Super Typhoon Nepartak (Butchoy) hit land in Taiwan before 6:00 am Friday, July 8, and forced thousands to leave their homes which were prone to landslides or flooding. As many as 97,000 homes lost power due to the powerful storm, with more than 70,000 still without electricity Friday morning. In the Philippines, Butchoy remained within the Philippine Area of Responsibility as of 6 am. Moderate to occasionally heavy rains are expected in Zambales, Bataan, Batangas, Cavite, and Mindoro. Classes have been suspended in parts of Luzon.

Read more about the impact of the super typhoon on Taiwan on Rappler.

Details about Butchoy in the Philippines are also on Rappler.

Don’t dare escape from prison or you’re dead. This was the message of President Rodrigo Duterte to 3 alleged top Chinese drug lords Peter Lim (“Jaguar”), Peter Co (“Wu Tuan”), and Herbert Colangco (“Ampang”) who supposedly continue to direct drug trafficking operations from inside the national penitentiary. Lim is able to fly to China and back to the Philippines, according to police intelligence. Duterte also showed links between retired police deputy general Marcelo Garbo Jr and Co and Lim, and described him as their “associate/protector.”

Read more about Duterte’s warnings on Rappler.

President Rodrigo Duterte offered Vice President Leni Robredo the post of chair of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) on Thursday, July 7, telling her on the phone to attend the Cabinet meeting on July 11 to be abreast of “what is happening to the entire country.” Robredo accepted the offer and said she was thankful for the appointment. She said in Filipino, “We can now serve our homeless countryment better.”

Read more about how Duterte made his offer on Rappler.

The transcript of the phone conversation between Duterte and Robredo is also on Rappler.

Robredo’s reaction to Duterte’s offer is also on Rappler.

The Commission on Audit (COA) has found that over 4 million members of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) have missing entries in their records. These include dates of birth, middle names, first names, and last names. These data deficiencies, COA said, could create problems in the long run, such as delays in the posting of contributions and delivery of services to members.

Read more about the COA findings on Rappler.

One of the deadliest attacks in Iraq claimed by the Islamic State killed 292 people, Iraqi Health Minister Adila Hamoud said. The attack also wounded 200 people. A suicide bomber detonated a vehicle with explosives in a crowded shopping area July 4, days before the Eid al-Fitr holiday.

Read more about Iraqi reaction to the attacks on Rappler.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and his family built an empire and amassed more than $200 million through interests in over 100 private companies. The UK-based watchdog Global Witness said in a report July 7 that behind Hun Sen’s dictatorial reign, his family is “amassing vast personal fortunes.” Secret deals, corruption and cronyism have helped secure Hun Sen’s “political fortress”, the report said. 

Read more about the allegations of corruption on Rappler.

Operating hours of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 will be extended July 10 to August 9, its operator, Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC), announced Thursday, July 7. The trial run hopes to determine whether there will be enough passengers riding the trains during the extended hours. On weekdays, the last northbound train will depart at 10 pm, while the last southbound train will leave at 10:15 pm. If there is sustained interest from the riding public, LRMC said it would do a more detailed study to make the longer operating hours permanent.

Read more about LRMC plans on Rappler.

US President Barack Obama said on Thursday, July 7, US police departments need to move more quickly to reform. This was after the deadly shooting of a black American by police. Upon arrival in Warsaw for a NATO summit, Obama said, “This is not just a black issue. It’s not just a Hispanic issue. This is an American issue that we should all care about.”

Read more about what Obama had to say on Rappler.

This should do the trick. Starting next week, at no cost to government, local airlines are taking over the maintenance of public restrooms at the 4 terminals of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). Transportation chief Arthur Tugade said airport facilities should be betterin 100 days. In addition, he said his team will ask the help of the country’s two telecommunication giants to set up free one gigabyte WiFi in the airports.

Read more about plans for NAIA on Rappler.

Now even remote areas can have wireless Internet access, thanks to Facebook’s new open source hardware and software project: OpenCellular. The project aims to develop “affordable new technology that can expand capacity and make it more cost-effective for operators to deploy networks in places where coverage is scarce.” The initiative could drive down costs for operators and make technology more accessible to more people.

Read more about what Facebook is up to on Rappler.