MANILA: Four people were killed in landslides and thousands of others evacuated from their homes after a storm swept through the central Philippine islands on Saturday, officials said.
Three members of a family were buried in a landslide in Legazpi City southeast of Manila while a woman was crushed by another landslide in Bulan town as heavy rains brought by the storm loosened the earth, the government’s office of civil defense said.
Almost 12,000 people were also evacuated from their homes in the Bicol region after the low pressure area, locally named “Usman,” hit the eastern side of the country on Saturday, the office said.
The weather disturbance, packing maximum winds of 65 kilometers (40 miles) per hour, was charted as moving west across the central islands at 10 kilometers per hour and was expected to be over the South China Sea by Sunday, the government weather station said.
Although Usman’s winds were not too powerful, it still brought heavy rains that caused landslides and flooding in areas it traversed, the civil defense office said.
An average of 20 typhoons and storms lash the Philippines each year, killing hundreds of people.
The country’s deadliest storm on record is Super Typhoon Haiyan, which left more than 7,350 people dead or missing across the central Philippines in November 2013.
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Four dead as storm sweeps through central Philippines
Four dead as storm sweeps through central Philippines
- Almost 12,000 people were also evacuated from their homes in the Bicol region
- An average of 20 typhoons and storms lash the Philippines each year, killing hundreds of people
Nepalese royalists demand monarchy restoration ahead of March elections
Katmandu: Supporters of Nepal’s deposed royal family rallied in the capital on Sunday demanding the restoration of the monarchy ahead of March elections.
It was the first rally by supporters of ousted King Gyanendra since a wave of violent demonstrations by disgruntled youth in September installed an interim government that set fresh parliamentary elections in March.
“We love our king. Bring back the king,” the rally participants chanted around the statue of King Prithvi Narayan Shah, who started the Shah dynasty in the 18th century. The last Shah king — Gyanendra — was forced to step down and the monarchy was abolished in 2008, making Nepal a republic.
“The last and only alternative for this country is king and monarchy only” said protester Samrat Thapa. “In the present context and the path country has taken after the Gen Z movement, there needs to be monarchy restored to manage the situation.”
Sunday marks the birth anniversary of Prithvi Narayan and the annual rally in the past has turned violent with clashes between demonstrators and police. Two people were killed during a pro-king rally last March. Sunday’s gathering was peaceful as riot police kept a close watch on the event.
Nepal’s royal family still enjoys significant support.
The interim government, headed by Nepal’s first female prime minister, Sushila Karki, a retired Supreme Court judge, took over following protests by Gen Z activists complaining of corruption, lack of opportunities, employment and poor governance. They were triggered by the previous government’s short-lived ban on social media.
Karki has been criticized for dragging her feet in filing corruption cases.
It was the first rally by supporters of ousted King Gyanendra since a wave of violent demonstrations by disgruntled youth in September installed an interim government that set fresh parliamentary elections in March.
“We love our king. Bring back the king,” the rally participants chanted around the statue of King Prithvi Narayan Shah, who started the Shah dynasty in the 18th century. The last Shah king — Gyanendra — was forced to step down and the monarchy was abolished in 2008, making Nepal a republic.
“The last and only alternative for this country is king and monarchy only” said protester Samrat Thapa. “In the present context and the path country has taken after the Gen Z movement, there needs to be monarchy restored to manage the situation.”
Sunday marks the birth anniversary of Prithvi Narayan and the annual rally in the past has turned violent with clashes between demonstrators and police. Two people were killed during a pro-king rally last March. Sunday’s gathering was peaceful as riot police kept a close watch on the event.
Nepal’s royal family still enjoys significant support.
The interim government, headed by Nepal’s first female prime minister, Sushila Karki, a retired Supreme Court judge, took over following protests by Gen Z activists complaining of corruption, lack of opportunities, employment and poor governance. They were triggered by the previous government’s short-lived ban on social media.
Karki has been criticized for dragging her feet in filing corruption cases.
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