(LinkAsia: August 10, 2012)
Yul Kwon:
Heavy rains continued in Shanghai through much of the week as Haikui moved inland. Now, typhoon season is also hitting the Philippines hard. The main island of Luzon has felt at least two major storms in the past two weeks, and half the country's capital of Manila is underwater. We have this report from our Japanese broadcast partner NHK.

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NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: August 8, 2012

Kathleen Ocampo, NHK World:
The Philippines is facing the worst seasonal deluge to hit the capital since 2009. A large area of Manila and its suburbs are paralyzed, with buildings and roads underwater.

There may have been fewer rains, but the houses behind me are still submerged in floods.

Typhoon Saola swept into the Philippines late last month, bringing heavy rainfall. Monsoon rains continue to pound Manila in other parts of the country. Philippine weather officials say the capital had more than 30 millimeters of rain per hour since Monday.

The Marikina River in the northeastern part of the city overflowed, flooding homes and businesses. Disaster management officials say at least 64 people died in landslides or by falling into the swollen rivers. They say nearly 800,000 people have evacuated to schools and other facilities, but many are still stranded. The government mobilized the military, coast guard, and police for around-the-clock search-and-rescue missions.

Evacuee:
I hope the water goes away soon, so we can get our lives back to normal.

Evacuee:
The flood swept away my money and all my things. I have a small child. We won't be able to eat, even if we return home.

Reporter:
The rain has eased for now, but government officials are calling on citizens to stay on the alert for heavy rains. They say heavy rains are expected to continue throughout the day.

(LinkAsia: June 22, 2012)
Yul Kwon:
Now we’ve been following this story for a while. The Philippines and China have been locked in a standoff in the South China Sea for two months, but now the two countries are pulling back. The reason? Crummy weather. Here’s Japanese broadcaster NHK with more.

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NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: June 18, 2012

Reporter:
The standoff in waters around Scarborough Shoal erupted in April. Both the Philippines and China claim sovereignty over the uninhabited shoal. On Saturday, the Philippine government ordered a coast guard ship and another vessel in the area to return to port to avoid an approaching typhoon. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei welcomes the move. He said at a news conference on Monday that China will send a vessel to tug Chinese fishing boats in the area to safety.

Hong Lei, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson:
Two Philippine ships left the waters early Saturday morning. China hopes the tension will further ease, and both nations will restore cooperative relations.

Reporter:
However, the spokesperson expressed China’s intention to continue claim over the shoal, adding that the country will continue to monitor surrounding waters.