SUMMARY
This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
Dear Rappler reader,
While northern Philippine provinces continue to grapple with the aftermath of Typhoon Lawin (International codename: Haima), the social welfare department assures the public that there is no need for foreign aid, explaining that the government has enough funds for relief assistance to typhoon victims. In the United States, Hillary Clinton looks to consolidate her lead over rival Donald Trump with only 2 weeks to go before the November elections. Oil producing countries are optimistic over efforts to stabilize crude oil prices with leaders expressing confidence that the current cycle of falling crude prices is close to an end. Clashes and air strikes shook the Syrian city of Aleppo once again as ceasefire ends on Sunday. Finally, an American hacker accuses Russia of being behind the waves of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks that pounded Twitter, Netflix and other major websites on Friday, Oct 21. He retaliates by defacing a Russian government website.
Stay on top of the news with today’s list of stories you shouldn’t miss.
Social Welfare and Development Secretary Judy Taguiwalo said on Sunday, October 23, that the Philippines is not seeking foreign donations for typhoon-hit areas because it has enough funds. Taguiwalo gave the explanation in a Facebook post that has been shared more than 22,000 times as of Sunday evening. As of 2 pm on Sunday, the DSWD said 205,590 families or 968,818 persons in 3,308 barangays have been affected by Lawin in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, and the Bicol Region. More than P31 million worth of relief assistance has been provided to these affected families, while there is a total of over P851 million in “stockpile and standby funds.” Taguiwalo has also ordered DSWD field offices in affected areas to “immediately provide” emergency shelter assistance (ESA) “to expedite the rebuilding of the damaged shelters.” President Duterte, who was in China for a state visit when Lawin hit, visited areas affected by Super Typhoon Lawin on Sunday.
Clashes and air strikes shook the Syrian city of Aleppo on Sunday, October 23, leaving 3 civilians dead as heavy fighting resumed after the end of a 3-day ceasefire declared by government ally Russia. The United Nations had hoped to use the “humanitarian pause” to evacuate seriously wounded people and possibly deliver aid. UN official said on Saturday, however, that security guarantees had once again not been received. No aid has entered Aleppo since July 7 and UN chief Ban Ki-moon has warned food rations will run out by the end of the month.
With just over two weeks to go before Americans vote for a new president, Hillary Clinton is stepping up her efforts in key battleground states to consolidate her lead. The Democratic former secretary of state, who is vying to be America’s first female president, leads the Republican real estate mogul among likely voters by 50% to 38%, according to a national ABC News poll. That is her highest score since the start of the race to succeed Barack Obama in the White House.
Saudi Oil Minister Khalid al-Falih said on Sunday, October 23, that the current cycle of falling crude prices is close to an end as market fundamentals improve. Oil prices are currently hovering at around $50 per barrel after hitting a 10-year low of less than $30 in January, down from a peak of more than $100 in mid-2014. Qatar’s energy minister, Mohammed al-Sada, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the OPEC oil exporting cartel, also said the “difficult phase is over.” Novak said he and his Gulf counterparts had discussed ways to “develop the best mechanism to solve the issue of stabilization.”
Russia’s foreign ministry on Sunday confirmed that an old version of its website had been attacked after a US hacker claimed he broke in and posted a mocking message. The hacker, who calls himself ‘The Jester,’ said he wrote on the ministry site to complain after waves of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks pounded Twitter, Netflix and other major websites on Friday, Oct 21. He accused Russia of being behind the attacks. CNN reported that the jester’s attack overnight Moscow time included the piercing sound used for civil alert messages about extreme weather.
Apple is battling to gain a foothold in Indonesia after nationalistic regulations hit the US tech giant’s efforts to compete in the booming emerging market against Samsung and other rivals. The iPhone 6S and 7 are yet to be released in Southeast Asia’s top economy as Apple struggles to fulfill requirements that phone makers must have 20% “local content” for 4G handsets sold in the country. Officials say the regulations that came into force this year are aimed at supporting the growth of the local manufacturing industry, which lags behind its Asian peers, and plan to raise the local content requirement to 30% at the start of next year. South Korea’s Samsung has been able to meet the demands and gain a share of the market in Indonesia – a country of 255 million people, with an army of young consumers – more than 25 times bigger than Apple.
Finally, victims of Typhoon Lawin need your help. To find out how to help, please visit this page.
Add a comment
How does this make you feel?
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.