MANILA: About 6,000 people were evacuated from their homes as a tropical storm hit the southern Philippines on Sunday, raising the risk of floods and landslides, authorities said.
The storm, locally named “Auring,” hit Siargao island — just off the main southern island of Mindanao — with maximum gusts of 70 kilometers (44 miles) per hour.
The storm is forecast to move westward across the southern and central islands before exiting the archipelago by Tuesday, the government weather station said.
Floods have already occurred in some communities as rain had been falling even before the storm hit, said Amado Posas, the civil defense director of operations in the affected area.
The storm is expected to bring heavy rain that will cause rivers and streams to overflow, Posas told AFP.
He said disaster monitoring agencies had ordered pre-emptive evacuations even before the storm hit so there would be no casualties.
The government has also suspended sea travel in affected areas.
The Philippine islands are often the first major land mass to be hit by storms that generate over the Pacific Ocean. It endures about 20 major storms each year, many of them deadly.
At least six people were killed and 18 others were missing after Typhoon Nock-Ten lashed the Philippines over the Christmas holidays.
Thousands evacuated as storm hits southern Philippines
Thousands evacuated as storm hits southern Philippines
Italian PM pledges to deepen cooperation with African states
- The plan, launched in 2024, aims to promote investment-led cooperation rather than traditional aid
ADDIS ABABA: Italy pledged to deepen cooperation with African countries at its second Italy-Africa summit, the first held on African soil, to review projects launched in critical sectors such as energy and infrastructure during Italy’s first phase of the Mattei Plan for Africa.
The plan, launched in 2024, aims to promote investment-led cooperation rather than traditional aid.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni addressed dozens of African heads of state and governments in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, and reiterated that a successful partnership would depend on Italy’s “ability to draw from African wisdom” and ensure lessons are learned.
“We want to build things together,” she told African heads of state. “We want to be more consistent with the needs of the countries involved.”
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said Italy had provided Africa with a gateway to Europe through these partnerships.
“This is a moment to move from dialogue to action,” he said.
“By combining Africa’s energetic and creative population with Europe’s experience, technology, and capital, we can build solutions that deliver prosperity to our continents and beyond.”
After the Italy-Africa summit concluded, African leaders remained in Addis Ababa for the annual African Union Summit.
Kenyan writer and political analyst Nanjala Nyabola said tangible results from such summits depend on preparations made by countries.
African governments often focus on “optics instead of actually making summits a meaningful engagement,” she said.
Instead of waiting for a list of demands, countries should “present the conclusions of an extended period of mapping the national needs” and engage in dialogue to determine how those needs can be met.
Since it was launched two years ago, the Mattei Plan has directly involved 14 African nations and has launched or advanced around 100 projects in crucial sectors, including energy and climate transition, agriculture and food security, physical and digital infrastructure, healthcare, water, culture and education, training, and the development of artificial intelligence, according to the Italian government.
