Updates on our side of the Planet

I know that news from our side of the world, the Eastern Hemisphere, doesn't get to the international wires unless it's some huge disaster (sadly).

So, here are some of what happened for the past months, in no particular order.

• Deep-wells started igniting.  Yep, tap water pumps or "deep well" as we call it locally, started producing clean, drinkable water that can be ignited.  There were no reports of any smell from the water, but the water is on fire - with live videos, probably available in YouTube too.  Anyway, investigations are still on-going as more reports started surfacing, but I doubt news media will follow this up again.  Are we suddenly discovering hidden oil reserves?  But these water pumps / deep-wells have been in operation for so long, it was only recently that the residents found out the water ignites.
  
• The sky here is more frequently showing a "firey" sky or "burning" sky.  In all my life, I haven't seen the sky coloured that way - like it was burning or like I was on a planet called hell.
  
• The clouds also started forming patterns or formations not taught in schools and not found in encyclopedias.  The most common I see today is the one where a huge cloud formation starts to break into small pieces - just like what you guys started to experience there in the EU and US.  As expected, no media bothered reporting it, but there are some people who took photos.
  
• Tornadoes are becoming very common here.  They were back in the early 1900s and probably earlier, mainly because the country was mostly an open space.  Today, tornadoes drop out-of-no-where, at the midst of residential and commercial areas.  Also, a few years ago, these tordanoes only drop on lakes and bays, and later it will rain fishes in some lucky (or unlucky) place.  But now, they drop even on land.  And if these drop on lakes, they no longer stay there, it moves toward land.  Also they're getting bigger.  Unfortunately, we have ZERO preparedness on tornadoes.
  
• Lightning strikes are also starting to get common.
  
• Typhoons are also stronger than the previous 2 or 3 years.
  
• Earthquakes are getting more frequent as well, although mostly concentrated in the southern Philippines (Mindanao mainly - and oh, typhoons hit them more frequently than any point in our country's history! Which is a concern to me, personally, Luzon (nothern Philippines) appears to be being spared - when they say peace, then sudden destruction shall come upon them.  It just can't be.)
  
• The Philippines, being one of the closest ally of the US here in Asia-Pacific, is currently being bullied even more by China and Chinese-Taipei / Taiwan.  China's ships and armed ships already occupied many of the islands and sea territories of the Philippines.  Taiwan is pointing their war machines towards our country (at least according to their own reports), due to the issue between an illegal Taiwanese fisherman ramming a Philippine Navy ship within our territorial waters.  Technically, we're being invaded but we can not say that officially or risk an all-out war with China and China-controlled Taiwan.
  
• I haven't heard news from the VietNam side of this China aggression issue - which is not normal - considering how VietNam and China are mortal enemies since history.  (And how much VietNamese consider themselves as the winner of the VietNam-China war even to this day.)
  
• Indonesian forest fire, which is again sending huge smoke towards Malaysia and as far as Singapore, and the immediate area.  This will once again shake the ASEAN grouping - which China will no doubt exploit in the coming weeks.
  
• Filipino workers are being evicted in many nations.  Mainly under the pretense of "Our citizens first before foreign workers".  Singapore passed the law, Saudia Arabia passed the law, Kuwait passed the law, UAE passed the law, where there are many Filipino workers.
  
• Many Filipinos are now expected to return home if our government and those other governments can not come up with some compromise.
  
• North Korea is once again quiet.  As I've said before, they were only ordered by their master China, to take the limelight away from China.
  
• S. Korea, Japan, and the Philippines are getting much closer today, no doubt, because of China, Taiwan, and North Korea.  In other words, we are being dragged to the issues of their region (which is no surprise either, we're the closest to their region than the rest of south-east asia).
  
• Taiwan was recently reported to have gotten a deal with our current government to have access to fish rich regions of the Philippines.  Some Filipinos suspect this to be a "calming" agreement with the tension growing between the two nations.
  
• There's something the came out from Mongolia but I can not remember it.  It was an interesting news.  For those who are not aware: Mongolia is a Chinese tribe but they've always separated themselves from the rest of the Chinese tribes, and were always enemies.  But of course Mongolians will never admit to that.  (Just how Koreans will never admit that they're originally a Chinese tribe too.)  Modern China is now dominated by the Han tribe.
  

Hmm... I can't remember the other things

 Wow! I had no idea what has been going on in your part of the world laibcoms. Thanks for taking the time to let us know - so we can pray for you and have better understanding! Please keep us informed if possible. It would be nice if you had your own regular column.

Thanks for the weather and water updates, have not heard any of those but I have been reading about the island/sea problems from various sites I visit.