TUGUEGARAO, Philippines: Typhoon Mangkhut roared toward densely populated Hong Kong and southern China on Sunday after ravaging across the northern Philippines with ferocious winds and heavy rain that left at least 28 dead in landslides and collapsed houses.
The strongest storm so far this year in the world sliced across the northern tip of Luzon Island on Saturday, a breadbasket that is also a region of flood-prone rice plains and mountain provinces with a history of deadly landslides. More than 5 million people were in the path of the typhoon, equivalent to a Category 5 Atlantic hurricane when it hit the Philippines. On Sunday morning, It packed sustained winds of 155 kilometers (96 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 190 kph (118 mph).
Hong Kong and southern China issued the highest storm signals. The Guangdong provincial office in charge of flood prevention said Sunday that nearly half a million people had been evacuated from seven cities.
The Hong Kong Observatory said although Mangkhut had weakened slightly, its extensive, intense rainbands were bringing heavy downfall and frequent squalls. Storm surge of about 3 ½ meters (9.8 feet) or above is expected at the city’s waterfront Victoria Harbor, the observatory said, appealing on the public to avoid the shoreline.
Philippine National Police Director General Oscar Albayalde told The Associated Press that 20 had died in the Cordillera mountain region, four in nearby Nueva Vizcaya province and another outside of the two regions. Three more deaths have been reported in northeastern Cagayan province, where the typhoon made landfall.
Among the fatalities were an infant and a 2-year-old child who died with their parents after the couple refused to immediately evacuate from their high-risk community in a Nueva Vizcaya mountain town, said Francis Tolentino, an adviser to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
“They can’t decide for themselves where to go,” he said of the children, expressing frustration that the tragedy was not prevented.
Tolentino, who was assigned by Duterte to help coordinate disaster response, said at least two other people were missing.
Mayor Mauricio Domogan said at least three people died and six others were missing in his mountain city of Baguio after strong winds and rain destroyed several houses and set off landslides, which also blocked roads to the popular vacation destination. It was not immediately clear whether the dead and missing had been included in the overall death toll.
About 87,000 people had evacuated from high-risk areas of the Philippines. Tolentino and other officials advised them not to return home until the lingering danger had passed.
In Cagayan’s capital, Tuguegarao, where the typhoon made landfall, Associated Press journalists saw a severely damaged public market, its roof ripped apart and wooden stalls and tarpaulin canopies in disarray. Outside a popular shopping mall, debris was scattered everywhere and government workers cleared roads of fallen trees. Many stores and houses were damaged but most residents remained indoors as occasional gusts sent small pieces of tin sheets and other debris flying dangerously.
The Tuguegarao airport terminal also was damaged, its roof and glass windows shattered by strong winds.
The typhoon struck at the start of the rice and corn harvesting season in Cagayan, a major agricultural producer, prompting farmers to scramble to save what they could of their crops, Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba said.
In Hong Kong, Security Minister John Lee Ka-chiu urged residents to prepare for the worst.
Cathay Pacific said all of its flights would be canceled between 2:30 a.m. local time on Sunday and 4 a.m. Monday.
“Because Mangkhut will bring winds and rains of extraordinary speeds, scope and severity, our preparation and response efforts will be greater than in the past,” Lee said. “Each department must have a sense of crisis, make a comprehensive assessment and plan, and prepare for the worst.”
In nearby Fujian province in China, 51,000 people were evacuated from fishing boats and around 11,000 vessels returned to port.
China’s National Meteorological Center issued an alert saying Mangkhut would make landfall somewhere on the coast in Guangdong province on Sunday afternoon or evening.
Ferry services in the Qiongzhou Strait in southern China were halted on Saturday and helicopters and tugboats were dispatched to Guangdong to transfer offshore workers to safety and warn ships about the typhoon, China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported.
Mangkhut, the Thai word for mangosteen fruit, is the 15th storm this year to batter the Philippines, which is hit by about 20 a year and is considered one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries. In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan left more than 7,300 people dead or missing, flattened villages, swept ships inland and displaced more than 5 million in the central Philippines.
Typhoon death toll in Philippines jumps to 28
Typhoon death toll in Philippines jumps to 28
- Storm warnings remained hoisted in 10 northern provinces, including Cagayan, which could still be lashed by devastating winds
- Tuguegarao airport terminal was badly damaged, its roof and glass windows shattered by strong wind, which also sent chairs, tables and papers flipping about inside
Israel steps up Gaza bombardment ahead of White House talks on ceasefire
- Israel’s Dermer due in US for talks on Gaza, Iran, wider deals
- Israeli tanks push into Gaza City suburb, residents say
CAIRO/JERUSALEM: Palestinians in northern Gaza reported one of the worst nights of Israeli bombardment in weeks after the military issued mass evacuation orders on Monday, while Israeli officials were due in Washington for a new ceasefire push by the Trump administration.
A day after US President Donald Trump urged an end to the 20-month-old war, a confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected at the White House for talks on a Gaza ceasefire, Iran, and possible wider regional diplomatic deals.
But on the ground in the Palestinian enclave there was no sign of fighting letting up.
“Explosions never stopped; they bombed schools and homes. It felt like earthquakes,” said Salah, 60, a father of five children, from Gaza City. “In the news we hear a ceasefire is near, on the ground we see death and we hear explosions.”
Israeli tanks pushed into the eastern areas of Zeitoun suburb in Gaza City and shelled several areas in the north, while aircraft bombed at least four schools after ordering hundreds of families sheltering inside to leave, residents said.
At least 38 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Monday, health authorities said, including 10 people killed in Zeitoun and at least 13 killed southwest of Gaza City. Medics said most of the 13 were hit by gunfire, but residents also reported an airstrike.
The Israeli military said it struck militant targets in northern Gaza, including command and control centers, after taking steps to mitigate the risk of harming civilians.
There was no immediate word from Israel on the reported casualties southwest of Gaza City.
The heavy bombardment followed new evacuation orders to vast areas in the north, where Israeli forces had operated before and left behind wide-scale destruction. The military ordered people there to head south, saying that it planned to fight Hamas militants operating in northern Gaza, including in the heart of Gaza City.
NEXT STEPS
A day after Trump called to “Make the deal in Gaza, get the hostages back,” Israel’s strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer, a confidant of Netanyahu’s, was expected on Monday at the White House for talks on Iran and Gaza, an Israeli official said.
In Israel, Netanyahu’s security cabinet was expected to convene to discuss the next steps in Gaza.
On Friday, Israel’s military chief said the present ground operation was close to having achieved its goals, and on Sunday, Netanyahu said new opportunities had opened up for recovering the hostages, 20 of whom are believed to still be alive.
Palestinian and Egyptian sources with knowledge of the latest ceasefire efforts said that mediators Qatar and Egypt have stepped up their contacts with the two warring sides, but that no date has been set yet for a new round of truce talks.
A Hamas official said that progress depends on Israel changing its position and agreeing to end the war and withdraw from Gaza. Israel says it can end the war only when Hamas is disarmed and dismantled. Hamas refuses to lay down its arms.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said that Israel has agreed to a US-proposed 60-day ceasefire and hostage deal, and put the onus on Hamas.
“Israel is serious in its will to reach a hostage deal and ceasefire in Gaza,” Saar told reporters in Jerusalem.
Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger, speaking in Jerusalem on Monday alongside her Israeli counterpart, told reporters that Vienna was very concerned about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, which she described as “unbearable.”
“Let me be frank, the suffering of civilians is increasingly burdening Israel’s relations with Europe. A ceasefire must be agreed upon,” she said, calling for the unconditional release of hostages by Hamas and for Israel to allow the uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Israel says it continues to allow aid into Gaza and accuses Hamas of stealing it. The group denies that accusation and says Israel uses hunger as a weapon against the Gaza population.
The US has proposed a 60-day ceasefire and the release of half the hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and the remains of other Palestinians. Hamas would release the remaining hostages as part of a deal that guarantees ending the war.
The war began when Hamas fighters stormed into Israel on October 7 2023, killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took 251 hostages back to Gaza in a surprise attack that led to Israel’s single deadliest day.
Israel’s subsequent military assault has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to the Gaza health ministry, displaced almost the whole 2.3 million population and plunged the enclave into a humanitarian crisis.
More than 80 percent of the territory is now an Israeli-militarized zone or under displacement orders, according to the United Nations.
EU warns Armenia about Russian ‘hybrid threats’
YEREVAN: The EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas urged Armenia to protect its democratic values amid “hybrid threats” from Russia on a visit to Yerevan on Monday.
Ties between Armenia and its traditional ally Russia have been strained since Azerbaijan’s 2023 offensive on Nagorno-Karabakh, in which Moscow did not intervene.
Russia has for years been the main mediator between Armenia and Azerbaijan. But Brussels has played a stronger role recently, with Russia tied up with its Ukraine invasion.
Kallas visited several days after Armenia arrested a powerful cleric accused of plotting a coup against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
She said she discussed “Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and specifically Russian hybrid activities in all countries” with Armenia’s foreign minister Ararat Mirzoyan.
“Armenia’s commitment to democracy and freedom is key. These values must be protected, especially in the face of hybrid threats, disinformation, and foreign interference,” she said.
Mirzoyan warned Moscow against interfering in its internal political affairs after the arrest of powerful cleric Bagrat Galstanyan.
But speaking in Kyrgyzstan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned Armenia against turning away from Moscow and against “attacks on the canonical, millennia-old Armenian Apostolic Church.”
“We do not put any pressure on Armenian authorities, we will wait for clarity on all these issues,” Lavrov said according to Russian news agencies.
“But we all understand that if Armenia turns away from its allies, its closest partners and neighbors, it will hardly be in the interests of the Armenian people,” he added.
Mirzoyan said Lavrov “would do better not to interfere in Armenia’s internal affairs and domestic politics,” calling on Russian officials to “show greater respect for the sovereignty of the Republic of Armenia.”
Kallas said “the EU and Armenia have never been as close as we are now.”
She announced a new EU-Armenia partnership and a 270-million-euro “resilience and growth plan for 2024-2027.” She also welcomed Armenia’s move to initiate an EU accession process earlier this year.
Kallas re-affirmed the EU’s support to normalizing relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Egypt exceeds growth forecasts with 4.77% quarterly expansion, fastest in 3 years
RIYADH: Egypt’s economy expanded 4.77 percent in the third quarter of fiscal year 2024/2025, its fastest pace in three years, as growth rebounded across non-oil manufacturing, tourism, and telecommunications, official data showed.
According to preliminary figures released by the Ministry of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation, the acceleration — up from 2.2 percent a year earlier — lifted average growth for the first nine months of the fiscal year to 4.2 percent, surpassing earlier expectations and signaling growing resilience amid global uncertainties.
The ministry added that full-year growth may exceed the government’s 4 percent target.
This comes as Egypt’s economy has navigated significant turbulence and transformation over the past five years. After pandemic disruption and rising foreign debt, the overnment secured an $8 billion International Monetary Fund-backed rescue package in early 2024, floated its currency — triggering a 38 percent depreciation — and raised interest rates sharply.
In its quarterly GDP note, the ministry stated: “Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation, highlighted that the Egyptian economy continued its robust recovery in the third quarter of the current fiscal year, demonstrating growing resilience amid mounting global uncertainties.”
It noted that higher-than-expected GDP growth was driven by strong performance in key sectors, reflecting the impact of Egypt’s macroeconomic policies and structural reform agenda.
“Dr. Al-Mashat emphasized that this momentum builds on the solid recovery observed since the start of the fiscal year and aligns with the government’s broader strategy to promote private sector–led growth and advance the transition toward a more competitive, export-oriented economy focused on tradable goods and services,” the release added.
Growth is expected to rebound from around 3 percent in 2023 to an estimated 4.2 percent by 2025, driven by private investment, infrastructure projects, and tourism recovery, according to World Bank projections.
Inflation, peaking near 38 percent in late 2023, cooled to approximately 12 percent to 13 percent by early 2025.
Persistent challenges include energy deficits, waning gas production, substantial external debt, and widening current-account and budget deficits
“The strong outturn also reflects the continued implementation of the reform agenda, under the National Structural Reform Program, which is instrumental in maintaining macroeconomic stability, improving the governance of public investment, enhancing economic competitiveness, and expanding private sector participation,” the report stated.
The program, launched in 2021, aims to diversify the Egyptian economy and enhance its competitiveness by focusing on strengthening key sectors, improving the business environment, and promoting sustainable and inclusive growth.
The report noted that non-oil manufacturing output grew by 16 percent in the quarter, reversing a 4 percent contraction a year earlier.
The industrial production index excluding crude oil and petroleum products expanded by 16.03 percent, led by significant gains in motor vehicles, which grew by 93 percent, ready-made garments by 58 percent, beverages by 34 percent, paper by 20 percent, and textiles by 17 percent.
The sector contributed 1.9 percentage points to overall GDP growth. Exports of finished goods rose by 12.7 percent year on year in the quarter.
The tourism sector also posted a strong performance, growing by 23 percent. Visitor arrivals reached 4 million, with tourist nights increasing to 41 million.
Telecommunications expanded by 14.7 percent, while financial intermediation grew by 17.34 percent, insurance by 7.7 percent, electricity by 5.76 percent, and construction by 3.13 percent.
On the expenditure side, net exports contributed approximately 2.7 percentage points to growth, as exports rose by 54.4 percent, outpacing an 18.7 percent increase in imports.
Private investment increased by 24.2 percent year on year at constant prices, accounting for 62.8 percent of total implemented investments excluding inventory, and surpassing public investment for the third consecutive quarter.
However, public investment contracted by 45.6 percent, resulting in a negative overall contribution of investment to GDP growth, estimated at minus 2.44 percentage points.
Some sectors continued to decline. Suez Canal activity fell by 23.1 percent, reflecting ongoing geopolitical disruptions, while extractive industries contracted by 10.38 percent due to reduced oil and gas output. Petroleum activity declined by 9.52 percent, and natural gas extraction by 20.5 percent.
Looking ahead, the government projects GDP growth of 4.5 percent for fiscal year 2025/2026 under the Economic and Social Development Plan approved by Parliament in June.
The plan caps public investment at 1.158 trillion Egyptian pounds ($24.64 billion) and allocates about 47 percent of treasury-funded investments to health, education, and social services.
Despite regional instability following the outbreak of conflict between Israel and Iran, the government has maintained its growth outlook, citing relatively contained effects on global markets.
Cyprus invites Turkiye’s Erdogan to summit despite long rift over 1974 invasion
NICOSIA: Cyprus said on Monday it would invite arch-foe Turkiye to a summit during its European Union presidency next year despite a decades-long rift over Ankara’s 1974 invasion and its backing of a breakaway state on the divided island.
Nicosia will hold the rotating EU presidency in the first six months of 2026 and plans a summit of regional leaders, including Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, on issues related to the Middle East, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said.
“You can’t change geography — Turkiye will always be a neighbor state to the Republic of Cyprus .. Mr.Erdogan will of course be welcome to this summit to discuss developments in the area,” he told journalists in Nicosia.
Christodoulides had earlier said the same in a British podcast aired on Monday in response to a question, saying the summit was planned for April 2026.
The Turkish presidency did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the invitation to Erdogan.
Cyprus and Turkiye have no diplomatic relations and hosting a Turkish president might prove challenging both because of the diplomatic tightrope arising from past conflict and logistical issues.
The eastern Mediterranean island was partitioned by a Turkish invasion in 1974 sparked by a brief Greek-inspired coup, and Ankara supports a breakaway, unrecognized state in north Cyprus where it stations thousands of troops.
Christodoulides heads a Greek Cypriot administration that represents all of Cyprus within the EU but with its powers stopping at a ceasefire line splitting the island into northern and southern sections. Erdogan has never visited the south.
Karachi TacoCop: Senior police officer runs Mexican food cart after dark
- DIG Usman Siddiqui Sombrero is behind the counter at taco cart in Bukhari Commercial Area and Seaview
- Tacos, corn or flour tortillas filled with meat, vegetables, condiments like salsa or sour cream, are a novelty Pakistan
KARACHI: As evening settles over Karachi, a white and green rickshaw-turned-food truck named Sombrero parks quietly on the city’s bustling Seaview beach.
Soon, the aromas of spiced meat and soft corn tortillas begin emanating from the cart, suggesting a seasoned chef at work.
But the man behind the counter is a top police officer with bullet wounds and decades of service in Pakistan’s most volatile regions.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Usman Siddiqui has spent 23 years chasing kidnappers, leading raids on criminal hideouts and running anti-corruption and narcotics operations across Pakistan’s Sindh and Balochistan provinces. Now, in a surprising second act, Siddiqui and his wife run a food cart, serving Mexican tacos, corn and flour tortillas filled with meat, vegetables, and condiments like salsa or sour cream.
“We made these tacos at home and they turned out to be really good,” Siddiqui told Arab News. “Friends encouraged us to set up at the Karachi Eat festival in 2022 and the response was immense.”
The idea eventually grew into Sombrero, first launched as a delivery service and then as a street food cart stationed in the Bukhari Commercial Area and at Seaview.
Each evening, Siddiqui and his wife, Hubna Usman, personally oversee its operation, ensuring everything from prep to quality control is handled with care.
“She takes the truck out at 6 or 630pm. It’s here [at Bukhari] till about 9-930pm and then it goes to Seaview McDonald’s until 1am,” Siddiqui explained.
FROM THE FRONTLINES TO THE FRYER
Born in Shikarpur, a historic city in Sindh, Siddiqui joined the police force in 2002 and has since held key positions, including Inspector General of Balochistan Prisons, Director General of Narcotics Control, and Director of Anti-Corruption. He has also served as Senior Superintendent of Police in seven districts, including two stints in Balochistan.
Much of his work has involved high-risk assignments, including the rescue of kidnapped children and operations against organized crime.
“The most satisfaction I get is when I rescue kidnapping victims, especially kids,” Siddiqui said. “Someone’s child is kidnapped. It’s a very tormenting situation for the entire family.”
He also survived a gunbattle in 2015 in which nine fellow officers were killed.
“I took a bullet in my arm,” he recalled quietly. “It was a very difficult encounter.”
Though few expect a police official to run a food cart, Siddiqui said cooking has always been his passion.
“I cook myself, even when I’m with my family at home,” he said. “There are certain things that I cook better than most of my staff, even if they’re trained professionals.”
AUTHENTICIY
Mexican cuisine, especially tacos, caught the couple’s interest after friends asked for a themed dinner.
“There was a lot of space for Mexican food,” Siddiqui said. “Nobody is doing it here, right? Nobody is doing it right.”
Indeed, tacos remain a novelty in Pakistan.
“Me and Usman both tried this recipe a hundred times to come closer to Mexican food,” said Hubna Usman, a former banker. “It was Usman who told me, ‘Yes, this is the final product.’ Because he’s a foodie, I listened to him.”
Their children were also involved in the early days of the business.
“Initially, it was all of us setting it up, me, my kids, and my wife. We used to drive the rickshaw ourselves. We used to wait on orders ourselves,” Siddiqui said.
Now the cart is run by trained staff but Siddiqui still joins at least once a week.
“Once a week, at least, we’ll come and assemble it ourselves or cook it ourselves”
Despite the late hours and his demanding day job as DIG of the Sindh police’s Rapid Response Force, Siddiqui insists the food cart is a labor of love.
“I can stay in the kitchen for two, three hours and cook without being distracted,” he said. “I like it when people enjoy my food and appreciate it.”
Customers agree.
“It’s actually really good because the flavors are really good. Especially the hot shell. It’s amazing,” said Zarian Turab, a regular at Sombrero. “Mexican food is difficult to find in Karachi. But they’re doing justice to it.”
Another customer, real estate professional Asad Ameen, said he had never tried Mexican food before discovering the cart.
“I often come here to Seaview for food and snacks, and I discovered Sombrero. I’ve tried their tacos and they’re absolutely delicious.”
Despite calls to “localize” the menu, Siddiqui remains firm on authenticity.
“This is about 80 to 90 percent authentic,” he said. “You will never see me making chicken tikka pizza tacos for you because that’s the local taste. It doesn’t work that way.”
