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7.8 magnitude quake hits southern Philippines\
A significant 7.8-magnitude quake occurred off the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on Monday, prompting officials to issue tsunami warnings, with no deaths or severe damage reported initially.
Tsunami warnings were issued in the Philippines and adjacent Indonesia and by the US Tsunami Warning System, with inhabitants in coastal areas told to move to higher ground.
DZBB radio, which is broadcasting from the Philippine city of General Santos around 15 km (9.3 miles) from the epicentre, reported falling furniture, damage to televisions and other equipment as the area experienced aftershocks and many evacuated their homes to seek safety.
The General Santos disaster agency said aftershocks were continuing and authorities were evaluating reports of damage and some casualties.
Local disaster chief Rene Punzalan said power and telecommunications were out and school lessons were cancelled in the Philippines’ Sarangani province near the epicentre. A damage assessment was ongoing, with no reports yet of any collapsed buildings, he said.
PHILIPPINES: DISASTER RESPONSE IN PROGRESS
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr stated authorities were fast-tracking coordination of the catastrophe response.“The national government is moving and we will not leave Mindanao behind,” Marcos stated in a statement.
The Philippines and Indonesia are struck by hundreds of quakes annually and reside on tectonically complicated areas of the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, a seismically active belt reaching from South America to the Russian Far East.
Philippine agency Phivolcs warned of damage and tsunami waves above one metre (yard) which could persist for several hours. So far, the geophysics agency BKMG of Indonesia stated waves of 0.19 m (8 inches) had been measured.
The police building suffered some cracks following the quake, which happened during their flag-raising ceremony, several individuals fainted’, said Benjie Ancheta, police chief of Alabel town in Sarangani.This is the most powerful earthquake we’ve had,” Ancheta told Reuters via phone.
COASTAL AREAS EVACUATED CONTINUE TO BE EVACUATED
The 7.8 magnitude quake occurred at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), the German Research Centre for Geosciences stated. It had given a magnitude of 8.2.
Indonesia’s geophysics agency measured the quake at magnitude 7.7, while the Philippines’ put it at 7.0.
Witnesses in the Indonesian city of Manado in the north and residents and officials in the southern Philippines claimed they felt the tremor powerfully.
A representative for Indonesia disaster mitigation agency said so far there were no reports of damage.
Arlene Hollero, disaster chief of Maasim town in the Sarangani province of the Philippines, said their evacuation was under process in coastal villages and there were no recorded injuries so far.
Water drained soon after the quake, but the seas were typical so far, she said. A bridge had minor cracks and a shrine with a giant cross toppled, she added.“It’s a disaster,” Hollero told Reuters via phone.
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Pakistan begins issuing e-passports at diplomatic missions worldwide
Director General Immigration and Passports said that Pakistan has started issuing electronic passports (e-passports) at Pakistani diplomatic missions across the world, a major milestone achieved under the vision of the prime minister and orders of Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.
This launch was accomplished due to the ongoing effort of the team of Directorate General of Immigration and Passports.
The e-passport is equipped with state-of-the-art security measures and constructed according to international standards and is a step forward in modernising the passport services in Pakistan.
The director general said machine-readable passports currently issued would stay valid until their expiry dates, and e-passports would be issued to anyone applying for new passports.
The effort has been termed as a key step in modernising Pakistan’s passport services in line with the vision of “One Nation, One Passport, One Identity”.
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Interior Minister Naqvi warns against online fraud, cybercrime and blackmail
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has warned the residents about the increasing hazards of online fraud, cybercrime and blackmail and advised them not to post personal images and videos with unconnected persons.
New types of online fraud were coming to light, including situations where women and girls were coaxed into revealing their images and videos and later blackmailed, Naqvi said during a press briefing on cyber crime in the province capital.
He warned people, especially women, to be very careful about sharing personal images, as some people use pictures and films to blackmail. He made a special appeal to moms and sisters to keep their private images private.
The interior ministry also warned individuals not to transfer money online without verification, even if someone claimed to be sick and asked for financial help online, to avoid falling victim to online financial scam. He called on people to check the names of those who asked for money and to beware of bogus accounts.
Fraudsters impersonated residents on social media with bogus identities, Naqvi added. He said the cyber police are being mobilised to check cybercrime and measures are being taken to provide assistance to the victims in time.
He said he will start a public awareness campaign to educate individuals about online fraud, phoney identities and extortion. He also committed his complete support to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA).
The interior minister stated the NCCIA was getting the largest number of instances of harassment of girls. He said he encountered three girls who tried to commit suicide.
“It is important to prevent online harassment and blackmail, protect victims and provide timely assistance,” Naqvi said when talking about the occurrences.
He appealed to residents to be careful when using the internet and social media and to avoid unnecessarily sharing personal information and images and to report the proper authorities if they came across any suspicious online behaviour.
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German defence ministry accords guard of honour to President Zardari
A magnificent celebration was hosted in honour of President Asif Ali Zardari at the Ministry of Defence in Germany. Additionally, a guard of honour was presented to him at this event.
Upon President Zardari’s arrival at the German Ministry of Defence, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier extended a warm welcome to him. The ceremony included the playing of the national anthems of both countries, as well as the presentation of a guard of honour to the president of Pakistan.
In response to President Steinmeier’s invitation, President Zardari is currently taking a trip to Germany. Due to the fact that this is the first time in almost 23 years that a Pakistani head of state has travelled to Germany, the visit is of great significance.
During this year, Pakistan and Germany are also commemorating the 75th anniversary of the foundation of their diplomatic relations with one another.
During the course of his tour, President Zardari will meet with his German counterpart as well as senior officials from the German government. He will also be accompanied by a high-level team.
The topics that will be discussed include bilateral ties, events in the area and the world as a whole, and strategies to improve economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.
Pakistan and Germany are expected to deepen their collaboration in a variety of fields as a result of President Zardari’s visit, which is likely to add new momentum to the bilateral relations between the two countries.
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