8/14/2019 TheSun 2009-11-02 Page08 Philippines Cleans Up After Typhoon Kills 14

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news without borders8 theSun | MONDAY NOVEMBER 2 2009

MANILA: Philippine authorities yesterdayscrambled to restore power and repair damageafter Typhoon Mirinae smashed into the storm-weary nation, killing at least 14 people.

A day after Mirinae brought heavy rainsand winds, crews were clearing roads of fallentrees and power lines in the capital Manila andnearby areas.

Efforts were being made to repair fourbridges that collapsed in urban areas south of Manila, while power was slowly being restoredto most of the 22 towns that were blacked out at the height of the typhoon, the Red Cross said.

“We have been told that power in most areas has been restored and in terms of flooding, the waters receded within hours,”national Red Cross secretary general GwenPang said.

She said a pre-emptive evacuation of about 115,000 people in the typhoon’s direct pathto safer ground days ahead of its landfall hadmeant fewer casualties compared with tworecent deadly storms.

As of early yesterday, Mirinae had weakenedand was located 450km southwest of Manila inthe South China Sea, the weather bureau said.

In its latest update yesterday noon, Manila’sNational Disaster Coordinating Council saidthe typhoon left “remarkably less damage tolives and properties” compared to two recent typhoons.

Tropical Storm Ketsana, which caused mas-sive flooding on Sept 26, and Typhoon Parma,which hit a week later, together killed morethan 1,100 people.

“People were more prepared and more or

Coral arkSCIENTISTS are proposing a last-ditch scheme

to save the world’s coral from disappearing dueto climate change and freezing samples so thatreefs can be reseeded if and when the climate isstabilised. Many marine biologists have warnedthat the world’s coral reefs, and the biodiversitythey support, will disappear by the end of thecentury if the predicted rise in temperaturesoccurs. “Unless something very remarkablehappens during December’s climate talks, theworld’s reefs will be reduced to slime-coveredrubble by 2050,” Alex Rogers of the London-based Institute of Zoology told The Observer.Collecting coral specimens and preserving themin cryogenic vaults was one of the ways to copewith climate change discussed at a meeting inCopenhagen by the group Global LegislatorsOrganisation for a Balanced Environment. Mostattending the gathering agreed that there islittle chance that the world’s governments willagree to a plan stringent enough to prevent thepredicted rise in temperatures this century.

A choking comebackSMOG levels in Hongkong have returned tothe same record high level registered in 2000,prompting warnings from the city's Environ-mental Protection Department for people withheart or respiratory illnesses. Air pollution froma cluster of factories in southern China haddipped over the past year due to the global eco-nomic slowdown. But the smog has returned toHongkong over the past two months as thosefactories in neighboring Guangdong provinceramped up production to match an increaseddemand for goods.

Wineries head southA LEADING economic consulting firm saysthat some of Chile's leading wine producersmay have to move their vineyards farthersouth as climate change makes their currentlocations too dry and warm. A Pricewater-houseCoopers study warns that ideal climaticconditions needed for grape growing will shift

to higher latitudes due to a 30% reduction inrainfall and an expected temperature rise of-18.3° C across established production areas.The Santiago Times reports that famed brandssuch as Vina Morande have already begunplanting vines around Lake Llanquihue, about800km south of the country's primary grape-growing region.

Sweden’s far-right makes its markSTOCKHOLM: With less than a year to go beforeSweden’s general elections, a small far-right partyhas grabbed the headlines as it makes a strongpush to enter parliament for the first time.

The Sweden Democrats party has dominatedradio and television debates for more than a week,as the country’s political establishment has vowedin unison to fight the party’s rising influence.

Recent polls have suggested the SwedenDemocrats have enough voter support to enterparliament in the September 2010 election,surpassing the 4% required after slowly buildingup a grassroots movement and trying to clean upits image as a party with a purely anti-immigrantplatform.

But an incendiary piece written by the partyleader in Sweden’s highest circulating daily Afton-bladet has stirred up a political storm, igniting adebate about whether to marginalise the far-rightor expose it to scrutiny.

Jimmie Aakesson, 30, claimed “today’s multi-cultural Swedish power elite is completely blindto the dangers of Islam and Islamisation”.

Daycare centres banning pork and gender-

segregated swimming times were examples ofthis “Islamisation”, he said, vowing to stop Swe-den’s “greatest foreign threat since the SecondWorld War”.

The party, formed in 1988 and which Aakessonhas headed since 2005, has in the past few yearsinsisted that its platform is not solely focusedon immigration. And Aakesson argues he is notagainst Islam itself or Muslim immigration.

“They can come as Muslims ... that is to-tally okay. But they can’t demand that I, or otherSwedes, adapt to how they want to live. Muslimshave to adapt to how we live in Sweden,” he saidon a televised debate.

The country of nine million is home to anestimated 350,000 Muslims. There are a total of800,000 immigrants, and 20% of the populationis of foreign descent.

Sweden is the only Nordic country where nofar-right party is represented in parliament, astrong contrast to neighbouring Denmark wherethe minority government relies on the crucialinformal support of the Danish People’s Party.– AFP

Taiwan ex-VP accusesChina of blocking Egypt tripTAIPEI: Taiwan’s former vice-president hasaccused China of blocking her visit to Egyptfor an international forum.

Annette Lu, of the pro-independenceDemocratic Progressive Party (DPP), now inthe opposition, was scheduled to speak atthe Liberal International congress in Cairoover the weekend, the Apple Daily said.

But Lu, who had a visa to the country,was notified by the Egyptian authorities that

she would not be allowed in, the report said yesterday, citing unnamed sources.

“Of course this has something to do withBeijing,” she told the paper. – AFP

Russian police detain 50at human rights protestMOSCOW: Russian police said they detainedat least 50 people on Saturday at an unsanc-tioned human rights protest in central Mos-cow, but protesters put the number higher.

Police dragged off dozens of people towaiting buses and jostled scores of report-ers towards metal barriers while protesterscontinued to chant “Freedom!” and “Respectthe constitution!”

“I want Russia to be free, not to rot in apoliceman’s nightmare,” said a protester ina black mask who declined to be name forfear of reprisals.

Moscow police spokesman Viktor Biryu-kov said about 50 people had been detainedat the protest which he said was attended byabout 100 people and 100 reporters.

Opposition activists said about 70 peoplehad been detained and that 500 people hadshowed up. – AFP

Republicans eye revenge in off-year electionsNEW YORK: Republicans are looking to woundPresident Barack Obama’s Democrats tomorrowin three closely fought elections seen as barom-eters of a vital battle for Congress next year.

In the governor’s race in Virginia – whereObama caused a sensation last year in becomingthe first Democratic presidential contender to winsince 1964 – Republican Bob McDonnell looks set to defeat Democrat Creigh Deeds.

New Jersey’s Democratic governor Bob Cor-zine, meanwhile, faces a nail-biting finale in an

Philippines cleans up after

typhoon kills 14

ugly race against former Republican prosecu-tor Chris Christie, who is vying to overturnthe state’s traditional Democratic form.

A smaller but intriguing contest takesplace in New York State’s 23rd congres-sional district, where an outsider from thetiny Conservative Party could win an upset after campaigning to the right of the officialRepublican candidate.

The results will be closely watched – andspun – by both sides as a test of Obama’sstanding one year after his election and of the Republican Party’s progress in returningfrom the political cold.

While little depends directly on tomor-row’s outcome, the races are an openingsalvo in 2010 midterm elections, when theentire House of Representatives, a third of the Senate and two thirds of gubernatorialposts are up for grabs.

A solid Democratic performance – win-

ning in New Jersey and New York – wouldsteady Obama’s party at a time of bitter, par-tisan debate over health care, the recessionand the war in Afghanistan.

However, Republican victory in NewJersey and the swing state of Virginia, aswell as possibly New York, would handthe beleaguered GOP an important moraleboost, University of Virginia professor LarrySabato said.

Obama and the Democrats are in a popu-larity slump 12 months after seizing controlof Washington in the 2008 general election.

But Republicans have yet to show theyhave found a formula for their own future– not just in 2010, but when it comes to thegrand prize of the White House in 2012.

An internal struggle over whether to focuson the party’s conservative base or to move tothe centre has been laid bare in the New Yorkcongressional race. – AFP

 EARTHREPORT

  Week Ending Oct 30

Filipinos wade through flood waters in Santa Cruz town in Laguna province on Saturday.

less knew what to do,” Pang said. “They did not wait until it was too late to evacuate and werequickly moved away from harm’s way to saferground.”

She said most of the more than 5,000 peoplewho had moved into temporary shelters asTyphoon Mirinae lashed the main island of Luzon had begun trickling back to their homesas the weather cleared yesterday.

However, relief and rehabilitation efforts

will continue for the 87,000 people still packed

into evacuation centres whose homes weredestroyed by Ketsana and Parma, Pang said.

Even before Mirinae hit, outlying districtsthat are home to more than a million peoplewere expected to remain flooded into the NewYear, raising concern among health experts of an outbreak of disease.

“We are moving into the early recoverystage, looking at shelter requirements as wellas the medical concerns of these people.”

Cerge Remonde, a spokesman for President Gloria Arroyo, said: “We thank our people forcooperating and by being more disaster-con-scious. Let us be henceforth more aggressive indisaster preparedness.” – AFP

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