Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times on Monday, November 18, 2024.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Wilcon Depot, The Philippines’ leading home improvement and construction supplies retailer—your Trusted Building Partner.
READ: 1.2M flee as Pepito pummels Luzon
SUPER Typhoon Pepito slammed into Luzon on Sunday, with the national weather agency warning the public to brace for flooding, landslides and huge waves. Pepito, internationally code-named Man-yi, was packing maximum sustained winds of 185 kilometers per hour after making its first landfall late Saturday on Catanduanes island. More than 1.2 million people fled their homes ahead of Pepito as the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) warned of a “life-threatening” impact from the powerful storm, which follows an unusual streak of violent weather. The typhoon uprooted trees, brought down power lines and smashed flimsy houses to pieces after hitting Catanduanes. No deaths have been reported, but there was extensive damage to structures •on Catanduanes, Office of Civil Defense chief Ariel Nepomuceno said. On its current trajectory, the storm will cross north of Metro Manila and sweep over the South China Sea on Monday. Forecasters also warned storm surges of up to more than 3 meters could swamp vulnerable coastal communities.
READ: Trillions needed to help poor countries
Baku, Azerbaijan — Trillions of dollars are needed to make poorer nations more resilient to climate change, and studies have estimated that every $1 invested today will save at least $4 in future.So why is it so hard to raise this money, and what are some of the innovative ways of going about it? Developing countries, excluding China, will need $1 trillion a year by 2030 in outside help to reduce their carbon footprint and adapt to a warming planet, according to UN-commissioned experts. This money could come from foreign governments, big lending institutions like the World Bank, or the private sector. But some projects attract money more easily than others, said Avinash Persaud, special climate adviser to the president of the Inter-American Development Bank, a lender for Latin American and Caribbean nations. For example, the private sector likes building solar farms and wind turbines because there’s a return on investment when people buy the electricity. But investors are much less interested in building defensive sea walls that generate no revenue, said Persaud, who hails from Barbados, and once advised the Caribbean nation’s Prime Minister Mia Mottley.
READ: Rose Nono Lin denies husband’s links to illegal drugs
THE wife of businessman Lin Wei Xiong has denied that her husband is a high-profile drug personality, as a former police official claims. Rose Nono Lin said her husband is not the drug lord Allan Lim, as alleged by dismissed police colonel Eduardo Acierto. Lin said the allegations were based on unverified information, which Acierto included in his 2019 report to then-Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Oscar Albayalde and then-Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) director general Aaron Aquino. Acierto said an informant had linked Lin Wei Xiong, who was referred to in the report as Allan Lim, to Michael Yang, a former adviser of former president Rodrigo Duterte who has been implicated in the illegal drug trade. Nono Lin challenged Acierto to file charges in court “so that we could respond accordingly to the false accusation against my husband.” She also assured the House quad committee of her continued cooperation in its ongoing inquiry into Duterte’s controversial war on drugs.
READ: Denmark’s bet crowned Miss Universe 2024
VICTORIA Kjær Theilvig of Denmark made history Sunday morning (Manila time) as the first representative from her country to win the Miss Universe title. Theilvig’s coronation highlighted the 73rd edition of the pageant held at Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico. She also became the first European winner since France’s Iris Mittenaere in 2016. The Philippines’ Chelsea Manalo failed to advance to the Top 30 of the competition. The 21-year-old Dane, who bested over 125 candidates from around the world, succeeded Nicaragua’s Sheynnis Palacios. Nigeria’s Chidimma Adetshina was 1st runner-up, Mexico’s María Fernanda Beltrán 2nd runner-up, Suchata Chuangsri of Thailand 3rd runner-up, and Venezuela’s Ileana Márquez 4th runner-up.
In Business
READ: Consumption recovering in PH
DOMESTIC consumption appears to be recovering with inflation having receded and as wages and jobs gain momentum, Bank of America (BofA) said, and slower price growth will likely prompt the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to keep cutting key interest rates next year. Improved consumption, it added, should also translate to improved revenues for listed consumer firms, with signs already evident in the third quarter of 2024. BofA noted that elevated inflation, unemployment, and stagnant wage growth has been weighing on consumption, which has lagged behind GDP growth. Private consumption, which accounts for 73 percent of the country’s economic growth, grew by just 4.6 percent in the first half of the year even as GDP expanded by 6.1 percent.
Topping Sports
READ: Tyson ‘no regrets’ over loss in ring return
WASHINGTON — Former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson said Saturday (Sunday in Manila) he has no regrets over losing to Jake Paul in their heavyweight boxing matchup after climbing into the ring “one last time.” The 58-year-old legend dropped a unanimous decision on Friday to 27-year-old YouTube fighter Paul at AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, before 72,300 fans and 60 million more households worldwide, according to telecaster Netflix. Tyson, who said he nearly died in June over health issues, had left open chances for another ring return in comments shortly after the defeat. He said it was a victory simply to fight — detailing medical issues that forced the fight to be postponed from July after he had a medical scare on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles in May where he vomited blood.
READ: Rejuvenated Brownlee back in Gilas training camp
A REJUVENATED Justin Brownlee finally joined Gilas Pilipinas’ training camp on Saturday as the Filipinos continue their preparations for the second window of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers. Coming off a grueling PBA Governors’ Cup Finals series where Barangay Ginebra eventually fell short versus champion TNT, the 6-foot-4 Brownlee has returned to court as he tries to lead Gilas this time against New Zealand and Hong Kong this coming week. Del Rosario said Gilas has been holding two-a-day court practices while reacquainting with coach Tim Cone’s plays since Friday
READ: Opinion
In today’s editorial, the Times says the new peace effort in the Middle East must not be squandered. Read the full version on print or digital or listen to the Voice of the Times. Featured columnists are Rigoberto Tiglao, Fr. Ranhilio Aquino and Francisco Tatad. Tiglao slams UP Professor Jay Batongbacal’s lies and intellectual dishonesty over Maritime Zones Act; Aquino on the right to self-determination while Tatad asks whether former president Rodrigo Duterte is trying to force the hand of his successor, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
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