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At least 126 dead and missing after landslides, massive flooding in Philippines brought by Tropical Storm Trami
The number of dead and missing in massive flooding and landslides wrought by Tropical Storm Trami in the Philippines has reached nearly 130 and the president said Saturday that many areas remained isolated with people in need of rescue.
Trami blew away from the northwestern Philippines on Friday, leaving at least 85 people dead and 41 others missing in in one of the Southeast Asian archipelago’s deadliest and most destructive storms so far this year, the government’s disaster-response agency said. The death toll was expected to rise as reports come in from previously isolated areas.
Dozens of police, firefighters and other emergency personnel, backed by three backhoes and sniffer dogs, dug up one of the last two missing villagers in the lakeside town of Talisay in Batangas province Saturday.
Aaron Favila / AP
A father, who was waiting for word on his missing 14-year-old daughter, wept as rescuers placed the remains in a black body bag. Distraught, he followed police officers, who carried the body bag down a mud-strewn village alley to a police van when one weeping resident approaching him to express her sympathies.
The man said he was sure it was his daughter, but authorities needed to do checks to confirm the identity of the villager dug up in the mound.
In a nearby basketball gym at the town center, more than a dozen white coffins were laid side by side, bearing the remains of those found in the heaps of mud, boulders and trees that cascaded Thursday afternoon down the steep slope of a wooded ridge in Talisay’s Sampaloc village.
President Ferdinand Marcos, who inspected another hard-hit region southeast of Manila Saturday, said the unusually large volume of rainfall dumped by the storm — including in some areas that saw one to two months’ worth of rainfall in just 24 hours — overwhelmed flood controls in provinces lashed by Trami.
“The water was just too much,” Marcos told reporters.
“We’re not done yet with our rescue work,” he said. “Our problem here, there are still many areas that remained flooded and could not be accessed even big trucks.”
His administration, Marcos said, would plan to start work on a major flood control project that can meet the unprecedented threats posed by climate change.
Aaron Favila / AP
More than 5 million people were in the path of the storm, including nearly half a million who mostly fled to more than 6,300 emergency shelters in several provinces, the government agency said.
In an emergency Cabinet meeting, Marcos raised concerns over reports by government forecasters that the storm — the 11th to hit the Philippines this year — could make a U-turn next week as it is pushed back by high-pressure winds in the South China Sea.
The storm was forecast to batter Vietnam over the weekend if it would not veer off course.
The Philippine government shut down schools and government offices for the third day on Friday to keep millions of people safe on the main northern island of Luzon. Inter-island ferry services were also suspended, stranding thousands.
Weather has cleared in many areas on Saturday, allowing cleanup work in most areas.
Each year, about 20 storms and typhoons batter the Philippines, a Southeast Asian archipelago which lies between the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea. In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest recorded tropical cyclones, left more than 7,300 people dead or missing and flattened entire villages.
In 2015, a massive landslide buried dozens of homes near a central Philippine mountain, killing at least 15 people and sending rescuers scrambling to find survivors after some sent text messages pleading for help.
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DJ Clark Kent, influential hip hop producer, reportedly dies after battle with colon cancer
NEW YORK – Hip hop producer DJ Clark Kent has died after a battle with colon cancer, according to a post on his official social media account. He was 58.
“It is with deep sadness we share the passing of the beloved Rodolfo A. Franklin, known to the world as DJ Clark Kent. Clark passed away Thursday evening surrounded by his devoted wife Kesha, daughter Kabriah, and son Antonio,” they wrote. “Clark quietly and valiantly fought a three year battle with colon cancer, while continuing to share his gifts with the world. The family is grateful for everyone’s love, support and prayers during this time and ask for privacy as they process this immense loss.”
Tributes poured in.
“I have know you since I was 13. Taking the train all the way to Brooklyn just to come practice and DJ with you… I knew you was the right person to be around if I wanted to sharpen my skills,” Pete Rock wrote.
“The first man that believed in my voice,” MC Lyte wrote.
“My brother is gone, it has been an honor to know him, our talks I will cherish forever, he was one of a kind, and the world has lost a great one,” Kid Capri wrote.
“God bless our hero and deepest condolences,” wrote Killer Mike.
“The world was just better with u in it,” Angie Martinez, who was working on a documentary about Franklin, wrote. “You were not like everyone. Your cloth was richer, your pedigree more solid, the love u put into everything and everyone you touched… just hit harder. And I promis you and Kesh that I will not sleep til we share your story.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams also paid tribute.
“DJ Clark Kent solidified his legacy in the world of hip hop. He worked with the greats, and become [sic] one of them. Heartbroken to hear of his passing. Sending my prayers to his family and loved ones as he joins his mother Cynthia, who was a dear friend of mine,” Adams wrote on social media.
Franklin got his start in the 1980s, working as Dana Dane’s DJ in various New York City clubs. He went on to produce numerous hits, including Junior M.A.F.I.A.’s “Players Anthem,” Jay-Z’s “Brookyln’s Finest,” as well as “Loverboy” by Mariah Carey.
Other artists he worked with include Queen Latifah, Doug E. Fresh, the Fugees, Rakim, Ice Cube and many more.
Israel’s pre-dawn airstrikes on military targets in Iran in retaliation for the barrage of ballistic missiles the Islamic republic fired on Israel earlier this month were met with mixed reactions both at home and abroad.
Explosions were heard in the Iranian capital, Tehran, though Iran insisted the strikes caused only “limited damage” and Iranian state-run media downplayed the attacks. Iran’s army said two of its troops were killed in the attack, Iran’s Al-Alam television reported.
The strikes risk pushing the archenemies closer to all-out war at a time of spiraling violence across the Middle East, where militant groups backed by Iran — including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon — are already at war with Israel.
The United States, which was given advanced warning of the attacks, urged against further retaliation, while Britain and Germany said Iran should not respond.
“As the Israelis have stated, their response was an exercise in self-defense and specifically avoided populated areas and focused solely on military targets, contrary to Iran’s attack against Israel that targeted Israel’s most populous city,” Sean Savett, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, said in a statement, adding: “It is our aim to accelerate diplomacy and de-escalate tensions in the Middle East region. We urge Iran to cease its attacks on Israel so that this cycle of fighting can end without further escalation.”
President Biden told reporters on Saturday that Israel gave him a heads-up before the strikes, and said it looked like “they didn’t hit anything but military targets.” Mr. Biden said he had just finished a call with intelligence officials.
“I hope this is the end,” he said.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, speaking at the Commonwealth Summit in Samoa, said Iran should not respond to Israeli airstrikes and urged all sides to show restraint.
“This is a live situation, and we are obviously monitoring it closely alongside our partners,” Starmer said. “We need to avoid further regional escalation and urge all sides to show restraint. Iran should not respond. We will continue to work with allies to de-escalate the situation across the region.”
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the United Nations secretary-general said: “All acts of escalation are condemnable and must stop.”
At home, Israel’s opposition leader, Yair Lapid, criticized the decision to avoid “strategic and economic targets,” saying on X that “we could and should have exacted a much heavier price from Iran.”
Saudi Arabia was one of multiple countries in the region condemning the strike, calling it a violation of Iran’s “sovereignty and a violation of international laws and norms.” Its foreign ministry rejected the escalation in the region.
In a statement on Facebook, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said it “condemns all actions that threaten the security and stability of the region … “
It said a cease-fire deal in Gaza “is the sole means to de-escalate” tensions in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, Turkey accused Israel of having “brought our region to the brink of a greater war” following its strikes on Iran.
“Putting an end to the terror created by Israel in the region has become a historic duty in terms of establishing international security and peace,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
It called on the international community to take “immediate action to enforce the law and stop the Netanyahu government.”
Following the airstrikes, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said it had a right to self-defense, and “considers itself entitled and obligated to defend against foreign acts of aggression.”
After the strikes, the streets in Iran’s capital were calm and children went to school and shops opened as usual. The only sign of concern was long lines at the gas stations — a regular occurrence in Tehran when military violence flares as people stock up on fuel.
Israel and Iran have been bitter foes since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Israel considers Iran its greatest threat, citing its leaders’ calls for Israel’s destruction, their support for anti-Israel militant groups and the country’s nuclear program.
During their yearslong shadow war, a suspected Israeli assassination campaign has killed top Iranian nuclear scientists, and Iranian nuclear installations have been hacked or sabotaged.
