- Palestinians welcome ICC arrest warrants for Israeli officials
- Senegal ruling party wins parliamentary majority: provisional results
- Fiji's Loganimasi in for banned Radradra against Ireland
- New proposal awaited in Baku on climate finance deal
- Brazil police urge Bolsonaro's indictment for 2022 'coup' plot
- NFL issues security alert to teams about home burglaries
- Common water disinfectant creates potentially toxic byproduct: study
- Chimps are upping their tool game, says study
- US actor Smollett's conviction for staged attack overturned
- Fears rise of gender setbacks in global climate battle
- 'World's best coach' Gatland 'won't leave Wales' - Howley
- Indian PM Modi highlights interest in Guyana's oil
- Israel strikes kill 22 in Lebanon as Hezbollah targets south Israel
- Argentina lead Davis Cup holders Italy
- West Bank city buries three Palestinians killed in Israeli raids
- Fairuz, musical icon of war-torn Lebanon, turns 90
- Jones says Scotland need to beat Australia 'to be taken seriously'
- Stock markets push higher but Ukraine tensions urge caution
- IMF sees 'limited' impact of floods on Spain GDP growth
- Fresh Iran censure looms large over UN nuclear meeting
- Volkswagen workers head towards strikes from December
- 'More cautious' Dupont covers up in heavy Parisian snow before Argentina Test
- UK sanctions Angola's Isabel dos Santos in graft crackdown
- Sales of existing US homes rise in October
- Crunch time: What still needs to be hammered out at COP29?
- Minister among 12 held over Serbia station collapse
- Spurs boss Postecoglou hails 'outstanding' Bentancur despite Son slur
- South Sudan rejects 'malicious' report on Kiir family businesses
- Kyiv claims 'crazy' Russia fired nuke-capable missile
- Australia defeat USA to reach Davis Cup semis
- Spain holds 1st talks with Palestinian govt since recognising state
- Stock markets waver as Nvidia, Ukraine tensions urge caution
- Returning Vonn targets St Moritz World Cup races
- Ramos nears PSG return as Sampaoli makes Rennes bow
- Farrell hands Prendergast first Ireland start for Fiji Test
- Gaza strikes kill dozens as ICC issues Netanyahu arrest warrant
- Famed Berlin theatre says cuts will sink it
- Stuttgart's Undav set to miss rest of year with hamstring injury
- Cane, Perenara to make All Blacks farewells against Italy
- Kenya scraps Adani deals as Ruto attempts to reset presidency
- French YouTuber takes on manga after conquering Everest
- Special reunion in store for France's Flament against 'hot-blooded' Argentina
- 'World of Warcraft' still going strong as it celebrates 20 years
- Fritz pulls USA level with Australia in Davis Cup quarters
- New Iran censure looms large over UN nuclear meeting
- The first 'zoomed-in' image of a star outside our galaxy
- ICC issues arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant, Deif
- Minister among 11 held over Serbia station collapse
- Historic gold regalia returned to Ghana's king
- Kyiv accuses Russia of launching intercontinental ballistic missile attack
Evacuations and call for aid as Typhoon Usagi approaches Philippines
The Philippines ordered evacuations Wednesday ahead of Typhoon Usagi's arrival, as the UN's disaster office sought $32.9 million in aid for the country after recent storms killed more than 150 people.
The national weather service said Usagi -- the archipelago's fifth major storm in three weeks -- would likely make landfall Thursday in Cagayan province on the northeast tip of main island Luzon.
Provincial civil defence chief Rueli Rapsing said mayors had been ordered to evacuate residents in vulnerable areas, by force if necessary, as the 120 kilometres (75 miles) an hour typhoon bears down on the country.
"Under (emergency protocols), all the mayors must implement the forced evacuation, especially for susceptible areas," he told AFP, adding as many as 40,000 people in the province lived in hazard-prone areas.
The area is set to be soaked in "intense to torrential" rain on Thursday and Friday, which can trigger floods and landslides with the ground still sodden from recent downpours, state weather forecaster Christopher Perez told reporters.
He urged residents of coastal areas to move inland due to the threat of storm surges and giant coastal waves up to three metres (nine feet) high, with shipping also facing the peril of 8-10 metre waves.
A sixth tropical storm, Man-yi, is expected to strengthen into a typhoon before hitting the centre of the country as early as Friday, Perez said.
With more than 700,000 people forced out of their homes, the successive storms have taken a toll on the resources of both the government and local households, the UN said late Tuesday.
About 210,000 of those most affected by recent flooding need support for "critical lifesaving and protection efforts over the next three months", the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement.
"Typhoons are overlapping. As soon as communities attempt to recover from the shock, the next tropical storm is already hitting them again," UN Philippines Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Gustavo Gonzalez said.
"In this context, the response capacity gets exhausted and budgets depleted."
The initiative "will help us mobilise the capacities and resources of the humanitarian community to better support government institutions at national, regional and local levels," Gonzalez added.
More than 28,000 people displaced by recent storms are still living in evacuation centres operated by local governments, the country's civil defence office said in its latest tally.
Government crews were still working to restore downed power and communication lines and clearing debris from roads.
About 20 big storms and typhoons hit the archipelago nation or its surrounding waters each year, killing scores of people and keeping millions in enduring poverty.
A recent study showed that storms in the Asia-Pacific region are increasingly forming closer to coastlines, intensifying more rapidly and lasting longer over land due to climate change.
W.Lapointe--BTB