POLITICS & POLICY

The death toll from the Category 5 super typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) has breached the 2,500 maximum head count estimated by Philippine President Benigno Aquino. As of 6am local time on Monday, Philippine authorities said the official number of the dead has been counted at 3,976 people.

Despite the official death count released by the Philippines' National Disaster and Relief Coordinating Council, local reporters in Samar, Leyte have allegedly caught government officials deliberately hiding the real number of deaths caused by Typhoon Haiyan, locally known as Yolanda.

A Filipino journalist criticises Philippine President Aquino on his administration's relief response to typhoon Haiyan victims in an article in The Daily Tribune.

The son of deposed Philippine dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos, Ferdinand Marcos, Jr, upon arriving in Tacloban, Philippines, said Haiyan (Yolanda) survivors "have nothing".

An aid worker in the Philippines claims that Philippine Officials are distributing relief goods based on voting patterns after Haiyan (Yolanda) hit two provinces in the Southeast Asian nation.

Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) caused major damage in Eastern Samar, Philippines according to reports. Relief worker, Primo Morillo, who is currently in the area said that the residents are doing their best to cope but that supplies in the islands are running out.

The Philippine government has launched on Sunday a Web site which contains the details of the international aid the country has been receiving for the victims and survivors of super typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda).

Kris Aquino, the loquacious sister of Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, has lamented the slow delivery of relief goods to victims of super typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda).

James Bond is known for being calm and liking his Martini "shaken not stirred" but while the coolest spy in the history of espionage movies is British, some British spies are not as lucky as James Bond.

Australia’s Treasurer Joe Hockey on Thursday warned of 'massive cuts' if Labor continues to blocks debt increase in the Senate. The present Aus$ 300 billion ceiling will be breached on Dec 12 and the Coalition minister warns a US-style shutdown is a distinct possibility if the opposition Labor does not agree to lift the nation’s debt ceiling to Aus$ 500 billon.

CNN Reporter Anderson Cooper from Tacloban, Philippines took to Twitter Friday when he saw the "extraordinary" strength shown by Filipinos on the ground even after the Haiyan relief was delayed for six days.

Super typhoon Haiyan has effectively roused to action not only the Filipinos, but the rest of the world as well. Since the monster typhoon wrecked the central region of the Philippines on Friday, many citizens have been asking why the government isn’t doing more. As it turned out, there are politicians who have been doing a lot more to help, such as branding donations with their names.

If talks of Iran’s, nuclear programme fail, fears are that it could lead to a global nuclear confrontation involving the U.S., Russia and China. With the plausible use of nuclear arsenals, it could lead to an imminent doomsday catastrophe.

A week after super typhoon Haiyan, locally known as Yolanda, made landfall in the Philippines, masses of residents from affected areas are now getting out of ground zero.

Philippines was not only devastated by super typhoon Haiyan, but also with international criticism and scrutiny from its very own people

Google India's efforts to publicise the power of its search functionality has stuck an emotional chord among Indian and Pakistani YouTube viewers. The advertisement that narrates the story of two old friends separated in 1947 coming together, thanks for the powerful search and social connect options that Google provides, was first posted on Nov 13. The advertisement has since gone viral and grossed 986,248 views on last count, along with innumerable Facebook posts and tweets.

New Zealand Trade Minister Tim Groser is attempting to downplay the issues plaguing the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) talks after WikiLeaks revealed a controversial chapter and an obstacle to get a U.S. deal passed by Congress without problems. The TPP leak highlighted the gulf growing between the U.S. and New Zealand including 11 other nations. Copyright, medicines and parallel importing were among the hotly debated issues.

The Philippine Government led by Benigno Aquino III is now on defensive after CNN News Reporter Anderson Cooper reportedly said, "There's no leader, there is no government, there is no civil defense in the Philippines." However, Cooper, in his follow up reports, clarified he said there was no organized efforts, but he didn't say there was no leadership or government presence.

On Thursday, the first mass burial was held in Tacloban City where the bodies were buried in a 2-metre deep grave the size of an Olympic pool. However, on the same day, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned the Philippine Department of Health that mass burials without proper identification could violate human rights.

According to the National highway Traffic Safety Administration, around 360 people are killed every year because of police chases.

Early news reports across the world, after Typhoon Haiyan 'Yolanda' struck the Philippines; put the estimated death toll at 10,000 with over 660,000 displaced. Considering the devastation caused by the typhoon, the figure seemed plausible. Now, it turns out that the actually death toll is far less, still bad enough and the official, who released the wild estimate of death toll has been sacked.

China has bowed down to international pressure and has decided to give an additional $1.4 million worth of relief supplies for the victims of the Category 5 super typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) in the Philippines. China's humanitarian assistance now totals $1.6 million.

The Center for Global Development's (CGD) Vijaya Ramachandran and Owen Barder have noted that the international community should not help the Philippines after it was hit by Haiyan the way it responded to Haiti after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake in 2010.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has unanimously approved the extension of the African Union (AU) deployment of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) until Oct. 31, 2014. The UNSC has requested the AU expand AMISOM's force strength from 17,731 to a maximum of 22,126 uniformed personnel.

An Egyptian court ruling Tuesday, announcing the country's 3-month-old state of emergency, two days earlier than scheduled, has fuelled worries of renewed protests by supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi.

Even as China works its way up as a market oriented economy, a widely held belief is that China’s judicial system is failing in its role as an independent and impartial arbitrator of the rule of law. With the judiciary playing an increasingly important role in driving a market economy, it is now being widely accepted in China that the judicial reforms; aimed at creating a fair, efficient and predictable dispute settlement and criminal justice system are a must.

In a major policy shift influenced by the ongoing nuclear talks with Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu forced Housing Minister Uri Ariel to scrap plans for a "record" 20,000 Jewish settlement homes in the West Bank.

Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie has signed the Senate bill legalizing same sex marriage barely a day after its approval.

If it can be helped, China's netizens don't want any part of their country's money donated to the victims of super typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.