Philippines – Marcos burial draws anger
Protests have erupted in the Philippines over the burial of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos in the National Heroes’ Cemetery in Manila. Marcos died in exile in the United States in 1989, but his body has been on display in his home city of Batac since 1993. Marcos was the former president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was deposed by popular revolt and forced into exile. His administration is accused of kidnapping, torturing, and killing opponents, as well as stealing billions from the country. The burial was carried out in relative secrecy, with the support of current president Rodrigo Duterte — himself accused of human rights violations.
With files from Al Jazeera and BBC
Syria – Children’s hospital bombed in Aleppo
An air raid hit another hospital in rebel-held east Aleppo, causing structural damage and forcing the evacuation of patients, mostly children. According to NGOs based in neighbouring Turkey, all hospitals in east Aleppo are out of service. Civilians are reportedly too scared to use any remaining facilities, generally makeshift clinics that have been moved underground in the wake of the constant air raids. Eastern Aleppo is under near constant bombardment from Syrian government forces, which are allied with Russia. Both governments deny deliberately targeting hospitals, and Russia claims that its air force is not active in Aleppo.
With files from Al Jazeera and BBC News
Bolivia – Bolivia declares national emergency over drought
Bolivian President Evo Morales has declared a national emergency after a prolonged drought in the country has caused lakes to dry up and reservoirs to rapidly decline. The capital city of La Paz only has water for three hours every three days day, due to water rationing that local authorities have now declared to be permanent. Residents of El Alto, near La Paz, briefly held local authorities involved with water distribution hostage in response to the outages, though they have since been released. Protests have sprung up across the country, while it is reported that the main Ajuan Khota dam is currently operating at only one percent of its total capacity.
With files from Al Jazeera and BBC News
