Yu, 62, gained global relevance as an architect and urban planner after the Chinese government adopted his concept of “sponge cities” using nature-based solutions to absorb and retain water

International News via Reuters:

Chinese architect Kongjian Yu died in a plane crash late on Tuesday in the vast Brazilian wetlands of Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin said on Wednesday.

Yu, 62, gained global relevance as an architect and urban planner after the Chinese government adopted his concept of “sponge cities” using nature-based solutions to absorb and retain water instead of concrete infrastructure to channel it away. 

The concept has since been adopted in hundreds of places in China as well as urban areas from the U.S. to Russia.

Alckmin confirmed that Yu and three other people, the pilot and two local filmmakers, were killed when the aircraft they were traveling in crashed in a rural area near the town of Aquidauana, in the Pantanal wetlands.

“I received with sadness the news of the plane crash in the Pantanal,” the vice president wrote on X.

“Professor Yu made notable contributions to sustainable urbanism, the preservation of biodiversity and the protection of the planet. His legacy will continue to inspire all those dedicated to the ecological cause,” he added.

Yu was featured in the opening program of the Sao Paulo International Architecture Biennale last week. Newspaper Estadao reported that he then joined a trip with filmmakers shooting a documentary about his work.

Turenscape, a Beijing-based design firm Yu founded in 1998 that specializes in landscape architecture, urban planning and ecological restoration, did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside normal working hours.

Yu has led Turenscape since its founding as the firm’s principal designer, growing it into a team of more than 500 specialists, according to its website.

Reporting by Fernando Cardoso in Sao Paulo; Additional reporting by Eduardo Baptista in Beijing; Editing by Gabriel Araujo, Brad Haynes, Hugh Lawson and Ed Osmond

French media reported that the music teacher was stabbed in the face by a student during class, and authorities arrested a 14-year-old suspect soon after the attack

International News via Reuters:

A teacher who was stabbed by a student fascinated by “Nazi ideologies” in a middle school in northeastern France is in stable condition, the French education minister told reporters on Wednesday.

“She is still being treated at the hospital. She had an initial operation and is under observation at the hospital, but her life is not in danger,” Elisabeth Borne told reporters.

French media reported that the music teacher was stabbed in the face by a student during class, and authorities arrested a 14-year-old suspect soon after the attack.

The suspect stabbed himself during his arrest and has also been taken to an area hospital, French broadcaster BFM reported.

Security in France’s schools has been the subject of intense debate in recent years. In June, then-Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said the government would test adding security gates at schools after a school aide was stabbed during a bag search.

And in 2020, the murder of teacher Samuel Paty after he showed pupils caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad in a class on free speech sparked a political uproar.

Borne said the suspect remained in critical condition.

“This young man had been identified for his fascination with Nazi ideologies,” Borne said, but added: “This was not a young man known for being violent.”

Jacky Wolfarth, mayor of the town of Benfeld where the attack took place, said the school was evacuated and described the incident to reporters as “isolated.”

The prefecture declined to comment, and the gendarmerie and the local prosecutor did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Reporting by Makini Brice; additional reporting by Dominique Vidalon and Geert De Clercq; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Hugh Lawson

The loan, aimed at helping Kyiv fund its war effort, would be repaid by Ukraine only once it receives reparations from Russia in a peace accord

International News via Reuters:

The European Union’s “reparations loan” for Ukraine could be up to 130 billion euros, EU officials close to the talks said, with the size to be finalised after the International Monetary Fund’s assessment of Ukraine’s financing needs in 2026 and 2027.

The idea of a reparations loan to Kyiv, based on cash balances of Russian assets immobilised in the West after Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022, was floated by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on September 10.

The loan, aimed at helping Kyiv fund its war effort, would be repaid by Ukraine only once it receives reparations from Russia in a peace accord. The risk would be carried collectively by European and possibly also some other G7 countries, she said.

Most of the roughly 210 billion euros worth of Russian assets held in Europe are in Belgian central securities depository Euroclear. Officials said 175 billion euros of the assets in Euroclear have now matured and become cash that could be the basis of the new loan.

But officials said that before the EU would move ahead with the reparations loan, it would want to repay the 45 billion euro ($50 billion) G7 loan agreed last year.

That would leave some 130 billion euros from the cash balance available for the new instrument, three officials close to the discussions said.

USING RUSSIAN ASSETS WITHOUT CONFISCATING THEM

EU Economic Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said on Friday that the Commission would only decide on the size of the loan after receiving an IMF assessment of Ukraine’s financing needs over the next two years.

No concrete details have been agreed, senior EU finance ministry officials have said. The Commission is working out a mechanism to allow it to use the frozen Russian assets without confiscating them — a red line for many EU governments and the European Central Bank.

The reparations loan mechanism is likely to include a Special Purpose Vehicle to which the immobilised Russian cash from Euroclear could be transferred in exchange for zero-coupon bonds issued by the European Commission with the guarantees of EU and possibly G7 governments.

($1 = 0.8518 euros)

Reporting by Jan Strupczewski; editing by Richard Lough and Ros Russell

As of September 21, a total of 57 cases, including 10 probable cases and 35 deaths were reported in Congo’s Kasai Province

International News via Reuters:

Eleven new confirmed cases of Ebola were reported in Democratic Republic of Congo since the World Health Organization’s last update on September 15, showing a decreasing trend of cases in the recent week, the UN health agency said on Wednesday.

As of September 21, a total of 57 cases, including 10 probable cases and 35 deaths were reported in Congo’s Kasai Province, the WHO added. The total deaths included 10 probable deaths.

“The outbreak shows a decreasing trend of cases in the recent week, nevertheless the attention remains high”, the agency said.

Reporting by Chandni Shah in Bengaluru; Editing by Joe Bavier

The 50-metre deep (164 feet) sinkhole extended about 900 square metres in front of the Vajira Hospital, halting traffic

International News via Reuters:

Thai authorities rushed to contain a massive sinkhole near a hospital in central Bangkok that disrupted utilities and traffic, officials said on Wednesday. 

The 50-metre deep (164 feet) sinkhole extended about 900 square metres in front of the Vajira Hospital, halting traffic. 

Footage on social media showed the road slowly sinking as water poured out from a drainage pipe, dragging down electricity poles. The hospital announced that it would not take on patients during the incident. 

“Dirt from an underground train construction was sliding in,” Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters. “Luckily there are no deaths or injuries.”  

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said a pipe had burst so water and power lines have also been cut. 

“The hospital has no problems, but we are worried about the police station: that’s still dangerous and the public has been evacuated,” he said. 

By noon, authorities said they had halted further ground movement and were monitoring the site closely.

Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat, Chayut Setboonsarng, Editing by David Stanway

Berlin is one of several airports across Europe impacted by the disruptions, attributed to a ransomware attack on software provider Collins Aerospace

International News via Reuters:

Berlin airport is battling to restore its check-in and baggage handling systems after a cyberattack at the weekend, with further delays and cancellations possible on Wednesday, the airport operator said in a statement.

Berlin is one of several airports across Europe impacted by the disruptions, attributed to a ransomware attack on software provider Collins Aerospace, which have affected dozens of flights and thousands of passengers since Friday.

It may take several more days before the German capital’s airport has functional and secure software again, with staff working flat out to process passengers manually in the meantime, the BER operator said in a statement.

The software provider “has called in other experts and is working urgently to find a solution,” it added.

Passengers should be prepared for long delays, and the airport encouraged people to check with their airlines in advance whether their flight was still planned.

Collins Aerospace said on Monday that it was working with the affected airports, which also include Brussels and London Heathrow, Europe’s busiest.

Berlin airport was particularly busy after a marathon took place in the city over the weekend, with many runners struggling to return home.

Reporting by Rachel More, editing by Thomas Seythal