SMACIN GRACEFULL TEAM Two killed, 12 injured as storms hit France’s Corsica The French island suffered from hail, heavy rain and powerful winds which killed two people and injured 12 others. ADVERTISEMENT Two people were killed and 12 others injured when strong winds and hail hit the French island of Corsica, while storms have left about 1,000 households without electricity in mainland France. ADVERTISEMENT Parts of France have had more rain in just a few hours than in all of the recent months, with substantial flooding a result after weeks of heatwaves and drought degraded the soil’s capacity to absorb water. ADVERTISEMENT Corsica, a key tourist destination, on Thursday became the centre of a low-pressure area marked by intense storms with hail, heavy rain and winds of more than 220 kilometres per hour (136 miles per hour), according to a spokesman f

SMACIN GRACEFULL TEAM Japan’s cats and dogs get wearable fans to beat scorching heat Tokyo clothing maker rolls out battery-operated fan for pets suffering through Japan’s blistering summer weather. ADVERTISEMENT A Tokyo clothing maker has teamed up with veterinarians to create a wearable fan for pets, hoping to attract the anxious owners of dogs – or cats – that cannot shed their fur coats in Japan’s blistering summer weather. ADVERTISEMENT The device consists of a battery-operated, 80-gram (3-ounce) fan that is attached to a mesh outfit and blows air around an animal’s body. ADVERTISEMENT Rei Uzawa, president of maternity clothing maker Sweet Mommy, says she was motivated to create it after seeing her own pet chihuahua exhausted every time it was taken out for a walk in the scorching summer heat. ADVERTISEMENT CLICK TO EX