MANILA, Philippines — A new typhoon barreled across an agricultural region in the northeastern Philippines on Monday after thousands were evacuated to safety while still struggling to recover from the devastation caused by three successive storms in the last three weeks. Typhoon Toraji slammed into northeastern Aurora province and was forecast to blow over the mountainous Luzon region, where President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. — just the day before — inspected the damage from the last storm and led the distribution of food packs to residents in Cagayan and Ilocos provinces. Marcos skipped this week's Asia-Pacific Cooperation forum in Peru to oversee recovery efforts from back-to-back storms. After making landfall in Aurora on Monday morning with sustained winds of up to 130 kilometers (81 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 180 kph (112 mph), the typhoon was expected to barrel northwestward across Luzon, weaken as it crosses a mountain range and then blow into the South China Sea. Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Sunday ordered the forcible evacuation of people in 2,500 villages expected to be lashed by Toraji, locally named Nika, warning that the rain-soaked Luzon mountains, valleys and plains were more susceptible to flash floods and landslides. With the typhoon approaching fast, there was little time to move large numbers of people to safety, he said. "We understand if some would want to stay, but we have to get them out," Remulla told reporters. The military said its disaster-response forces have been deployed near high-risk areas and were standing by for new contingencies. It added that it suspended combat drills in the north due to the weather. "Our commitment remains steadfast in safeguarding and assisting our countrymen specially in times of disaster," Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said. Schools were shut down, inter-island ferry services and domestic flights were suspended in provinces in or near the path of the typhoon, the 14th weather disturbance to batter the Philippine archipelago this year. Forecasters said they were monitoring another brewing storm in the Pacific that could affect the country if it strengthens. The last two typhoons and a tropical storm caused more than 160 deaths, damaged thousands of houses and farmlands and affected more than 9 million people, including hundreds of thousands who fled to emergency shelters, after dumping from one to two months' worth of rain in just 24 hours in some cities and towns. Overwhelmed, the Philippines received help from Southeast Asian countries led by Singapore, along with longtime treaty ally the United States, to transport food, water and other aid to hard-hit northern provinces. The Philippine archipelago is often battered by typhoons and earthquakes and has more than a dozen active volcanoes, making it one of the most natural disaster-prone countries in the world. In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest recorded tropical cyclones, left more than 7,300 people dead or missing, flattened entire villages and caused ships to run aground and smash into houses in the central Philippines.

International aid groups say Israel hasn’t met the U.S. demand deadline for allowing more humanitarian access into the Gaza Strip. The groups say conditions are worse now than any point in the 13-month-old war. This week, the outgoing Biden administration is expected to judge whether Israel has done enough to meet a demand issued last month to get more aid flowing into Gaza. We speak to Larry Garber, former USAID Mission Director to the West Bank and Gaza.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has ordered the Nigerian Stock Exchange to suspend trading on the shares of Oando Plc. The commission said in a circular yesterday it had carried out a comprehensive review of the petitions by Alhaji Dahiru Barau Mangal and Ansbury Incorporated and made the following findings amongst others; Breach of the […]

SEC suspends Oando shares from stock market

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — The Federal Aviation Administration announced Tuesday that it will prohibit U.S. airlines from flying to Haiti for 30 days after gangs shot a Spirit Airlines flight. The United Nations also said it will suspend flights, "obviously limiting the flow of humanitarian aid and humanitarian personnel into the country."  The bullets hit the plane when it was about to land Monday in the country's capital, Port-au-Prince, injuring a flight attendant. It was part of a wave of violence that erupted in Haiti as the country swore in its new prime minister after a politically tumultuous process.  Life in much of Haiti's capital was frozen after the wave of violence, which came to a head when gangs shot the Spirit Airlines airplane Monday, forcing the airport to shut down. Photos and videos obtained by The Associated Press show bullet holes dotting the interior of a plane. A number of airlines suspended flights to Haiti through Thursday, but it was unclear how long closures could drag on.  Neither the former interim prime minister, Garry Conille, nor the newly inaugurated Alix Didier Fils-Aime commented on the violence.  But Luis Abinader, who as president of the neighboring Dominican Republic has cracked down on Haitian migration, called firing on the airplane terrorism.  "This was a terrorist act; the countries that are following and helping Haiti should declare these armed gangs as terrorist groups," Abinader said in a news conference.  On Tuesday, heavily armed police in armored cars outside the airport checked trucks used for public transportation passing by.  Schools were closed, as were banks and government offices. The streets, where just a day before gangs and police were locked in a fierce firefight, were eerily empty.  The sound of heavy gunfire was heard in the streets in the afternoon — a reminder that despite political maneuvering by Haiti's elites and a strong push by the international community to restore peace, the country's toxic slate of gangs kept its firm hold on much of the Caribbean nation.  The United Nations estimates that gangs control 85% of the capital. A U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan police to quell gang violence struggles with a lack of funding and personnel, prompting calls for a U.N. peacekeeping mission.

2024 Resilient Pacific Islands Leaders (RPIL) Fellowship

2024 Pacific Islands Leadership Program with Taiwan (PILP)

After postponing the eleventh hearing into the drug-related extrajudicial killings on November 11, the House Quad Committee proceeded as initially scheduled on Wednesday, November 13.

More than a decade’s worth of stagnant health packages lead to the build-up of PhilHealth’s idle funds, according to the government corporation’s chief. 

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso — Burkina Faso's military regime, in power since a 2022 coup, will extend its rule for five years under an accord adopted during national consultations on Saturday, the talks' chairman said.  "The duration of the transition is fixed at 60 months from July 2, 2024," Colonel Moussa Diallo, chairman of the organizing committee of the national dialogue process, said after the talks.  He added that coup leader and acting president Ibrahim Traore could run in any elections at the end of the transition period.  What was supposed to be a two-day national dialogue began earlier Saturday, ostensibly to chart a way back to civilian rule for the West African nation beset by jihadi violence.  The army has governed Burkina Faso since 2022, carrying out two coups that it said were justified in large part by the persistent insecurity.  Jihadi rebels affiliated with al Qaida and the Islamic State group have waged a grinding insurgency since 2015 that has killed thousands and displaced millions.  An initial national dialogue had resulted in a charter that installed Traore as president and put in place a government and a legislative assembly.  Under the new charter, quotas will no longer be used to assign seats in the assembly to members of traditional parties. Instead, "patriotism" will be the only criteria for selecting deputies.  "You have just rewritten a new page in the history of our country," said Minister of Territorial Affairs Emile Zerbo, who opened the meeting on Saturday morning.  The initial charter set the transition to civilian rule at 21 months, with the deadline set to expire July 1.  But Traore had repeatedly warned that holding elections would be difficult given the perilous security situation.  The new charter also calls for a new body called the "Korag" to "monitor and control the implementation of the country's strategic vision in all areas and through all means." Its composition and operations are at the discretion of the president.  Civil society representatives, the security and defense forces and lawmakers in the transitional assembly took part in the weekend talks, which most political parties boycotted.  Human rights groups have accused Burkina Faso's junta leaders of abuses against civilians during their military campaigns against jihadis, and of silencing media and opposition leaders.   After taking power, the coup leaders expelled French troops and diplomats, and have instead turned to Russia for military assistance.   

[Nyasa Times] Malawians across the country are feeling the weight of soaring cooking oil prices, with many struggling to make ends meet as the cost of living continues to rise. Over the past month, the price of cooking oil has surged by an average of 12%, forcing consumers to dig deeper into their pockets to purchase essential household items.

Maltese producers raise alarm over ripple effect of late payments in funding and services to creatives from Malta Film Commission

Over the coming month, the United States has a window of opportunity to lift a multi-billion-dollar burden from Ukraine, and other countries in financial distress, without costing the US taxpayer a dime. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is currently considering ending its controversial “surcharges” — punitive fees that it imposes on countries whose debt exceeds […]

Social protection systems are essential to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. However, social protection is insufficient across Asia and the Pacific, and the region is at risk from megatrends: climate change, demographic shifts and digitalization. Tens of millions of people have been pushed into extreme poverty since COVID-19, reversing past gains, and many […]

In the coming decades, the Asia-Pacific region faces a series of challenges that threaten to exacerbate poverty. Among these, climate change, demographic shifts, particularly population ageing and the rise of digital technologies stand out as three interconnected global megatrends. A recent technical paper supporting the Social Outlook for Asia and the Pacific 2024 explores various […]

Jalen Johnson had 18 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists and three steals to lead the visiting Atlanta Hawks to a 117-116 victory over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday in the first NBA Cup game for each team. Jaylen Brown and Derrick White scored season highs of 37 points and 31 points, respectively, for the Celtics. Brown was 7 of 12 from 3-point territory and 10 of 15 overall. White added six rebounds and five assists. Atlanta took a 117-116 lead when Onyeka Okongwu tipped in a missed shot with 6.1 seconds to play. After each team turned the ball over […]...

Keep on reading: NBA Cup: Hawks catch Celtics in closing seconds for win

LUCENA CITY — Classes were suspended on Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 13, in Calaca City, Batangas province, due to the harmful presence of volcanic smog or “vog” from Taal Volcano. The Calaca public information office announced the suspension around 11:30 a.m. in a post on its Facebook page. “In accordance with the directive of the DepEd Calaca City Sub-Office and Calaca City DRRMO, the suspension of classes this afternoon is recommended for all public and private schools at all levels in Calaca City due to volcanic smog or “vog” from Taal Volcano,” the post said in Filipino. Local authorities advised the […]...

Keep on reading: Calaca City suspends classes due to 'vog' from Taal Volcano

MANILA, Philippines — The excess campaign funds of then-president Rodrigo Duterte were used for the reward system of police officers during his administration’s brutal war on drugs.  Duterte himself admitted this to Santa Rosa City Rep. Dan Fernandez during the House of Representatives quad committee during its 11th probe on his controversial anti-drug campaign.  “I still remember that you mentioned na yung pera galing sa donation ng inyong campaign funds will be utilized for the reward system, that’s private money,” Fernandez said.  (I still remember you mentioned that the money from the donation for your campaign funds would be utilized […]...

Keep on reading: Excess campaign funds used for drug war reward system, Duterte admits

[Radio Dalsan] Mogadishu -- The Federal Government of Somalia has dispatched four planes of humanitarian aid to Baidoa, the capital of the Southwest State, in response to escalating concerns over a severe drought expected to hit the region.

[Shabelle] Kismayo, Somalia -- The regional state of Jubaland has announced the suspension of all cooperation with the Federal Government of Somalia, escalating tensions over political and governance issues. The decision, made public early Sunday, marks a significant rift in the country's federal structure.

[Shabelle] Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has touched down in Riyadh on Sunday evening for the Extraordinary Arab and Islamic States Summit.

Halevi gave this message after the IDF killed 1,000 Hamas terrorists in the northern Gazan city and additionally captured another 1,000 terrorists.

Thousands of Serbians demand prime minister's resignation following deadly roof collapse

Thousands masquerade as Carnival season starts with festivals across Germany

On November 6, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the second round of polio vaccinations in the Gaza Strip has been completed. A total of 556,744 children under ten years of age received the mOPV2 vaccine along with a dose of vitamin A to ensure immunization. However, due to rampant hostilities from the Israeli […]

Over the past few months, the escalation of gang violence and mass displacement in Haiti have been of great concern for humanitarian organizations. Severe levels of armed violence have resulted in significant instability, with food insecurity, sexual violence, civilian casualities, and restricted freedom of movement plaguing the nation. Displacement cases have risen sharply, to the […]

The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, adopted in 1995 during the Fourth World Conference on Women, remains a cornerstone in the global pursuit of gender equality and women’s empowerment. With the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on the Beijing+30 Review fast approaching, now is the time to reflect on the progress made and the challenges that […]

Jennifer Aniston is one of the highest paid actresses of HollywoodAmerican actress, Jennifer Aniston revealed that she was once told by one of her show’s producers that popular sitcom Friends will not 'make her a star'. Globally acclaimed NBC show aired on TV in 1994. At the same time,...

Angelina Jolie received an Oscar for film 'Girl, Interrupted'Angelina Jolie has responded to the Oscar buzz surrounding her latest released film, Maria. Amid all the hype, Jolie feels ‘very nice’, but she is far happier to have been a part of a movie which gave her an opportunity of...

Duchess Sophie wins hearts after touching exchange at Windsor: WatchThe Duchess of Edinburgh, Sophie, accompanied a 21-year-old Emily, who has cerebral palsy, in a heartwarming gesture.Emily had taken part in the BBC Children in Need and The One Show's fundraiser, The Challenge Squad, in which she...