Manila - Eighteen people were killed in flashfloods and landslides caused by two weeks of heavy rains in the southern and eastern Philippines, the Office of Civil Defence (OCD) said Friday.
Eight fatalities were reported in the eastern provinces of Northern Samar, Catanduanes and Capiz, while 10 were killed in the southern province of Misamis Oriental and Agusan del Sur.
The victims drowned or were buried in landslides, the OCD said.
Nine people were still reported missing and feared dead in the affected provinces.
More than 314,000 people were adversely affected by the heavy rains in 13 eastern and southern provinces, where nearly 3,000 houses were damaged or destroyed, the OCD said.
Sydney - Flying Finn Jarkko Nieminen stunned Novak Djokovic on the eve of the Australian Open, hammering the top seed out of the Medibank International warm-up event 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) on Friday.
Sao Paulo - Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, an optimist to the bone, keeps repeating his mantra that Brazil, the world's 10th largest economy, will emerge from the turbulence rattling the global economy with only minor scratches.
Aiming to emphasize its presence in the Indian luxury car market, Hyundai India, on Thursday, unveiled the advanced versions of its luxury Sedan Sonata. The new premium Sonata sedans are priced between Rs 13.9 lakh and Rs 15.9 lakh.
