Start your day off right with five things you need to know this morning.
Five things you need to know
Millions of people in China's Sichuan province have been left without power amid a series of blackouts. It comes as temperatures in the area have exceeded 40ºC in recent days.
More than five million people in southwest China were facing rolling power cuts Wednesday as a heatwave creates an electricity supply crunch that has forced factories to stop work.https://t.co/H3CGBs3F1H
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) August 17, 2022
A manhunt has begun in England after an 87-year-old man riding a mobility scooter was stabbed to death in London. Police said the killing was an act of "unprovoked violence."
Horror on the streets of Lawless London: ‘Very kind’ elderly man brutally stabbed to death on his mobility scooter https://t.co/8SUcFE2sPu
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) August 17, 2022
A fierce critic of Donald Trump's has been defeated in a primary election. Liz Cheney, daughter of controversial former Vice President Dick Cheney, said her fellow Republicans had embraced Trump's "cult of personality."
Rep. Liz Cheney said she is considering running for president in 2024 — vowing that she will carry on her work to make sure Donald Trump doesn't return to the presidency after her primary defeat.https://t.co/cgXG0m8xZt
— NPR (@NPR) August 17, 2022
A new report has claimed that the area of woodland lost in fires around the world has doubled over the past 20 years. Global Forest Watch said that, in 2021, an area of forest the size of Portugal was lost.
"Staggering" rate of global tree losses from fires, report finds https://t.co/wdPJsILe3v
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) August 17, 2022
US President Joe Biden has signed a US$700 billion bill into law. Supporters of the gigantic funding package said it will help in the fight against climate change, bring down healthcare costs and increase taxes on the rich.
Biden signed a historic climate, health care and tax bill that has lingered on his agenda for over a year.
— POLITICO (@politico) August 16, 2022
It invests roughly $300 billion in climate and energy initiatives, limits prescription drug prices and puts a new minimum tax on big corporations. https://t.co/p9DEPNTcBZ
In happier news, NASA is preparing to launch its new super-sized Moon rocket. The 100-metre-tall Space Launch System is scheduled for its maiden lift-off on Aug. 29, with eager observers saying it will be "one of the most impressive launches of all time."
NASA's Space Launch System is rolling out for its first launch set for Aug. 29. With more thrust at liftoff than Saturn V, Artemis-1 is going to be one of the most impressive launches of all time.https://t.co/YTlFwHYx5L pic.twitter.com/tVG79snpWd
— Michael Baylor (@nextspaceflight) August 17, 2022
