https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyp07kpgrvo 

Apparently the result of an unprecedented heatwave over Antarctica in September.

Meanwhile, the hard-right government in NZ has been destroying environmental legislation.

They have introduced legislation to fast-track applications (ignore environmental considerations & objections) for coal mining and oil/gas drilling, deregulated sea-ben prospecting, and introduced a NZ$200m fund to pay oil companies to restart exploratory drilling (most had given up as there's been no new oil/gas deposits found for 20 years). In fishing, they've de-stricted bottom-trawling, and are allowing trawlers to set their own quotas, whilst removing oversight of adherence to remaining legislation (like monitoring by-catch)

Wider, there's massive public sector strikes to oppose huge cuts in public spending (including by the police there for the first time ever). There's a 'brain drain' of scientists as funding to universities & research is slashed, with 'blue sky' research struck off, hundreds of researcher staff fired.

Meanwhile, taxes for landlords owning multiple proporties have been cut*, as have taxes for the vape and alcohol industries. The Digital Services Tax has been dropped completely. Studies show that personal tax cuts have chiefly benefited the rishest NZ'ers. Fair Pay Agreement and pay equity laws have been scrapped.

* worth noting here that hard-right PM Christpher Luxton is a multiple property-owning landlord.... and multi-millionaire

They got elected thanks to the backlash against mad woman Jacinta Ardern's covid lockdown which ruined so many lives.  People unable to see family for years etc

Well at least those families were still alive at the end of it...

Is there no limit to your disgraceful displays of misogyny?

https://www.malaymail.com/news/world/2025/10/30/floods-in-vietnam-kill-at-least-10-as-river-hits-60-year-high-near-hoi-an/196624#google_vignette 

https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/environment/world-s-second-heaviest-24-hour-rainfall-recorded-in-hue-as-floods-devastate-central-vietnam-4957360.html 

The floods are now slowly going down; the tour company with whom I shall be in Vietnam next week have emailed to say that they expect to be able to fulfil their programme😮😮

EDIT - part of the tour includes a rail journey. Vietnam rail has had a train loaded with 700+tons of rock parked on a strategic bridge for a couple of,days to weigh the bridge down and stop it being swept away

Is this for holiday?  Didnt realise it was a tourist destination, though I imagine things have changed a lot since the war

https://www.getyourguide.com/en-gb/vietnam-l169193/ 

Just remember to call it the American War, not the Vietnam War - and keep your mental arithmetic active (I have a 500,000 Dong note at the exchange rate of 32,000 Dong to the pound - and yes, I shall have to split it when I get there)

One of my former pupils is teaching English in Vietnam and loves it. I bumped into his parents in the village and they told me about it. 👍

The French bread was the best in Palawan. 

https://roadsandkingdoms.com/2018/the-last-remains-of-viet-ville-pho-in-a-ghost-town/ 

When I visited the west coast all those years ago and watched the sunsets it never seemed so far to Vietnam across the sea. 

The main Philippine military base in Palawan is called WESCOM. Western Command and they certainly knew/know/are taught military history.  Palawan is the 'Western Front' (a play on European battlefields WW1) as I was told ad infinitum. A global flashpoint I watched evolving from 1998. And this strategist of course studied by all sides.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Tzu 

Blimey, what planet are you from? Vietnam has been open to tourism since the early 1990s. I went in 1994 and it was a great country to visit. Loads of amazing scenery and very friendly people.

I expect it has changed a lot in the last 30 years but it is now one of THE countries to visit in Asia. 

I remember being at a pub quiz around 1990 and one of the questions was "Where does a Vietnamese man keep his dong?"

3 of them? I'm assuming the first was unprecedented and the next 2 precedented.

When I was there, there was a huge fire that would have been a major story in the UK. Not a sniff on the BBC. I once went through an area where there was a recent flash flood. Incredible for me but even the local media glossed over that one. Part and parcel of daily life. A Marines  shoot out next to a beach resort with a number of NPA bodies I was staying at got the equivalent of a British D Notice.  The BBC mention Fung-wong as you can see but it's only the Philippines. 

Today 'Sex schedules and curiosity: How I keep my relationship alive' and the latest top tier resignations take centre stage.

There's footage of the winning goal being scored whilst the snow absolutely piles down (they had to repeatedly stop the game to clear the lines)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c7v89qmpn3do 

Oh, to get that sort of snow here (ideally around the 20th December!)

*not sure it fits the description, but it's very heavy snow

The famous orange ball, used to happen here fairly often, incredibly unusual now.