The heatwave scorching south and southeast Asia is forecast to continue until the middle of next month. Dozens of people have died from heat-related illnesses. In the Philippines, schools have suspended in-person classes, and the government has issued guidelines to protect workers from the heat.

Manila

Extreme weather events are occurring more frequently amid rising sea-levels and increasing temperatures.

Climate Crisis

Philippine schools have remained closed amid a severe heat wave affecting south and southeast Asia, anticipated to persist until the middle of next month. The country has experienced a significant rise in temperature, leading to health-related concerns and fatalities. The government has taken preventive measures by suspending in-person classes and issuing health guidelines to safeguard the population, particularly workers exposed to the harsh conditions.

The closure of thousands of schools in the Philippines is extended to ensure the safety of students from the extreme heat, which has seen temperatures soar to record highs. Manila recorded a temperature of nearly 39 degrees Celsius, making it the hottest day on record for the capital. When considering the heat index, which accounts for humidity, the temperature felt was as high as 45 degrees Celsius, with a northern town experiencing a staggering 53 degrees Celsius. In response to the escalating temperatures, the Labor Department has advised employers to adopt protective measures for their workforce, including providing water, protective gear, and flexible working arrangements.

The effects of the heat wave have forced employees, like security camera installer Jerick Flores, to continue working in increasingly challenging conditions, highlighting the broader implications on the labor force. The government's efforts to mitigate the impact include recommendations for adjusted working hours and the possibility of remote work where feasible. Nonetheless, labor rights advocates emphasize the need for stricter enforcement of these guidelines to ensure worker safety. This situation underscores the broader challenges posed by climate change, with rising temperatures expected in the years to come. The Philippines joins other nations in the region, such as India and Thailand, in grappling with the adverse effects of extreme heat, underscoring a comprehensive need for adaptation and preparedness.



Philippine schools stay shut, health alert issued amid heat wave

Thousands of schools in the Philippines already shut for weeks, ordered to stay closed for a few more days, possibly longer. The exceptionally hot weather is expected to last until mid-May, but while students are able to escape the heat, millions of working Filipinos aren't so lucky. Some have to endure scorching temperatures during their commute, while others have to spend a day outdoors in the glare of the sun. Jerick Flores installs and maintains security cameras around Manila. It's hotter now than last year. The sun's up all the time, but work must go on. Locals say in recent days, the heat has become almost unbearable. The temperature soared to nearly 39 degrees Celsius here in Manila on Sunday. That's the hottest on record for the Philippine capital. With the heat index, the temperature that we actually feel when humidity is factored in was 45 degrees Celsius. One town in the north reached a high of 53. The Labor Department has issued an advisory urging employers to adopt measures to help workers cope, from providing water and protective gear to offering flexible hours and work-from-home options. The manager at this construction site says the company has already made adjustments. They've told them they can opt not to take their two 15-minute breaks and rest for an entire hour and a half during lunchtime instead. But labor rights advocates say the government needs to take things one step further in order companies to comply. This is not just for this year. We are expecting to experience rising temperatures in the coming years because of the climate change effects. Effects that are being felt across the region. In India's Jaipur, zoo animals are being fed ice cream and watermelons. And in Thailand, about 30 people have died due to the extreme heat. The Philippines has also recorded several deaths, but by keeping schools closed, authorities are hoping to limit further fatalities. Barnabelo, Aljazeera, Manila.

France declared a state of emergency on the Pacific island of New Caledonia after three young indigenous Kanak and a police official were killed in riots over electoral reform.

Nouméa

France declares state of emergency in New Caledonia

Israel's defense minister publicly challenged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the country's post-war plans for the Gaza Strip, with Yoav Gallant stressing his opposition of any long-term military rule by Israel in the ravaged Palestinian enclave.

Jerusalem

Israel-Gaza War

Israel's defense chief challenges Netanyahu on Gaza

Peter Dutton is set to deliver a budget reply speech, hinting at a focus on migration intake to address the housing crisis. The Coalition expected to propose further cuts to migration numbers and align housing supply with immigration rates.

Canberra

Opposition wants fewer migrants to ease housing crisis

Former Bulldogs and Tigers Brandon Wakeham has been charged over allegedly supplying large quantities of MDMA and cocaine. The 25-year-old, along with two co-accused arrested by Police and charged with commercial supply of illicit drugs.

Council of the City of Sydney

Former NRL player charged over alleged drug supply

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico has been undergoing surgery after being shot in a suspected assassination attempt, as he greeted supporters after a meeting. Five shots were fired at close range, while security scrambled to confront the shooter. The government says the attack, which has left the prime minister in a critical but stable condition, was politically motivated.

Bratislava

Slovakia PM's 'life in danger' after assassination attempt

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing for talks with Xi Jinping that the Kremlin hopes will deepen a strategic partnership between the two most powerful geopolitical rivals of the United States.

Beijing

Putin arrives in China, to meet Xi Jinping in Beijing

Ukrainian forces struggle to repel Russian advances near the important city of Kharkiv. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is in Kyiv to highlight $61 billion US in aid and weapons, but some say it comes too late to make a difference.

Kyiv

Ukraine Invasion

Concerns U.S. aid for Ukraine arriving too late as Russia advances

Dutch nationalist Geert Wilders said a deal had been reached to form what was set to be the most right-wing government in the Netherlands in decades, almost six months after a major election victory.

Amsterdam

Netherlands set for most right-wing government in years

Firefighters in western Canada are battling the first major wildfires of 2024 after unseasonably warm temperatures and an ongoing drought left forests tinder-dry. The blazes prompted evacuation orders for parts of northern British Columbia and Alberta.

British Columbia

Wildfires in western Canada spur large evacuations

Protesters occupying a University of Melbourne building are refusing to move, defying orders by Police and risking arrest. A group of around one-hundred students staging a sit-in to protest the war in Gaza.

Melbourne

Pro-Palestine protesters refuse to leave uni campus

A Sydney council has voted to overturn a controversial same-sex parenting book ban that prompted national outrage. Riot police were called after rival protests gathered outside the council chambers.

Cumberland City Council

Council votes to reverse same-sex parenting book ban

Hundreds of police are scouring northern France for Mohamed Amra, a fugitive known as "The Fly" who was freed by gunmen in a brazen attack against a prison van that killed two guards and wounded three.

Paris

French police search for 'The Fly' after deadly prison van escape

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico is battling life-threatening wounds after officials said he was shot multiple times in an assassination attempt condemned by European leaders. The suspected gunman was detained by police.

Handlová

Slovakian leader critical after assasination attempt

The Cannes Film Festival officially kicked off as celebrities walked the red carpet into the plush Grand Theatre Lumiere to honour Hollywood actor Meryl Streep before settling in to watch this year's opening film, "The Second Act." Story by Monte Francis.

Cannes

Cannes kicks off with a Palme d'Or for Meryl Streep

Ukraine has pulled back troops near several villages in the northeastern Kharkiv region, where Russian forces have been advancing and pounding settlements in a new offensive along the border, Kyiv said.

Kharkiv

Ukraine pulls back from two areas of Kharkiv

French police and authorities have launched a nationwide manhunt for an escaped prisoner, after an armed gang ambushed his prison van, killing two officers. Video footage has emerged of the deadly attack which took place in Normandy, France on Tuesday morning in public.

Normandy

Manhunt underway after prison van attack in France

The Federal Budget has promised an energy rebate of $300 for all Australian households, but critics say a lack of means testing is a tougher sell. Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the latest budget will reduce inflation, but economists disagree.

Federal budget promises an inflation fix 'by Christmas'

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during a trip to Kyiv that part of a major U.S. aid package had arrived in Ukraine and that more was on its way.

Blinken says Putin must pay for damage in Ukraine

In his second day on the stand at Donald Trump's criminal trial, the prosecution tried to build up the former fixer's credibility as a witness who can link Trump to the alleged scheme of falsifying business records to conceal hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

New York

Star witness Michael Cohen grilled by defence at Trump trial

A preliminary National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report says the cargo ship Dali that collapsed the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore lost power twice in the hours before it left port.

Baltimore

Report: Ship lost power twice before ramming Baltimore bridge

At least two French prison guards were shot dead and three others seriously injured after heavily armed men ambushed a prison van to free an inmate, French police said, triggering a major manhunt.

Incarville

Manhunt underway after prisoner van ambushed

The Georgian parliament has approved in the third and final reading a divisive bill that sparked weeks of mass protests, with critics seeing it as a threat to democratic freedoms and the country’s aspirations to join the European Union.

Tbilisi

Georgian Parliament adopts controversial law despite protests

U.S. President Joe Biden has unveiled a bundle of steep tariff increases on an array of Chinese imports including electric vehicles, computer chips and medical products, risking an election-year standoff with Beijing in a bid to woo voters who give his economic policies low marks.

Washington

Biden sharply hikes U.S. tariffs on China chips, cars

The Treasurer has announced a $300 power bill rebate for households and a $325 rebate for small businesses, alongside measures to address inflation and support low-income households, aiming to alleviate the country's cost of living pressures.

Federal Budget tackles cost-of-living crisis

The New South Wales State Government has announced tougher bail laws for domestic violence accused persons, including electronic monitoring. The reforms follow the alleged murder of Molly Ticehurst in Forbes last month, after her accused killer breached bail.

NSW announces tougher bail laws for domestic offenders

The Federal Government will announce the budget in a few hours. Cost of living is said to be the key focus, along with energy rebates for Australian households and Commonwealth rent assistance. However Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor says Australian households have already shown great restraint. Inflation is also a concern.

Budget forecast ahead of announcement

Trump's former fixer and personal lawyer Michael Cohen takes the stand as a key prosecution witness at the former president's hush money trial. His testimony links the former president to alleged falsifying of business records to cover up payments to an adult film star and a Playboy model, in the 2016 campaign.

Ex- Trump fixer Michael Cohen takes stand at hush money trial

Israel's Memorial Day is typically sombre, but today angry protests over the government's handling of the war disrupted several events. The war itself is getting worse for Palestinians in Gaza as hundreds of thousands have fled the city they were already taking refuge in and still more are trapped amid intensifying fighting.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Protests, fighting in Gaza mark Israel's Memorial Day

The exodus of Palestinians from Gaza’s last refuge accelerated as Israeli forces pushed deeper into the southern city of Rafah. Israel also pounded the territory’s devastated north, where some Hamas militants have regrouped. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated opposition to a major military assault on Rafah.

UN urges reopening of aid lines as exodus from Rafah continues

More than a dozen student volunteers from Albury, Victoria are stranded in Vanuatu after the country's airline went into liquidation. The group having to arrange their own charter flight back to Australia after Qantas were unresponsive.

SEE THE FULL STORY

Climate Crisis