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A6 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 29 OctOber 2022
At least 42 dead in floods, landslides in south Philippines

COTABATO, Philippines (AP) adding it was uncertain
— Flash floods and land- how many were missing in
slides set off by torrential Kusiong because of confu-
rains swamped a southern sion after the tragedy struck
Philippine province, killing the community. Army offi-
at least 42 people, leaving cials also reported at least
16 others missing and trap- 42 storm deaths in Maguin-
ping some residents on their danao and said in a state-
roofs, officials said Friday. ment that their forces were
Most of the victims were “continuing to rescue those
swept away by rampaging trapped in the flood in col-
floodwaters and drowned laboration with local disas-
or were hit by debris-filled ter teams” and take the
mudslides in three towns displaced in army trucks to
in hard-hit Maguindanao evacuation camps.
province, said Naguib Si- The unusually heavy rains
narimbo, the interior minis- flooded several towns in
ter for a five-province Mus- Maguindanao and outlying
lim autonomous region run provinces in a mountainous
by former guerrillas. region with marshy plains.
The unusually intense rains Floodwaters rapidly rose
were triggered by Tropical in many low-lying villages,
Storm Nalgae, which was forcing some residents
expected to slam into the In this photo provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, rescuers use boats to evacuate residents to climb onto their roofs,
country’s eastern coast from flooded areas due to Tropical Storm Nalgae at Parang, Maguindanao province, southern where they were rescued
Philippines on Friday Oct. 28, 2022.
from the Pacific Ocean on Associated Press by army troops, police and
Saturday, forecasters said. volunteers, Sinarimbo said.
The stormy weather (heavy) and flowed down Sinarimbo said based on A rescue team reported Many of the swamped ar-
prompted the coast guard mountainsides and swelled reports from mayors, gover- that the bodies of at least eas had not been flooded
to prohibit sea travel in rivers,” Sinarimbo told The nors and disaster-response 11 villagers were recovered for years, including Cota-
dangerously rough seas as Associated Press by tele- officials, 27 died mostly by in Kusiong, a tribal village bato city where Sinarimbo
millions of Filipinos planned phone. “I hope the casu- drowning and landslides in at the foot of a mountain said his house was inundat-
to travel over a long week- alty numbers won’t rise fur- Datu Odin Sinsuat town, 10 in Datu Odin Sinsuat, where ed.
end to visit the tombs of ther but there are still a few in Datu Blah Sinsuat town floods and landslides also “In one area in Upi only the
relatives and for family re- communities we haven’t and five others in Upi town, hit houses in the commu- attic of a school can be
unions on All Saints’ Day in reached,” Sinarimbo said, all in Maguindanao. nity, Sinarimbo said. seen above the floodwa-
the largely Roman Catho- adding the rains had eased Six people were missing “They were able to res- ter,” disaster-response offi-
lic nation. “The amount of since Friday morning, caus- in Datu Blah Sinsuat and cue some earlier but now cer Nasrullah Imam said, re-
rainwater that came down ing floods to start to recede 10 others in Upi, Sinarimbo they’re only trying to dig ferring to a flood-engulfed
overnight was unusually in several towns. said. up bodies there,” he said, town in Maguindanao. q

Czechs rally to demand resignation of pro-Western government

PRAGUE (AP) — Tens of Ukraine’s fight against the gathered for the same rea- the government for its sup- weapons to the Ukrainian
thousands of Czechs used Russian invasion. sons on Sept. 3, according port of Ukraine and the army and given about
a national holiday Friday to The rally follows two oth- to police estimates. European Union sanctions 450,000 visas to Ukrainian
rally in the capital against ers at Prague’s central Held under the slogan against Russia, opposed refugees that give them
the pro-Western govern- Wenceslas Square and was “The Czech Republic first,” Czech membership in the access to health care, fi-
ment and its support for smaller than the 70,000 who a reference to former U.S. EU, NATO and other inter- nancial help, work permits
President Donald Trump’s national organizations such and other benefits.
nationalist platform, the as the United Nations and Fiala and several ministers
protest united the far right the World Health Organi- were planning to travel to
with the far left and various zation, .“Russia’s not our Kyiv on Monday for a joint
fringe groups. Its organizers enemy, the government of meeting of the Czech and
are known for pro-Russian warmongers is the enemy,” Ukrainian governments.
views and opposition to one speaker said. “We intensively support the
COVID-19 vaccines. A smaller rally was held in justified fight of the Ukrai-
With soaring energy, food the country’s second-larg- nian people against the
and housing prices hitting est city of Brno. Russian aggression,” Fiala
the country, the protest- The government has dis- said Saturday. Although
ers were demanding the missed those demands. the country’s populist op-
resignation of the coalition “We know who’s our friend position made some gains
government led by conser- and who’s bleeding for in the municipal election
vative Prime Minister Petr our freedom,” Interior Min- last month, the five ruling
Fiala. ister Vit Rakusan tweeted. coalition parties won big in
A man shouts as several thousands of protesters from the far “Resign!” they chanted “And we also know who’s the vote earlier this month
right and far left gathered to rally against the country’s pro-
Western Czech government at the Vencesla’s Square in Prague, while waving the national our enemy.” Czechia has for one-third of the seats in
Czech Republic, Friday, Oct. 28, 2022. flags. The protesters have been a staunch supporter Parliament’s upper house,
Associated Press repeatedly condemned of Ukraine, donated heavy the Senate.q