fight but did not voice support for the activists whose jailing is at the heart of the dispute.
State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the Trump administration stands for human liberties and due process, but refused to side with Canada or condemn Saudi Arabia’s arrest of the activists.
Saudi Arabia and Canada are “close partners” to Washington, she said, and insisted the United States has a “regular dialogue,” albeit a mostly private one, with the government in Riyadh about human rights.
Past administrations sometimes criticized the ultra-conservative kingdom’s human rights record. But President Donald Trump has courted a close friendship with King Salman and his heir apparent, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Mr. Trump also has criticized Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a spat over trade tariffs.
Storm forms in Atlantic
FORTLAUDERDALE, Fla. — A new named storm formed Tuesday in the north Atlantic.
Subtropical Storm Debby is expected to fall apart in a couple days and is not a threat to land, the National Hurricane Center said.
Debby had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph at 5 p.m. EDT Tuesday. The storm is southeast of Newfoundland and moving north at 15 mph.
Hurricane season runs through Nov. 30.