December 9, 2014 Edition

Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit) killed at least 11 and affected two million, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) chief and Office of Civil Defense administrator Alexander Pama said Tuesday, December 9. The Philippine Red Cross had pegged the death toll at 23. The NDRRMC said 456,386 families or over two million persons were affected by the typhoon which is now headed out of the Philippine Area of Responsibility. Of the affected families, 371,846 are currently in evacuation centers, translating to nearly 1.7 million individuals.

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The United Nations Office for Disaster Reduction called the preemptive evacuation of one million in the path of Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit) “one of the largest peacetime evacuations in Philippine history.” Nearly a million people had already been evacuated as Ruby hit land in Eastern Samar Saturday evening, December 8, a far cry from the 125,604 evacuated after Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) made its first landfall also in Eastern Samar in November 2013. Romina Marasigan, spokesperson of the Office of Civil Defense, said evacuation is expensive but necessary. Preemptive and forced evacuations done by some local governments also led to zero casualty.

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A related story on why #ZeroCasualty was achieved in some areas is also on Rappler.

China failed to clarify its controversial 9-dash line claim over the South China Sea in a way that is consistent with international law, the US State Department said. In a paper released ahead of a December 15 deadline for China to respond to the Philippine position submitted to an arbitral tribunal, the US said China’s 9-dash line claims are inconsistent with international law in two out of 3 of its interpretations. The two include historical claims and national boundary. Dashes 2, 3 and 8 that appear on China’s 2009 map are “relatively close to the mainland shores of other states” and “all or part of them are also beyond 200 nautical miles from any Chinese-claimed land feature,” the US said.

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A related story on China’s paper claiming the Philippine case is weak is also on Rappler.

The United Nations (UN) on Monday, December 8, appealed for $16.4 billion to provide aid to nearly 60 million people worldwide in 2015. Almost half or $7.2 billion is being eyed to help the estimated 18.2 million victims of Syria’s long extended civil war, which erupted in March 2011. The amount being requested for 2015 is higher than the $12.9 billion requested for 2014. UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos warned that “the rising scale of need is outpacing our capacity to respond.” She added that 102 million people worldwide are currently in need of aid.

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As the threat of climate change grows and as regions become increasingly susceptible to disasters and natural calamities, companies should think of innovative and sustainable redundancy measures. Disasters, according to Professor Noubaki Hamaguchi of the Research Institute for Economic and Business Administration are “no longer a managerial problem, but a regional and international problem.” Jose Ma Lorenzo Tan, president of the World Wildlife Fund-Philippines recommended the decentralization of cities to spread resources and lower the vulnerability of supply chains. Experts are gathered at the APEC Informal Seniors Meeting originally scheduled to be held in Legazpi City in Albay but was moved to Manila because of Typhoon Ruby.

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Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Alan Purisima will be filing a petition for a temporary restraining order before the Court of Appeals to stop his preventive suspension ordered by the Ombudsman. The petition will be handled by his personal lawyers and not a legal team from the PNP. Purisima was ordered suspended over a supposed shady deal between the PNP’s Firearms and Explosives Office and Werfast Documentation Agency Inc, which provided courier services. He maintained he had nothing to do with the deal.

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A South African judge threw out the murder case involving British millionaire businessman Shrien Dewani after finding evidence presented by the prosecution weak. The prosecution’s main witness, according to Judge Jeanette Traverso, presented evidence “riddled with contradictions.” Dewani, 34, was accused of planning the murder of his 28-year-old Swedish wife during their honeymoon in South Africa in November 2010. He had denied conspiring to kill his bride who was shot in the back of their taxi after an alleged staged hijacking in Cape Town. The prosecution said he hired hitmen because he is gay and felt trapped into marriage by family pressures.

Read the full story on Rappler.

A related story is on the BBC.

22-year-old Jolly Tumuhirwe faces up to 15 years in prison for abusing an 18-month-old baby girl left to her care. The child’s father installed a hidden camera after he noticed his daughter bruised and limping. The video showed Tumuhirwe slapping the child when she resisted feeding. After the child threw up, she was thrown to the floor, was beaten with a torch, and was stepped on and kicked. Tumuhirwe asked the court and the parents for forgiveness.

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A related story is on the BBC.

Britain’s royal couple parted on Monday, December 8, as Prince William met US President Barack Obama in the Oval Office, while Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, stayed in New York. William sought Obama’s support to end illegal wildlife trafficking, while Kate spent time at a Harlem children’s center wrapping gifts and helping them with art and crafts. It is the first time for the royal couple to visit New York. They are expected to fly home after their last function on Tuesday night, December 9.

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A related story is on the New York Times.

British pop star Sting joined Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks, 1970s soul man Al Green, comedienne Lily Tomlin and ballerina Patricia McBride in receiving the 2014 Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday, December 7. Bestowed by the US’ top performing arts institute, the honors are regarded as the highest recognition of cultural achievement in America. The honorees took their balcony seats alongside the First Couple President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle in the vast opera house of the Kennedy Center.

Read the full story on Rappler.