COTABATO CITY — Officials of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) placed the entire region under a state of calamity as floods hit its seat of government here and several villages in Cotabato province under its administrative jurisdiction. “The declaration of calamity will provide augmentation to the ongoing response operations and recovery efforts of BARMM,” Ebrahim said. On Wednesday, the Maguindanao provincial board also placed the province under a state of calamity due to a series of floods that submerged 105 villages in 15 of 36 towns. Prior to the provincewide calamity declaration, six towns were already placed under a state of calamity due to floods that began in late July. Maguindanao’s calamity declaration came after disaster response and agriculture officials reported that at least P130.5 million worth of crops, mostly palay, had been destroyed by floods.

Hongkongers rushing to get back to work after the Observatory lowered the No. 3 this morning found themselves among crowds waiting in line for public transport, extending the typically short morning rush hour period by a few hours. At North Point MTR Station, the platform for the train to the Hong Kong Island line was crowded with commuters. Across the harbor in Tsuen Wan, many began congregating at bus stops and the MTR station, with a few lines forming at bus stations. “The company requires you to return within two hours,” he said, which may have contributed to the shocking scenes of congestion across the city.

Staff in residential care homes need to do nucleic acid tests every other day from next Wednesday (August 31). In a TV program, Sun told the public that more than 40 percent of the cases of Covid confirmed staff in care homes were identified through PCR tests. More than 70 care homes reported Covid confirmed cases in the past seven days. "We will inform the results of the test as soon as possible to care homes for their normal operation," Sun said. Grace Li Fai, chief executive officer of the elderly commission, showed concern about the capability of care homes to conduct PCR tests as frequently as once every two days.

The manufacturer of an imported infant apple juice claimed today its product, which was said to be contaminated, is not on sale in Hong Kong. A preliminary investigation found that the importer had imported the affected batch of the product concerned into Hong Kong, the spokesperson added. HiPP Hong Kong, the importer of the juice, issued an announcement today claiming the contaminated batches of products were only sold in the Polish market. The affected product is HiPP Organic Mild Apple Juice (200ml) with a best-before date of October 31, 2023. The HiPP incident is the second incident involving imported food quality in August this year after the incident of Haagen-Dazs ice cream pulled from Hong Kong shelves since it was reported by the CFS as contaminated with pesticides.

SEVERE Tropical Storm "Florita" slightly weakened while traversing the northern portion of Apayao province but Signal No. 3 remains up over at least four areas in Luzon, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said in its 5 p.m. advisory. Pagasa said Ilocos Norte, Apayao, the southern portion of Babuyan Islands (Camiguin Islands, Fuga Islands and Dalupiri Islands. 3 while Ifugao, Mountain Province, Kalinga, Abra, Ilocos Sur and the rest of Babuyan Islands under Signal No. The state-run weather agency said that with the prevailing southwest monsoon or "habagat" enhanced by Florita, the gale warning remains in effect over the seaboards of Northern and Central Luzon, most of the seaboards of Southern Luzon, and western seaboard of Visayas.

Campus sweetheart: ribbed crop sweater, plaid button-front shacket and a plaid skirt. And Forever 21 celebrates schoolgirl style with four inspirational looks Elle, Alexa, Callie and Sofia. Back to school grunge: plaid cami mini dress, happy face sweater vest, mini skirt and oval framed sunglasses. Tops, pants, dresses, skirts and heels as it transitions into a '90s wall street style with a touch of modern minimalism. A double- breasted blazer paired with a mini skirt and a baguette shoulder bag.

But he dismissed speculation about talks between Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying there “was not any practical platform for having this meeting,” the report said. Russian authorities were investigating a suspected car bomb attack outside Moscow that killed the daughter of Alexander Dugin, an ultra-nationalist Russian ideologue who advocates Russia absorbing Ukraine. Of particular concern was the shelling of Nikopol, a city near Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine and Europe’s biggest nuclear plant. Five Russian Kalibr cruise missiles were fired from the Black Sea at the region overnight, a regional administration spokesperson said, citing information from the southern military command. Russia said on Sunday the missiles had destroyed an ammunition depot containing missiles for U.S.-made HIMARS rockets.

TAIPEI — The governor of Indiana arrived in Taipei on Sunday, becoming the latest U.S. official to visit Taiwan and defying pressure from China for such trips not to happen. Governor Eric Holcomb tweeted that he would also be visiting South Korea, while Taiwan’s presidential office said he would meet President Tsai Ing-wen on Monday morning. “I’m energized to spend this week building new relationships, reinforcing long time ones and strengthening key sector partnerships with Taiwan and South Korea,” Holcomb tweeted. He termed his visit to Taiwan and South Korea an “economic development trip”, saying he was the first U.S. governor to come to Taiwan since the COVID-19 pandemic began more than two years ago. “Our delegation will spend this week meeting with government officials, business leaders and academic institutions to further strengthen Indiana’s economic, academic and cultural connections with Taiwan and South Korea,” Holcomb tweeted.

Trade Assistant Secretary Allan Gepty PNA FILE PHOTOTHE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is urging exporters to review and comply with the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership's (RCEP) rules of origin (ROO) to avail of preferential tariff treatment. "It is a must that you comply with the rules and the requirements before any exporter or importer can avail of the preferential tariff arrangement," the DTI official added. The first category includes goods wholly obtained or produced in an RCEP party. Since all ingredients come from RCEP parties, the product meets ROO's "produced entirely in a party" criteria. He added that the exporters should prove compliance by obtaining proof of origin from the respective issuing authority to claim preferential tariff.

MOGADISHU — Somali forces have ended a siege at a hotel in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, an army officer told Reuters on Sunday, adding that they were still clearing explosives scattered around the building. ADVERTISEMENT“We are still investigating the explosions of many plastic bags that have been scattered around the hotel,” said Mohamed Ali, a military officer at the scene. The al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group claimed responsibility for the attack. Al Shabaab has been fighting to topple the Somali government for more than 10 years. RELATED STORIESAt least 12 killed as Somalia hotel siege enters second dayAl-Shabaab gunmen attack Mogadishu hotel, casualties reportedADVERTISEMENTDeath toll in Somalia hotel blast rises to 26, police sayIslamic extremist attack on Somali hotel leaves 26 deadRead Next

Somalia’s al Shabaab insurgents claimed responsibility. As the siege entered its second day on Saturday evening, authorities had secured 95% of the building, the state broadcaster Somali National Television said. The al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group claimed responsibility for the attack, according to a translation by the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist group statements. Al Shabaab has been fighting to topple the Somali government for more than 10 years. RELATED STORIESAl-Shabaab gunmen attack Mogadishu hotel, casualties reportedDeath toll in Somalia hotel blast rises to 26, police sayIslamic extremist attack on Somali hotel leaves 26 deadExtremist gunmen storm hotel in Somali capital, 11 killedRead Next

THE country's most popular celebrities thrilled fans as they showcased their athletic prowess in the Star Magic Games, the sports event organized by ABS-CBN's talent management division, which was held recently at the Araneta Coliseum. To further ensure that they can confidently participate in the games, Star Magic teamed up with Sun Life of Canada (Philippines) Inc. to provide celebrities with free life insurance protection through Life Armor, a digital life insurance product with coverage against accidents and illnesses. "We thank Star Magic for the chance to support their stars, and we also congratulate the players and organizers for a great turnout in this year's games." The collaboration with Star Magic Games aligns with Sun Life's current campaign "Partner in Health," which rallies Filipinos to secure their health. To know more about Sun Life's health protection plans, connect with a Sun Life advisor via http://www.sunlife.co/TalkToAnAdvisor.

Hong Kong reported 6,389 new Covid infections on Saturday, while health authorities have opened another community isolation facility in Kai Tak in the face of mounting cases. He continued that the Health Bureau has also opened the community isolation facility in Kai Tak in case more and more cases are reported. On another note, Au appealed to students, teachers, and workers of elderly homes to undergo RAT every day. Public hospitals and treatment facilities are now housing 1,904 Covid patients. In the past 24 hours, 256 patients have recovered from Covid, and 211 of them have been discharged.

An 11-year-old boy has been remanded in custody after he was arrested for arson on Thursday in Lok Fu, as he suspectedly started a fire when playing with incense sticks in the corridor, which caused the death of a 66-year-old woman. The tragedy occurred on Thursday afternoon on 3/F of Lok Tung House in Lok Fu Estate as the boy was playing with the incense sticks, which accidentally set fire to the curtain on the neighbor's door. The boy was arrested that day by police for arson and is still in custody. Another neighbor – a woman surnamed Wong – said she didn't know how the fire started. She recalled she was sleeping in her room and found smoke filling her unit after her daughter smelt of burning.

Mumbai, India — An unmanned yacht carrying assault rifles and ammo triggered a brief security scare after it mysteriously washed up on the Indian coast, officials said. British maritime security company Neptune P2P Group claimed ownership of the weapons and said it had been engaged to protect the vessel against pirates during its voyage through the Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden and Southern Red Sea. The yacht had set off from the United Arab Emirates and was slated to sail into the Mediterranean. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said late Thursday that authorities had for now ruled out “any terror angle” but added that the official probe would continue. The incident was one of the deadliest terror attacks in India’s history and worsened the perennial diplomatic tensions between the countries.