Several dead after Typhoon Phanfone batters central Philippines - Al Jazeera English

At least 11 people were reported killed and six others missing on Thursday after Typhoon Phanfone battered several central Philippine islands on Wednesday, Christmas Day, making seven landfalls before heading out to the South China Sea.

The typhoon brought chaos and a wet, miserable holiday season to millions in the mainly Catholic nation. Thousands were stranded at shuttered ports, while dozens of flights were cancelled.

Images posted on social media showed some areas in Capiz and Iloilo provinces under water. Thousands were forced to evacuate before the typhoon.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer news website reported that two people died in the province of Leyte, while eight were killed in Iloilo and Capiz. One died in the province of Biliran.

The Office of Civil Defense was quoted as saying that it is verifying reports of a dozen more fatalities.

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Six others were missing in Iloilo, although ABS-CBN television channel reported that the number could be as high as 12.

As of Thursday morning, the Philippine weather agency, PAGASA, said that Phanfone was reported 155km (96 miles) west of the province of Palawan, with maximum winds of up to 130km/h (80 mph) and gustiness of up to 160km/h (99 mph).

Balasan, Iloilo suffers from heavy flooding due to strong rains brought by Typhoon Ursula on Wednesday, December 25. #UrsulaPH | via @AlertsPeapic.twitter.com/DA3qSBzh9p

— MovePH (@MovePH) December 25, 2019

Al Jazeera's Barnaby Lo, reporting from Manila, said it could take several days before stranded passengers are allowed to travel.

"I am very sad and I have been crying for days. I told my child I can’t do anything," one passenger told Al Jazeera. "They did not let us board the ferry because there is typhoon - and we understand that."

Phanfone also hit Boracay, Coron and other holiday destinations that are famed for their white-sand beaches and popular with foreign tourists.

The airport at Kalibo, which services Boracay, was badly damaged, according to a Korean tourist who was stranded there.

"Roads remain blocked, but some efforts have been made to clear away the damage. It's pretty bad," Jung Byung Joon said. "Everything within 100 metres of the airport looks broken. There are a lot of frustrated people at the airport as flights have been cancelled."

Another Korean tourist said she had been unable to make contact with her friend on Borocay.

"I wasn't able to get through. Maybe something isn't working," said Dahae Gong. "I don't know when I will be able to go home."

The Philippine archipelago is hit by an average of 20 storms and typhoons every year [Bobbie Alota/AFP]

Though weaker, Phanfone was tracking a similar path as Super Typhoon Haiyan - the country's deadliest cyclone on record which left more than 7,300 people dead or missing in 2013.

The Philippines is the first major landmass facing the Pacific cyclone belt.

As such, the archipelago is hit by an average of 20 storms and typhoons each year, killing many people, wiping out harvests, homes and other infrastructure, and keeping millions perennially poor.

A July 2019 study by the Manila-based Asian Development Bank said the more frequent storms lop 1 percent off the Philippine economic output, while the stronger ones cut output by nearly 3 percent.

SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies

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2019-12-26 08:53:00Z
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Typhoon Phanfone kills 21 as it hits the Philippines on Christmas Day - CNN

Typhoon Phanfone, known locally as Typhoon Ursula, first made landfall on Eastern Samar province on Tuesday, bringing heavy rain and storm surges. It hit as the equivalent of a Category 1 hurricane, packing sustained wind speeds of 150 kilometers (93 miles) per hour, with gusts of 195 kilometers (121 miles) per hour.

Phanfone continued to sweep west across the islands of the Eastern Visayas region, southern Luzon and Western Visayas on Wednesday, toppling electricity pylons and trees, tearing off roofs, damaging homes and causing widespread travel disruption over the busy Christmas period.

The region is majority Catholic and many people were preparing for family celebrations when the typhoon hit.

Images from the area showed debris blocking roads, downed lamp posts, crumpled houses and people huddling in evacuation centers.

On Thursday, the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported that 13 people had died in the Western Visayas region, while the Office of Civil Defense said eight had died in Eastern Visayas, according to CNN affiliate CNN Philippines.

Two of the victims were electrocuted and one was hit by a falling mango tree, officials said.

One of the victims, 70-year-old Carlos Yu Beltran, drowned when his house was swept away in a storm surge in Balangkayan town on Samar, according to the government's Philippine Information Agency (PIA).

Five fishermen from Samar Island are also missing.

"Let's hope and pray that they are safe," Eastern Samar Governor Ben Evardone said in a statement.

Around 2,351 people have been affected by the typhoon and 1,654 people were taking refuge in evacuation centers, according to the Philippine national disaster management agency, NDRRMC. A total of 58,400 people were pre-emptively evacuated ahead of the typhoon, the NDRRMC said.

The agency said 87 cities and municipalities experienced power outages, and by Thursday, 24 of those have had power restored.

Phanfone followed a similar path to the devastating Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, which was one of the most powerful storms on record and killed at least 6,000 people.

The full extent of the damage is yet to be determined as power and communications in several areas remain cut off.

Some tourist areas, including the popular resort island of Boracay, were also damaged on Wednesday. The nearby Kalibo International Airport was temporarily closed and flights canceled after the typhoon damaged the roof of the terminal building, according to an advisory from Philippine Airlines.

Thousands of people who were traveling over the Christmas period had their flights and ferries canceled due to the typhoon. Some 115 domestic flights were canceled and more than 15,700 passengers left stranded, according to the NDRRMC.

Almost 4,000 people remained stranded in several ports around the region on Thursday, the Philippine Coast Guard said.

The Philippines gets hit by more typhoons than any other country, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

Earlier this month Typhoon Kammuri, the twentieth to hit the country this year, killed 13 people and damaged more than 8,000 houses.

On Thursday, Phafone was tracking over the South China Sea with winds of a 150 kilometers (93 miles) per hour. The storm is expected to maintain typhoon intensity for at least the next 24 hours as it moves westward, but will weaken to a tropical depression before making landfall in northern Vietnam on Sunday, according to CNN meteorologists.

CNN's Akanksha Sharma contributed reporting.

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2019-12-26 07:07:00Z
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Queen's Christmas Message 2019 - Global News

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2019-12-25 15:00:07Z
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Prince William, Kate, George and Charlotte Celebrate Christmas in Church - TMZ

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The Royals have had a tough year no doubt, but at least some of them tried to put on a happy face for Xmas.

Prince George and Princess Charlotte clutched the hand of parents William and Kate as they made their way to church. They joined grandpa Prince Charles as they entered the Church of St. Mary Magdalene on the Queen's Sandringham estate, about 100 miles from London.

Prince Louis wasn't there ... he's 18 months old and too young for the festivities. Louis hung out with Kate's parents.

Also missing ... Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and baby Archie ...they're spending the holiday in Canada with her mom. Prince Andrew was not there, but he attended a church service with the Queen earlier in the day with Prince Charles.

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2019-12-25 14:55:00Z
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Prince Andrew joins Queen and British royals for Christmas Day church service - CNN

The 59-year-old -- who is also known as the Duke of York -- walked to St. Mary Magdalene Church alongside his older brother, Prince Charles.

Andrew has kept a low profile since his withdrawal from public life last month following a disastrous BBC interview about his friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The disgraced financier died by suicide in August.

A short time later, Queen Elizabeth II and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, were seen arriving by car to a second public Christmas day service. The 93-year-old monarch traditionally spends the festive season with members of the royal family at Sandringham, her country estate in rural Norfolk, about 100 miles north of London.

The pair were met by the Queen's daughter, Princess Anne, at the gate of the church. The Queen's youngest son, Prince Edward, also attended, as did Prince William and his wife, Kate and two of their children, George and Charlotte.

Princess Beatrice also attended the service, appearing shortly after her father, Prince Andrew, was spotted with Prince Charles attending the earlier private family service.

The Queen's husband Prince Philip, who was discharged from a London hospital for an undisclosed condition on Tuesday, did not appear.

Two royals who were not in attendance for the royal Christmas tradition were the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who have been spending family time in Canada. "They are enjoying sharing the warmth of the Canadian people and the beauty of the landscape with their young son," the spokesperson added.

The decision to base themselves in Canada reflected the importance of the Commonwealth country to them both, a spokesperson for the Sussexes previously told CNN.

Before joining the royal family, Meghan lived in Canada while she starred in legal drama "Suits," which was filmed in Toronto.

Later on Wednesday, the Queen will use her annual Christmas broadcast to reflect on the last 12 months, which she will describe as "quite bumpy."

In the message -- which was pre-recorded in the Green Drawing Room at Windsor Castle -- the monarch will say that the path "is not always smooth, and may at times this year have felt quite bumpy, but small steps can make a world of difference."

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2019-12-25 13:45:00Z
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Pope Francis delivers Christmas Day message of hope in face of darkness - Fox News

Pope Francis offered a message of hope during his traditional Christmas Day Mass in St. Peter’s Square, telling the thousands who attended the service that “the light of Christ is greater” than the darkness “in human hearts” and “in economic, geopolitical and ecological conflicts.”

Tens of thousands of tourists, pilgrims and Romans gathered for the traditional Christmas message. The pope was flanked by Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, president of the papal council for migrants, and Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the pope’s official almsgiver.

POPE FRANCIS MARKS CHRISTMAS EVE WITH REMINDER THAT GOD LOVES 'EVEN THE WORST OF US'

Pope Francis cited the Syrian people “who still see no end to the hostilities that have rent their country over the last decade” and Israel, where Jesus “was born as the savior of mankind and where so many people -- struggling but not discouraged -- still await a time of peace, security and prosperity.”

Pope Francis looks at the crowd after he delivered the Urbi et Orbi (Latin for 'to the city and to the world' ) Christmas' day blessing from the main balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2019. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

The pope expanded on his remarks about migrants, saying they were forced by injustice “to emigrate in the hope of a secure life.” Francis said their injustice continues along their journey toward finding acceptance. The pope said migrants often face abuse, enslavement, and torture in “inhumane detention camps” and death during dangerous sea excursions to find freedom elsewhere.

POPE FRANCIS WARNS OF ‘RIGIDITY,’ SAYS CHURCH MUST ADAPT OR IT WILL BECOME INCREASINGLY IRRELEVANT

Francis called for the easing of crises in Lebanon and Iraq and the “grave humanitarian crisis” in Yemen. He noted that several countries in the Americas are “experiencing a time of social and political upheaval,” citing the strife in Venezuela.

The pope offered prayers for those in several African nations, including where people have been “persecuted for their religious faith.”

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Separately, Francis and two other religious leaders urged the rival factions of South Sudan to maintain a pledge to form a coalition government next year. A peace deal to end a five-year civil war was signed last year but a November deadline to form a coalition government was extended to February as the main aspects of the peace agreement still need to be resolved.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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2019-12-25 12:45:37Z
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Prince Andrew joins Queen and British royals for Christmas Day church service - CNN

The 59-year-old -- who is also known as the Duke of York -- walked to St. Mary Magdalene Church alongside his older brother, Prince Charles.

Andrew has kept a low profile since his withdrawal from public life last month following a disastrous BBC interview about his friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The disgraced financier died by suicide in August.

A short time later, Queen Elizabeth II and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, were seen arriving by car to a second public Christmas day service. The 93-year-old monarch traditionally spends the festive season with members of the royal family at Sandringham, her country estate in rural Norfolk, about 100 miles north of London.

The pair were met by the Queen's daughter, Princess Anne, at the gate of the church. The Queen's youngest son, Prince Edward, also attended, as did Prince William and his wife, Kate and two of their children, George and Charlotte.

Princess Beatrice also attended the service, appearing shortly after her father, Prince Andrew, was spotted with Prince Charles attending the earlier private family service.

The Queen's husband Prince Philip, who was discharged from a London hospital for an undisclosed condition on Tuesday, did not appear.

Two royals who were not in attendance for the royal Christmas tradition were the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who have been spending family time in Canada. "They are enjoying sharing the warmth of the Canadian people and the beauty of the landscape with their young son," the spokesperson added.

The decision to base themselves in Canada reflected the importance of the Commonwealth country to them both, a spokesperson for the Sussexes previously told CNN.

Before joining the royal family, Meghan lived in Canada while she starred in legal drama "Suits," which was filmed in Toronto.

Later on Wednesday, the Queen will use her annual Christmas broadcast to reflect on the last 12 months, which she will describe as "quite bumpy."

In the message -- which was pre-recorded in the Green Drawing Room at Windsor Castle -- the monarch will say that the path "is not always smooth, and may at times this year have felt quite bumpy, but small steps can make a world of difference."

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2019-12-25 12:21:00Z
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