Wednesday, October 21, 2009 MANILA: The Philippines prepared for the onslaught of a powerful typhoon Wednesday as it struggled to recover from the damage left by two deadly storms in the past month, officials said. The government weather station said Typhoon Lupit's advance had slowed, and that it was now likely to hit the country's north on Friday, a day later than forecast. Lupit will then cross the tip of the main island of Luzon before blowing out to the South China Sea over the weekend, it said. Rescue and relief units and supplies have already been positioned in parts of the northern Philippines, which are expected to bear the brunt of the typhoon.
BEIRUT: Thousands of people converged Saturday on central Beirut to mark the fourth anniversary of the assassination of Lebanese former premier Rafiq Hariri.Waving Lebanese flags and carrying pictures of the slain leader, men, women and children gathered under sunny skies in Martyr's Square where members of the parliamentary majority were to address the crowd. The rally comes as final preparations are underway in The Hague for the launch of the international tribunal set up to bring Hariri's killers to justice. It also comes as the country prepares for legislative elections in June that will pit Western-backed political parties against a Hezbollah-led alliance backed by Syria and Iran.Hariri died in a massive car bombing on February 14, 2005 that also killed 22 others. The assassination was widely blamed on then Lebanese power-broker Syria, which has denied any involvement. The attack on the Beirut seafront was one of the worst acts of political violence to rock Lebanon since t...
Comments