San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Race to find missing after slide in Japan
A powerful mudslide carrying a deluge of debris crashed into rows of houses in a town southwest of Tokyo after heavy rains Saturday, killing at least two people and leaving about 20 missing, officials said. As many as 80 homes in Atami were completely buried, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. Atami is a seaside resort area in Shizuoka prefecture, about 60 miles from of Tokyo.
The two people confirmed dead, both women, had been swept to the sea and were found by the coast guard, said Tatsushi Ueda, a Shizuoka official in charge of disaster prevention.
Torrential rains drenched parts of Japan last week. Experts said dirt was loosened, increasing landslide risks in a country filled with valleys and mountains.
Landslides appeared to have struck several times. Footage showed a powerful slide slither down a mountain, knocking over and crushing houses and sweeping away cars in its path. Helpless neighbors watched in horror.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga called an emergency meeting for his Cabinet as evacuation warnings were issued for a wide area affecting more than 35,000 people.
The heavy seasonal rains also disrupted train service and prompted evacuation orders in several towns south of Tokyo.
10 indicted in finance scandal
A Vatican judge on Saturday indicted 10 people, including a oncepowerful cardinal, on charges including embezzlement, abuse of office, extortion and fraud in connection with the Secretariat of State’s 350 millioneuro investment in a London real estate venture.
The indictments were handed down following a sprawling, twoyear investigation into how the Secretariat of State managed its vast asset portfolio.
Five former Vatican officials, including Cardinal Angelo Becciu and two officials from the Secretariat of State, were indicted, as well as Italian businessmen who handled the London investment.
Also indicted on alleged embezzlement charges was an Italian intelligence expert accused of buying luxury goods with Holy See money intended to help free Catholics held hostage.
Vatican prosecutors accuse the main suspects of bilking millions of euros from the Holy See in fees and other losses related to financial investments that were funded in large part by donations to the pope for works of charity. The suspects have denied wrongdoing.
Boat capsizes — dozens lost
At least 43 migrants drowned off the coast of Tunisia on Saturday and 84 others were rescued after their boat capsized overnight, the Tunisian Red Crescent said.
Mongi Slim, head of the organization, said the boat left Libya’s coastal city of Zuwara on Friday to cross the Mediterranean to Italy.
The defense ministry’s spokesperson, Mohamed Zekri, said 84 migrants were rescued by fishermen.
Libya is a frequent departure point for migrants making the dangerous Mediterranean crossing. Several shipwrecks from smugglers’ boats have occurred in recent weeks, as attempts to reach Europe become more frequent amid warmer summer weather.
The head of the Red Crescent, meanwhile, issued an urgent warning that migrant shelters in Tunisia have reached full capacity are are unable to shelter more.
Epstein ranch listed for sale
A sprawling New Mexico ranch belonging to deceased financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is on the market for $27.5 million.
The 12squaremile Zorro Ranch was put up for sale by Epstein’s estate and includes a 26,700squarefoot mansion and a private airstrip with a hangar and helipad, according to the listing at Sotheby’s International Realty Santa Fe.
Epstein killed himself in jail in 2019 at age 66 while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking girls in New York and Florida.
The listing was reported by the Wall Street Journal, which said proceeds from the sale would go toward compensating those who filed claims against Epstein and paying taxes and creditors.
Firm cancels pipeline project
Environmentalists claimed victory Saturday after a company canceled plans to build an oil pipeline through southwestern Tennessee and northern Mississippi, and over an aquifer that provides drinking water to 1 million people.
Byhalia Connection said it will no longer pursue plans to build a 49mile underground artery that would have linked two major U.S. oil pipelines while running through wetlands and under poor, predominantly Black neighborhoods in Memphis.
A joint venture between Valero and Plains All American Pipeline, Byhalia Connection had said the pipeline would bring jobs and tax revenue to the region. But, in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Friday, Byhalia Connection said it was canceling the project “due to lower U.S. oil production resulting from the COVID19 pandemic.”