Asia News Wrap: Super typhoon in Philippines kills 12, and more

Philippines hit by sixth storm in a month, cumulatively killing 175 people

The death toll from Super Typhoon Man-yi in the Philippines has risen to 12, the national disaster agency said on Thursday. The country's Office of Civil Defense Administrator, Ariel Nepomuceno said that Catanduanes, an island province in the Bicol region southeast of Manila, was particularly hit hard by Man-yi, with around 4,000 houses damaged, 500 of which were destroyed. More than 650,000 people fled their homes before Man-yi hit. Nepomuceno noted that Man-yi is the sixth powerful typhoon that battered the Philippines in less than a month. It is the 16th tropical cyclone to hit the Philippines this year.

India fines Meta $25.4 million and stops WhatsApp from sharing user data

India's competition watchdog directed social media application WhatsApp to refrain from sharing user data for advertising purposes with other applications owned by Meta for a period of five years and fined the company $25.4 million on Monday over antitrust violations related to the application's 2021 privacy policy. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) launched a probe in 2021 into WhatsApp's privacy policy, which allowed data sharing with Facebook and its subsidiaries. "Sharing of user data collected on WhatsApp with other Meta companies ... for purposes other than for providing WhatsApp service shall not be made a condition for users to access WhatsApp Service in India," the CCI said.

Seoul government wants to hire foreigners as bus drivers

The Seoul Metropolitan Government in South Korea announced on Monday that it is pushing to hire foreign nationals as bus drivers on local community routes as the city struggles to deal with a manpower shortage. These local buses, known in Korean as “maeul” buses, operate on short routes. Maeul buses, or village buses in English, operate on very short routes within local areas to connect residents to nearby major bus stops and subway stations. The bus industry has long called for the introduction of foreign drivers due to a labor shortage. Last month, the city government requested that the Office for Government Policy Coordination expand the E-9 visa program to include the transportation sector and extend the employment period for E-9 visa holders from three to five years. The scheme has been compared to a pilot project launched in September, under which households in Seoul are able to hire women from the Philippines as domestic workers. Currently, E-9 visas are issued to foreign nationals working in non-professional sectors such as manufacturing and agriculture. 

Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi erupts again 

Mount Lewotobi, located in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province, erupted again on Wednesday, the third time in a month, spewing ash and volcanic materials that significantly worsened air quality in the region. The eruption sent a thick, gray column of ash soaring three kilometers high, dispersing to the west and southwest of the crater, according to the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center. The Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation changed the aviation warning to orange, the second-highest alert, prohibiting planes from flying at altitudes below five kilometers (approximately 16,400 feet) around the volcano. Richard Felt, a senior official from the provincial disaster management agency, said that continuous eruptions since November 4 have worsened air quality, causing respiratory issues among several residents.

Japan considering fiscal stimulus worth 13.9 trillion yen

Japan is considering spending 13.9 trillion yen ($89.7 billion) from its general account to fund a new stimulus package aimed at mitigating the impact of rising prices on households. Japan's economic growth slowed in the third quarter, boosting the case for a stimulus package. The proposed spending, exceeding the 13.2 trillion yen allocated for last year's economic stimulus, is set to exacerbate Japan's already strained public finances, with debt currently twice the size of its economy. The package also includes around 8 trillion yen for government investment and lending, as well as local government spending, putting the overall package at 39 trillion yen when private funding is included.

(Residents ride boats and walk on a wooden footbridge in Dela Paz village, after being hit by Super Typhoon Man-yi, on November 20, 2024 in Binan, Laguna province, Philippines. /CFP)