Nepal | Villagers return to homes after river gets unblocked

Thousands of villagers in northwestern Nepal were able to return to their homes yesterday after a mountain river swept away debris from a landslide that had blocked it, allowing waters to flow normally again. The landslide before dawn Sunday dammed up the Kaligandaki River and created a lake 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) long. Thousands of villagers fled their homes, fearing flash floods. It happened in an area north of Beni Bazaar, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) northwest of the capital, Kathmandu. Overnight, the river washed away rocks and other debris, and by yesterday morning, river was flowing at its normal level, said government administrator Tek Bahadur K.C. The landslide was not caused by an aftershock to major earthquakes that struck Nepal on April 25 and May 12, which together killed nearly 8,700 people and injuring 16,800 others. In 2012, dozens of people were killed when an avalanche held back the nearby Seti River, which then burst through the snow blockage and sent water gushing through villages along its banks.

Philippines | Aquino: Gov’t to fly usual routes over disputed reefs

Philippine aircraft will continue to fly their usual routes over disputed reefs in the South China Sea, the country’s president said yesterday, defying China’s challenges to its planes and those of the United States. President Benigno Aquino III told reporters there is no declared air defense identification zone over the area and “we will still fly the routes that we fly based on international law.” “We will still exercise our rights over our exclusive economic zone,” he said, adding that the “bottom line is, it has to be clear, we will defend our rights to the best of our abilities.” Aquino also pointed to the disparity in the military strength of China and the Philippines, saying China should not bully a smaller country because it would hurt its image as it tries to create good will with its trading partners. The Philippines is pursuing international arbitration and diplomatic efforts to try to resolve the territorial dispute with China.