As Typhoon Kalmaegi has stricken the central Philippines, killing at least two people, residents have sought refuge on rooftops, and cars have floated through flooded streets.
The powerful storm, which made landfall just before midnight on Monday, has caused hundreds of thousands of people to flee.
According to forecasters, the 20th tropical cyclone to strike the Philippines this year was moving westward at 25 kilometers/h (16 mph) on Tuesday and was expected to begin moving westward into the South China Sea by early on Wednesday.
According to information officer on the island of Cebu, Rhon Ramos, “people are asking to be rescued,” and that some evacuation centers have been flooded as well.
He claimed that hundreds of people were forced to be forced to live in tent cities after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck the island in late September.
387, 000 people have been evacuated from the path of the typhoon, according to Rafaelito Alejandro, Office of Civil Defence deputy administrator, according to local radio.
An elderly person drowned in Leyte province, according to disaster official Danilo Atienza, who reported the death of a man killed by a falling tree in Bohol province.
At least “three to five more” storms could be forecast before the end of December, according to Charmagne Varilla, a state weather service specialist.
According to scientists, climate change is making storms more frequent and powerful, and this is causing them.
Varilla claimed that La Nina, a naturally occurring climate pattern that cools the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean’s surface temperatures, is typically associated with higher levels of cyclones.
The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) opened its doors on Tuesday, just a few days after the official ceremony on Saturday, which was held two decades later and cost an estimated $1 billion.
The museum is 2 km (1, 2 miles) from the Giza pyramids and 8 km (5 miles) from Cairo, the capital. It is the largest archaeological site in the world for a single civilization.
More than 100, 000 ancient artefacts from the 30 dynasties of ancient Egypt will be housed in the complex, which is nearly 500 meters (5, 381, 900 ft).
The 3, 200-year-old, 11.36-metre (37ft) statue of King Ramses II, Tutankhamun’s entire collection of treasures, and Khufu, the pharaoh renowned for creating the Great Pyramid of Giza, a 4, 500-year-old boat, one of the oldest intact ships in the world, are just a few of the main attractions.
The Grand Egyptian Museum’s interior design
The Great Pyramid of Giza (built for Pharaoh Khufu), the Pyramid of Khafre (built for Pharaoh Khafre), and the Pyramid of Menkaure (built for Pharaoh Menkaure) are the museum’s “fourth pyramid” from the Giza Plateau, which contains three pyramids totaling about 4 500 years old.
The museum’s interior, which is shaped like a chamfered triangle and echoes the pyramids’ geometry, is accessible to visitors from inside. The pyramids of Khufu and Menkaure are centered on the museum’s north and south walls.
The museum’s main facade is made of frosted glass panels, while the design, by Irish firm Heneghan Peng, uses translucent alabaster stone and sand-colored concrete.
Construction on the complex was started in 1992, but it didn’t start until 2005, which was postponed by political unrest following the Arab Spring and COVID-19 pandemic. In some areas of the museum, things started getting a little slushy in 2024.
The Giza Museum, or Grand Egyptian Museum, is just 2 km (1, 2 miles) away from the Giza pyramids.
The Khufu Boat Museum, a conference center, a courtyard, a Nile Valley park, a conservation center, and the main building are all located in the museum complex.
[File: Getty Images] Grand Egyptian Museum, close to the Giza pyramid complex
a tour of the museum
Visitors are greeted by the 3, 200-year-old statue of King Ramses II, which is about 83 tons when they walk inside the museum.
Before moving to a new location close to the museum, the statue stood in Ramses Square in front of Cairo’s main train station from 1954 to 2006. The statue was transported on a specially designed 128-wheel vehicle, which covered 30 kilometers (19 miles) and necessitated temporary road closures, to facilitate the move.
The six-storey grand staircase, which features statues honoring deities, sarcophagi holding the deceased, columns showcasing ancient architectural artistry, and stelae adorned with significant texts, extends beyond the entrance.
During a partial trial on October 15, 2024, visitors pass ancient Egyptian statues along the Grand Egyptian Museum’s grand staircase.
The museum’s 12 main permanent exhibition spaces, which opened last year, are organized by both era (from prehistoric to Greco-Roman) and theme (including society, kingship, and belief).
The Tutankhamun Gallery
The Tutankhamun Gallery, a 7, 500 square foot (80, 000 square feet) space that houses more than 5, 000 artifacts from the tomb of Tutankhamun, the boy king who ascended to the throne at age nine and ruled during the Eighteenth Dynasty almost 3, 400 years ago, is one of the museum’s most prominent and largest exhibition spaces.
Tutankhamun is one of the most well-known pharaohs, largely because of the nearly intact tomb discovered in 1922 in the Valley of the Kings, on the west side of the Nile, opposite Luxor, during his brief reign, which ended with his unanticipated death at age 18 or 19
His golden mask, throne, sarcophagus, chariots, and jewelry, which were all presented to recreate the atmosphere of his royal burial chamber, are visible to visitors.
one of the largest museums in the world
The Grand Egyptian Museum is the sixth-largest museum in the world in terms of display space, with 45, 000 square feet (484, 000 square feet) of exhibition space.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City (58, 820sq metres), the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia (66, 842sq metres), the Louvre in Paris (78, 735sq metres), and the Spanish Museum of Madrid (47, 700sq metres) in the top three.
Egypt’s main source of foreign currency is tourism. Egypt’s travel and tourism industry accounted for roughly 8% of the country’s gross domestic product in 2024, according to official figures, which was a record 15.7 million tourists visited in 2024.
[File: Mohamed Elshahed/Anadolu via Getty Images] An exhibit at the Grand Egyptian Museum
New York mayor Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old man who will run for office in his final rally on Monday, pledged to stand up to US President Donald Trump’s threat to withhold federal funds, describing the vote as a campaign of intimidation and political bullying.
Deandre Ayton, Rui Hachimura and Nick Smith Jr all achieved season-best point totals as the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers notched a 123-115 victory over the hosts Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night.
Ayton had 29 points on 14-of-19 shooting and collected 10 rebounds and three blocked shots against his former teammates.
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Hachimura had 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting.
Little-known guard Smith was the biggest surprise with 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including 5 of 6 from 3-point range. He added a season-best six assists as the Lakers won their fourth consecutive contest.
Los Angeles held out stars Luka Doncic (leg contusion) and Austin Reaves (groin soreness) on the second night of a back-to-back. Also, LeBron James (sciatica), the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, has yet to play this season.
Smith was not active for Los Angeles ‘ Sunday victory over the Miami Heat, but the absences of Doncic and Reaves got him into the rotation on Monday, and he stood out in nearly 27 minutes off the bench. He scored 10 points in the fourth quarter.
Los Angeles guard Nick Smith Jr (#20) was the closer for the Lakers in the fourth quarter]Amanda Loman/AP Photo]
Deni Avdija scored a season-best 33 points for Portland, which had a three-game winning streak snapped. Shaedon Sharpe added 23 points and seven rebounds, reserve Jerami Grant scored 18 points and Toumani Camara had 14 points and seven rebounds.
Los Angeles shot a sizzling 58.8 percent from the field, including 9 of 23 (39.1 percent) from 3-point range. Jake LaRavia added 11 points for the Lakers.
The Lakers led by four before LaRavia scored on the inside with 3: 32 remaining to start a 10-0 burst. With 2:08 left, Los Angeles closed the game out with two 3-pointers, Smith drained two 3-pointers in 26 seconds to give the Lakers a 117-105 lead before feeding Ayton with a layup to make it 14 points.
The Trail Blazers shot 49% of their shots from behind the arc, and they were a shaky 9 of 40% (22%) from behind the arc.
Portland held a nine-point lead into the third quarter with a 12-4 run.
With 5: 08 left in the quarter, the Lakers responded with a 19-4 surge that gave them a 75-69 lead.
With 226 remaining in the third period, the Trail Blazers cut their deficit to 90-86 in the final stanza with a dunk from Hayes.
Rain-soaked residents sought refuge on rooftops, and cars floated through flooded streets as Typhoon Kalmaegi battered central Philippines, killing at least two people, according to the national disaster agency and media reports.
Hundreds of thousands have been displaced by the powerful storm across the Visayas region as well as parts of southern Luzon and northern Mindanao, as Kalmaegi made landfall shortly before midnight.
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By noon local time (04: 00 GMT) on Tuesday, Kalmaegi was moving westwards across the islands of Cebu, Negros and Panay with winds of 150km/h (93mph) and gusts of 185km/h, toppling trees and downing power lines.
A video published by DZRH radio’s Facebook page showed homes in Talisay City in Cebu completely submerged, with only rooftops visible.
Similar scenes in other parts of Cebu City, where vehicles and streets were underwater, circulated on social media. In some of the videos, people were heard pleading to be rescued.
A road in the town of Tabuelan, also in Cebu province, was rendered impassable following a landslide.
On the island of Bohol, one person was reported killed after he was pinned down by a fallen tree, according to radio station DYMA.
WATCH: Several individuals called for help at Barangay Dumlog, Talisay City, Cebu on Tuesday morning.
“We cannot cross the roofs”, said uploader Godfrey Senecio.
Cebu Governor Pam Baricuatro is now on her way to Talisay to assess the situation.
“It’s the flooding that placed… pic. twitter.com/KLX2Oz5v4n
An elderly person drowned after being trapped in his residence on the island of Leyte, according to radio station DZMM.
State weather agency PAGASA said the combination of Kalmaegi and a shear line had brought heavy rain and strong winds across the Visayas and nearby areas.
” Due to interaction with the terrain, Tino may slightly weaken while crossing Visayas. However, the typhoon intensity will likely persist throughout its course of the nation, according to a morning bulletin from PAGASA.
More than 160 flights to and from the affected regions have been canceled, while those traveling by sea were advised to immediately take the ferry to the closest safe harbor and remain in port.
PAGASA warned of “life-threatening and destructive storm surges” that could reach more than 3-meter (10-foot) height along coastal and low-lying communities in the central Philippines, including parts of Mindanao.
According to the nation’s Office of Civil Defense, roughly 156 000 people were being preemptively evacuated on Monday.
In recent months, the Philippines has experienced a string of disasters, including earthquakes and severe weather events, including an average of 20 tropical storms annually.
At least 10 people were killed when Super Typhoon Ragasa swept through northern Luzon in September,  , forcing government employees and classes to shut down due to fierce winds and torrential rain.
By December’s end, according to Charmagne Varilla, a state weather service specialist, at least three to five more “storms were anticipated.”
After years of losing market share to local rivals in China, Starbucks has announced it will sell the majority stake in its Chinese business to a Hong Kong-based private equity firm for $4 billion.
Boyu Capital will acquire a 60% stake in Starbucks’ Chinese retail operations through a joint venture, according to the announcement made on Monday.
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According to the Reuters news agency, Alvin Jiang, the grandson of former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, is one of the cofounders of Boyu Capital, which has offices in Shanghai, Beijing, and Singapore.
The US coffee giant will keep its 40% stake in its China operations while maintaining its intellectual property and brand rights, according to the company.
The deal establishes Starbucks’ 26-year history in China, the company stated in a statement.
According to Jason Yu, the managing director of CTR Market Research in Shanghai, it will also provide Starbucks with much-needed financial and logistical support as it tries to expand its business further into China.
Starbucks currently has 8, 000 locations in China, but the company wants to start 20 000 through its joint venture, according to a statement from the company.
According to Yu, “Starbucks was a pioneer in coffee in China, where it was probably the first coffee chain in a lot of cities,” but this is no longer the case because local competition has already outpaced Starbucks in expansion.”
Homegrown Luckin Coffee, which has more than 26, 000 locations worldwide, most of which are in China, is one of its main rivals.
While Luckin has grown to much smaller cities, Starbucks has historically concentrated in first- and second-tier cities like Shanghai, Beijing, and Shenzhen.
Through its loyalty program and in-app discounts, Luckin has also established itself as a provider of customers much less expensive beverages than Starbucks.
According to Yu, a small Americano coffee at Starbucks costs 30 yuan ($4.21), but a similar cup of coffee can be purchased for about 10 yuan ($1.40) at Luckin.
Starbucks has struggled to keep up with consumer preferences and competitive pricing, according to Olivia Plotnick, the founder of Wai Social, a social marketing firm based in Shanghai.
Starbucks has lost its once very competitive edge as a result of domestic players like Luckin and later Cotti Coffee undermining it on price, footprint, and flavor, according to Plotnick, who is credited with this. Plotnick referred to the fierce competition between apps for delivery services, which lower prices like coffee, as a term used in “delivery platform wars.”
As more storefronts are built in regional cities, Yu said, the joint venture between Starbucks and Boyu Capital will not only give the company more money for investment, but also provide assistance with logistics, infrastructure, and managing commercial property.
He claimed that the business is following a well-known blueprint used by other global brands in China.
Yum Brands, the owner of KFC and Pizza Hut, sold a stake in their China business to Primavera Capital, an affiliate of the e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, in 2016, according to Reuters. The China business was later transformed into a single entity.
McDonald’s acquired a majority stake in its businesses in China, Hong Kong, and Macau from the state-backed Chinese conglomerate CITIC and Carlyle Capital in 2017, but it later acquired some of its shares of the business, according to CNBC.
