Hong Kong Issues Highest Storm Alert as Typhoon Wipha Approaches
The Hong Kong Observatory lifted the signal to No. 10 at 9:20 a.m. local time. Wipha is expected to pass the city about 50 kilometers (31 miles) to the south, with wind speeds of 118 kilometers an hour, the weather agency said on its website. The maximum alert, which was last issued in 2023, is set to remain in force for 'some time,' it said.
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Forbes
2 hours ago
- Forbes
3 Best Amtrak Routes for an Epic Long-Distance Rail Trip
The westbound Amtrak 'California Zephyr' overnight passenger train passes through Hot Sulphur Springs on a summer afternoon. getty For those who love rail travel, the United States offers some of the most scenic and dramatic long-distance trains in the world. Seeing the Rocky Mountains from an observation car, gazing at Glacier National Park, or crossing the endless prairies are vistas that can only be experienced in this country. While Amtrak might lack the panache of European trains or the speed of Japan's bullet trains, there is something unique and deeply memorable about these all-American journeys. This impressed me as I was researching and writing my forthcoming book, National Geographic's 100 Train Journeys of a Lifetime: The World's Ultimate Rides (which will be published in October 2025). So here are three of my favorite long-distance train routes in the United States. Passengers enjoy the sightseer lounge car on Amtrak's California Zephyr during its daily 2,438-mile trip to Emeryville/San Francisco from Chicago that takes roughly 52 hours. Getty Images Amtrak's California Zephyr runs from Chicago to San Francisco, a two-night, three-day experience through the Midwest and the West to the Pacific Coast. The train passes through canyons, farmland, and deserts, not to mention the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada ranges. At 2,438 miles, it is Amtrak's longest daily route, following the same path as the 1869 transcontinental railroad. From Chicago's historic Union Station, you cross the prairie and over the Mississippi River, reaching Colorado the next day, slipping through Glenwood Canyon and then into Salt Lake City, Utah. Wake up in Nevada and chug into California's Sierras into the Lake Tahoe region, arriving in Emeryville, not far from San Francisco. You can do it straight through or break it up with an overnight stay in Denver, Salt Lake City, or Reno. The California Zephyr features Amtrak's coach reclining seats and Superliner sleeping options, ranging from Roomettes (which have seats that convert into beds, complete with linens and lounge access) to Superliner Bedrooms and Suites (more spacious than a Roomette and equipped with en-suite showers). The Observation car has panoramic windows to ensure fantastic views along the way. In mid-September, rates for a Roomette start at $1,613. King Street train station in downtown Seattle, Washington getty Amtrak's Empire Builder operates daily from Chicago to Seattle, a 2,210-mile journey that begins in Illinois and passes through Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, and Idaho. Packing in some of the most scenic stretches of America's prairies and mountains, the route follows parts of the Lewis & Clark Trail. Departing Chicago's Union Station, the Empire Builder heads north to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, before heading west across the Mississippi River into Minnesota, arriving the next morning at dawn in North Dakota. It crosses the prairies to the Rocky Mountains and the splendor of Glacier National Park. This is where you can easily break up the journey for a few days or more. The train continues through Idaho and arrives in Spokane, Washington, where it splits, with part of it heading to Portland, Oregon, while the other travels onward to Seattle. The latter route crosses the Cascades and travels along Puget Sound before arriving at King Street Station. Like all Amtrak long-distance trains from Chicago to the West Coast, the Empire Builder has four levels of service: coach reclining seats, Roomettes, Family Rooms, and Bedrooms. Meal service is available in the dining car, included in all classes except coach. There's also a classic western route Observation car. In mid-September, rates for a Roomette start at $1,546. The Amtrak Sunset Limited train travels through the desert near Sanderson, Texas. getty 3. Sunset Limited The Sunset Limited links two of the country's most distinctive cities, New Orleans and Los Angeles, crossing the southern United States on a 1,995-mile trip that spans five states: Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. For history buffs, note that it shadows a route originally used by the Southern Pacific Railway in 1894. From the Crescent City, the Sunset Limited passes through Louisiana's bayou country and heads into Texas, with stops at Houston and San Antonio. It passes close to Big Bend National Park, and then traverses the high country of New Mexico, near White Sands National Park. Entering Arizona, it pauses in Tucson before continuing to California, with a stop in Palm Springs, and then arrives in Los Angeles. The Sunset Limited utilizes two-story Superliner railcars with coach seats on both the upper and lower levels. Sleeper accommodations include Superliner Roomettes, Superliner Bedrooms, and Superliner Bedroom Suites. The Observation car on this train has floor-to-ceiling windows. In mid-September, rates for a Roomette start at $912.
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Liverpool tour diary: Slot's shift from Klopp time, Mac Allister's Cantonese and loans latest
Arne Slot made some subtle changes on and off the pitch during his 2024-25 debut year as he led Liverpool to Premier League title glory and he has now tweaked how they approach pre-season tours, too. When the club travelled to Asia on such trips during predecessor Jurgen Klopp's reign, the players were put on 'tour time' for the duration rather than adjusting fully to the actual time difference between the UK and wherever they were. The idea was to reduce the impact of jet lag. Advertisement Hong Kong is seven hours ahead of the UK, so the squad would previously have been told to set their watches only three hours ahead of the time on Merseyside. The clocks in their rooms and in communal areas at the team hotel were also changed accordingly. It meant there was often the strange sight of players having breakfast at what was actually lunchtime and their evening meal late at night. However, 'tour time' has been ditched under Slot, with Liverpool's schedule in Hong Kong on their current tour all in sync with local time. It has made life easier for staff, who previously had to juggle events across two different time zones, and has gone down well with the players. Tuesday was a good example of why this change is working out. Being on local time meant Liverpool trained in the morning, before the heavens opened. It is common during monsoon season here for there to be heavy rainfall later in the day. By then, the players were under cover, attending various meet-and-greet events with sponsors such as Standard Chartered, Nike and Carlsberg. The mood in the camp is certainly more buoyant than Liverpool's previous visit to Hong Kong, in 2017, when the weather was so bad that several training sessions were cancelled. Klopp also had to deal with key player Philippe Coutinho agitating for a move to Barcelona. The Brazilian finally got his wish six months later. Eight years on, there has been no such disruption, and Liverpool also have the daily backup option of training inside the new Kai Tak Stadium, which has a retractable roof and air-conditioning. On Wednesday, when Slot oversaw a gruelling double session, they used the pitch next to the stadium in the adjacent sports park. Luis Diaz's future may be uncertain amid Bayern Munich's ongoing pursuit but there has been no sign on this tour of the Colombian attacker downing tools to try to force a move. He has been the same bubbly personality as normal around the squad, and you certainly couldn't question his commitment during Thursday's open session. Diaz wowed a 25,000 crowd with some mazy runs down the left flank during the training drills. At one point, he hit the deck after tangling with Mohamed Salah and claimed he had been fouled. Slot smiled and gestured to Diaz that he'd dived. The former Porto winger saw the funny side and high-fived the Dutchman as he jogged past him. Diaz was down on the turf again soon after, having been too quick for Wataru Endo, who apologised for a late challenge. Cody Gakpo also stood out with some clinical finishing, while there were some lovely touches from newcomer Florian Wirtz, who was operating centrally as a No 10. The only concern for Slot ahead of Saturday's 50,000 sell-out against Milan here was the sight of the stadium's pitch cutting up a fair bit as the session progressed. New striker Hugo Ekitike watched on, having just flown in following the completion of his £79million ($107m) move from Germany's Eintracht Frankfurt. Hugo Ekitike walks out on to the training pitch in Hong Kong. A warm embrace from Arne Slot and then he meets his new team-mates for the first time. #LFC — James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) July 24, 2025 As the session came to a close, the 23-year-old Frenchman walked onto the pitch. Slot embraced him and then he went around meeting his new team-mates, who he joined on a lap of appreciation for the fans. Ekitike has been given No 54 as a temporary squad number, with no official confirmation of the shirts Liverpool's new signings will wear in the coming season expected until after the new kit deal with Adidas is launched next month. Hundreds of fans have been camped outside the team hotel on the stunning Kowloon waterfront in the hope of catching a glimpse of their heroes. Liverpool's captain Virgil van Dijk delighted them by going across for a lengthy signing session. Some of the throng have been holding up Diogo Jota No 20 shirts in tribute to the Portugal international, who died in a car accident in Spain earlier this month. Hong Kong Reds intend to perform Jota's fan chant during the 20th minute of Saturday's game. Advertisement Understandably, the demands on Liverpool's players in terms of corporate events and media duties on this trip have been scaled back as they continue to grieve for a much-loved colleague and friend. Kostas Tsimikas now has a permanent reminder of Jota — a tattoo on the back of his left hand which reads: 'Wish you were here 20'. Liverpool are contractually obliged to hold one press conference in Hong Kong and another in Japan before the other game of this trip against Yokohama F. Marinos there next week. Slot will be doing them post-match in both destinations rather than before. Salah has previous for winning table-tennis tournaments on Liverpool pre-season tours, and he remains the man to beat. He has been lighting up the ping-pong contests among the squad in the team hotel. Playing the card game Uno is another popular pastime for the squad during down time. Some brought a PlayStation with them from home to set up in their rooms. Alexis Mac Allister received a warm ovation from the locals by speaking Cantonese during a corporate event for Carlsberg. 'I love you' and 'cheers' were two of the phrases the Argentina midfielder nailed, pronunciation-wise. The host informed him he was a natural. Mac Allister wasn't involved in Thursday's open training as Liverpool continue to carefully manage his workload following the injury which ruled him out for the final two games of last season. He sat watching instead, having done an individual session earlier in the day. With all of Slot's senior stars available for this tour, a lot of talented Liverpool youngsters were left behind on Merseyside. However, two who were included in the travelling party have been earning rave reviews here. Midfielder Trey Nyoni and winger Rio Ngumoha have impressed staff with their attitude and application as well as their technical ability. Both appear to have made strides physically in terms of being better able to handle the demands of senior football. Advertisement Nyoni was rewarded with a contract on improved terms when he turned 18 last month, while Ngumoha will sign his first professional deal when he celebrates his 17th birthday next month. 'Training with the best team in the world so young, it's like every kid's dream, really. (Have to) Just keep on pushing now,' Ngumoha told LFCTV. 'The sessions are intense and tough, but it's been very good. Patience is key. I don't want to rush anything. I'm young, so I'll just keep working hard, showing the manager what I can really do.' Salah is a source of great support for the youngsters and provides advice on recovery and diet. Striker Jayden Danns and midfielder James McConnell were among the academy graduates who did not fly out to Hong Kong. Given the attacking options Slot already possesses, it was decided Danns would be better off staying behind to train with the under-21s at Kirkby. The 19-year-old is still building up his fitness after last season was wrecked by a back injury. A loan is on the cards, and the same goes for McConnell, who was not in the tour squad due to a minor injury issue. There is plenty of interest in borrowing him among clubs in the second-tier Championship, with the 20-year-old set to sign a new contract before he goes.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Tornado, damaging wind risk in Ontario and Quebec; prepare in case of outages
Heat and humidity return to Central Canada, elevating the thunderstorm risk in both Ontario and Quebec Thursday. DON'T MISS: Several lines of severe thunderstorms are expected to develop as humidity and instability peak during the afternoon and evening hours. Key factors driving this weather include moisture, instability, wind shear, and a low pressure system acting as a trigger. While the main risks are hail, heavy downpours and potent, potentially damaging wind gusts, there is a chance of rotation and one or two tornadoes for parts of northeastern Ontario, Lake Huron-Georgian Bay shores and Quebec. Make sure you keep an eye on the radar––especially if you have outdoor plans––and stay aware of any severe weather watches or warnings issued in your area. Thursday: Severe storm threat bubbles up with the rising humidity and instability Southern and eastern Ontario will experience humidex values near 40°C during the afternoon, with dry conditions likely until storms develop in the evening hours. SEE ALSO: Timing: 4-5 p.m. Thunderstorm activity is expected to begin as early as 4–5 p.m. in northeastern Ontario and parts of Quebec, where severe weather has the highest confidence. Early-stage storm development may lead to isolated, rotating cells capable of producing tornadoes, particularly in Quebec. Heavy rainfall is also a significant risk, with totals exceeding 50 mm locally due to multiple storm cells passing over the same areas. Localized flooding is a concern. RELATED: 7-8 p.m. As storms mature, a transition to a more linear pattern is expected, increasing the likelihood of damaging wind gusts between 90–100+ km/h, particularly along Georgian Bay and Lake Huron Shores from 7–8 p.m. onwards. Late evening and overnight: Thunderstorms may reach the northern Greater Toronto Area (GTA) during the late evening or overnight hours, but will weaken as energy diminishes. DON'T MISS: Rainy periods could persist into Friday morning for parts of the GTA. WATCH: In a tornado warning? Here's what you should do Click here to view the video Signs of cooler weather for the August long weekend Early next week, conditions will stay mostly sunny, hot, and humid, accompanied by a chance of passing thunderstorms. A strong cold front is expected to sweep south through the region midweek, bringing a heightened risk of thunderstorms. By late next week, cooler air will settle in, with temperatures expected to remain below seasonal averages through the August long weekend and into the first week of the month. However, a return to significantly warmer weather is anticipated for the second week of August. Stay with The Weather Network for more information and updates on your weather across Ontario and Quebec.
