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Metro Manila, Philippines – An elementary student died of infection following a routine deworming activity, the Department of Education (DepEd) said on Monday, July 13. The student, who attended the Hugo Perez Elementary School-Annex in Trece Martires City, Cavite, was hospitalized after experiencing severe vomiting on July 3—a day after the campus health activity. Initial medical findings revealed that the cause of death was an infection that rapidly progressed to septic shock. DepEd acknowledged that several other learners also experienced adverse symptoms and felt unwell after undergoing the deworming procedure. “We are committed to fully understanding what happened and are working closely with health authorities as they investigate,” DepEd said in a statement.  The agency also noted that it is actively reviewing its health and safety protocols to ensure the well-being of its learners. “We are providing the necessary emotional, psychological, and logistical support to the family during this difficult…

Metro Manila, Philippines – The death toll from the combined effects of the southwest monsoon (habagat) and Typhoon Inday has risen to 21, while 16 individuals remain missing, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported on Monday, July 13. In its latest situational report, the NDRRMC noted that 738,407 individuals, or 154,472 families, have been affected across the country. Current displacement figures show: Evacuation Centers: 4,058 families (12,937 individuals) are temporarily staying in emergency shelters. Property Damage: Disaster response officials recorded 385 houses completely destroyed and another 385 partially damaged. Tropical Cyclone Bavi (locally named Inday) officially exited the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Saturday. However, state meteorologists are already monitoring a new low-pressure area outside PAR that has intensified into a tropical depression.

Washington, United States- U.S. and Iranian forces have exchanged heavy missile and drone assaults, with Tehran targeting U.S. facilities in states across the Gulf on Sunday and saying it had again closed the vital Strait of Hormuz. The strikes were the latest in a cycle of attacks and counter-attacks as Iran seeks to assert control over shipping through the strait. However, the barrage marked an escalation in pace and range. The strikes extended to Qatar, a mediator in ceasefire talks that had not come under attack since April, while the United Arab Emirates, which had not been targeted since early May, said its air defenses had engaged missiles and drones from Iran. The renewed violence casts further doubt on the future of an interim U.S.-Iranian agreement signed last month that aimed to reopen the strait and end the war after a further 60 days of negotiations. In the past week, U.S. President Donald Trump has…

Wenzhou, China – China evacuated more than 1.8 million people on Saturday as Typhoon Bavi churned toward the major eastern city of Wenzhou after pummelling Japan’s southern Sakishima island chain with heavy rain and violent winds and brushing past northern Taiwan. Even as Bavi continues to slow and weaken on its northwesterly path over cooler seas, the typhoon is still a potent risk due to the sheer volume of moisture it holds within its rain bands, about the size of France from end to end. Bavi had maximum sustained winds of 144 km per hour (90 mph), equivalent to Category 1 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, and was about 200 km (124 miles) southeast of Wenling in the eastern province of Zhejiang as of 0808 GMT, according to the National Meteorological Center. Bavi is forecast to make landfall around Wenzhou, home to some 10 million people, early on Sunday. State media…

(Reuters) – President Donald Trump said on Friday that the United States and Iran had agreed to continue talks despite a recent escalation of hostilities but he flatly declared that the ceasefire reached between the two sides last month was over. The United States also stepped up demands that Iran stop attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, where recent hostilities have pushed oil prices higher, a politically sensitive issue for Trump ahead of November congressional elections. Trump’s comments came on a day of relative calm at the end of a week of renewed conflict, when three Qatari and Saudi commercial tankers came under fire, prompting the U.S. to hit Iranian sites, and Iran to respond with strikes on U.S. military sites in Gulf states. No fresh attacks were reported on Friday as regional mediators sought to salvage diplomatic efforts to permanently end a war that began on February 28 with U.S.-Israeli strikes…