Typhoon in Philippines kills 28
A strong typhoon that barreled through the central Philippines left at least 28 people dead and 12 missing, forcing thousands to flee their homes and devastating Christmas celebrations in the predominantly Catholic country.
Typhoon Phanfone stranded many people in sea and airports at the peak of holiday travel, set off landslides, flooded low-lying villages, destroyed houses, downed trees and electrical poles and knocked out power in entire provinces. One disaster response officer described the battered coastal town of Batad in Iloilo province as a “ghost town” on Christmas Day.
The storm weakened slightly Thursday as it blew into the South China Sea with sustained winds of 74 mph and gusts of 93 mph after lashing island after island with fierce winds and pounding rain Wednesday, the weather agency said.
Most of the 20 deaths reported were due to drowning, falling trees and accidental electrocution.
More than 25,000 people were stranded in ports across the central region and outlying provinces after the coast guard prohibited ferries and cargo ships from venturing into dangerous waters.
Iraqi president may quit
Iraq’s president refused Thursday to designate a prime minister candidate nominated by the Iranbacked parliamentary bloc and offered to resign, plunging the country into further political uncertainty amid nearly three months of unprecedented mass protests.
President Barham Salih said in a statement issued by his office that he would not name the governor of the southern Basra province, Asaad al-Eidani, as the country’s next prime minister “to avoid more bloodshed and in order to safeguard civil peace.”
Mr. al-Eidani’s name was proposed Wednesday by the Fatah bloc, but his nomination was promptly rejected by protesters, who poured into the streets to demand an independent candidate.
Demonstrators first took to the streets on Oct. 1 to call for the overthrow of Iraq’s entire political class over corruption and mismanagement. The mass uprisings prompted the resignation of former Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi late last month. More than 450 people have been killed since October, the vast majority of them protesters killed by security forces firing tear gas and live ammunition.
No North Korea ‘gift’ yet
Now that the Christmas holiday has passed without a “gift” from the North Korean regime, U.S. officials are puzzled why Kim Jong Un chose not to conduct a weapons test so far.
The Trump administration had widely interpreted the North Korean promise of a “Christmas gift” to mean a weapons test, especially as intelligence indicators grew. Officials remain wary, though, and broadly consider the window for such a test to be open through Mr. Kim’s birthday on Jan. 8.
The White House has preapproved a series of military show-of-force options that could be quickly executed if the North were to engage in a provocative missile launch or some type of test of weapons components, according to an official.