Eco-friendly vehicles provided the strongest lift to South Korea’s auto exports during the month. Their export value increased 25.5% from a year earlier to US$2.59 billion. Electric and hydrogen vehicle exports rose 31.9% to US$940 million. Hybrid exports advanced 22.2% to US$1.65 billion. By contrast, exports of internal combustion engine vehicles fell 3.1% to US$3.65 billion. Eco-friendly models accounted for about 41.5% of the country’s total automobile export value in July.
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Fujian authorities suspended 686 road passenger routes and 658 train services during the storm response. They also closed 234 major tourist attractions and canceled dozens of cultural and tourism events. In Shanghai, airlines canceled more than 900 flights at the city’s two main airports on Monday. Heavy rainfall caused flooding in parts of the financial center and disrupted public transportation. The measures followed widespread weather warnings across coastal areas exposed to Dolphin’s winds and rain.
More than 20,000 people fled communities around Okanagan Lake after the Bald Range wildfire surged through southern British Columbia over the weekend. Provincial authorities declared a state of emergency Saturday as flames advanced toward Summerland and areas near Peachland. The fire grew beyond 10,300 hectares by Saturday night. It destroyed homes and damaged other property along its path. Emergency crews used helicopters to reach dozens of residents cut off by the fire. Evacuation orders remained in force across several communities and rural areas Sunday.
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck southeast of Atka in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands late Saturday. The Alaska Earthquake Center recorded the quake at 7:36 p.m. Alaska Daylight Time on August 8. That corresponded to 03:36 UTC on August 9. The epicenter was about 48 miles, or 77 kilometers, southeast of Atka. Seismologists placed the earthquake at a depth of about 10.6 miles, or 17 kilometers.
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake hits southwestern China on Friday, striking Gao County in Yibin City within Sichuan province. According to official measurements published by the China Earthquake Networks Center, the seismic event occurred at 1:08 p.m. local time at a shallow focal depth of six kilometers. State broadcaster CCTV confirmed that one person was killed after being struck by a collapsing exterior wall while attempting to seek safety during the tremors.
Business
Travel
Etihad Airways will launch seasonal nonstop flights between Abu Dhabi and Gothenburg on December 17, 2026. The service will operate four times a week through March 21, 2027, connecting the UAE capital with Sweden’s second largest city during the winter travel period. The route will give Gothenburg its first direct air connection with the United Arab Emirates and provide passengers from western Sweden with access to destinations across India and Asia. The Airbus A321LR aircraft serving the route will have two First Suites, 14 Business seats, and 144 Economy seats, with high-speed Wi-Fi available throughout the cabins.
South Korea recorded a $596.6 million tourism surplus in June 2026, its strongest monthly result since the COVID-19 pandemic. The figure marked a $1.44 billion improvement from June 2025, when the balance showed an $846.8 million deficit. Korea Tourism Organization data show June produced the second-highest monthly tourism surplus on record. Only October 2008 was higher, with a surplus of $661.5 million.
Spain has begun temporary border checks on travelers arriving from Italy by air and sea, remaining in effect until Sept. 7. Italy imposed similar controls in response to a large migration influx into Ceuta, Spain’s North African enclave. While the checks target non-EU nationals, Italian and other EU citizens are exempt. Spain called on Italy to lift its restrictions before implementing its own measures, which include document checks at airports in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Bilbao, Alicante and Valencia.
Seoul, South Korea / RankWire.AI / – Government data released on Sunday…
Health
DR Congo’s Ebola outbreak has killed 1,916 people and produced 4,209 confirmed cases, according to official data through Aug. 7. That raises the death toll 29 above the 1,887 figure reported in the earlier update. Health authorities also counted 595 patients receiving care in isolation. Another 828 people have recovered from the Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak.
Automotive
The restructuring strategy, formally named the Future Package, was negotiated between the executive leadership of Porsche and the General Works Council in coordination with the metalworkers union IG Metall and the employers association Südwestmetall. Executives emphasized that workforce reductions will be executed through socially responsible mechanisms, including expanded partial retirement programs, voluntary severance packages, and natural demographic attrition. Management explicitly ruled out compulsory redundancies through 2035, while extending existing site guarantees for five years. In exchange for labor concessions, the automaker committed 2.1 billion euros in capital investments dedicated to upgrading its assembly plant in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen and its research facility in Weissach.