Category: MANILA

Fire Hits Russian Embassy in Manila, Employees Evacuated

MANILA, Philippines—A large fire broke out at the Russian Embassy in the Philippine capital, prompting the evacuation of employees and their families but causing no injuries, Russian and Filipino authorities said Saturday. Investigators were trying to determine the cause of the hours-long fire, which started on the second floor of the embassy in the financial…


COVID-19 Unvaccinated People Must Stay Home or Face Jail Time: Philippines’s Metro Manila Govt

All 17 mayors of Metro Manila, also referred to as the National Capital Region in the Philippines—a region that encompasses a population of over 13 million—have unanimously approved temporary enhanced restrictions that bars unvaccinated people from leaving their homes for most purposes the government does not deem necessary. Following the decision, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte issued a statement…


Philippines Evacuates Thousands as Monsoon Rains Flood Manila, Provinces

MANILA—Philippine authorities moved thousands of residents in the capital, Manila, out of low-lying communities on Saturday as heavy monsoon rains, compounded by a tropical storm, flooded the city and nearby provinces. The national disaster agency said about 15,000 people, most of them from a flood-prone Manila suburb, had moved into evacuation centres. “We decided to…


Hawaii Woman Pleads Guilty to Mishandling Classified National Defense Information

A Honolulu woman pleaded guilty on July 20 to knowingly removing and retaining classified national defense information from the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines. Asia Janay Lavarello, 31, admitted to removing documents classified at the secret level from the U.S. Embassy in Manila in March last year, according to a press release from the Department…


Pacific Ocean Storm Intensifies Into Year’s First Super Typhoon

MANILA—Strong winds and high waves lashed the eastern Philippines on Monday as a strong typhoon barrelled past in the Pacific Ocean, killing one man and triggering flooding in lower-lying communities, disaster officials said. The national weather bureau issued a severe wind and heavy rainfall warning on Monday, saying “destructive typhoon-force winds extend outward up to…