600,000 Homeless After Philippines Flood

An estimated 600,000 people in the Philippines remained at temporary shelters or with relatives on Friday after days of heavy rain that killed 20, officials said.
A day after floods ebbed in the capital Manila, stagnant pools of water and high tides in coastal areas prolonged the misery in the central Luzon plains to the north, civil defence official Josefina Timoteo told AFP.
“These are mainly farmers and fisher folk who still cannot return to their homes or resume work. We are still supplying their needs,” said Timoteo, the civil defence chief for the region.
“These are low-lying regions and this happens every year. It is a way of life for many of them and the local governments are well-organised to provide relief.”
Seasonal monsoons dumped more than a month’s rain in Manila and surrounding provinces between Sunday and Wednesday, the state weather service said, submerging about half the capital in floodwaters.
The rains were worsened by Tropical Storm Trami, which hit China on Thursday after hovering off the northern Philippines earlier in the week.
The government’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said 200,000 people were still in government-run shelters Friday, with 400,000 others staying with friends or relatives and likewise receiving food rations and other emergency aid.

The council raised the death toll to 20 as receding floodwaters led to the discovery of two bodies in Cavite province, south of Manila.
Most of those who have yet to return home are from the central Luzon region, where 481 villages remain under floodwaters up to a metre (3.3 feet) deep, Timoteo said.
The weather is improving but the evacuation centres, mostly schoolbuildings, are expected to start emptying only next week, she added.
As a result, classes are still suspended in those areas, she said.
The health department has stocked up medicines at evacuation camps to prevent the spread of epidemics, she said, adding there had been no reports of widespread diseases.
The floods wreaked 97.3 billion pesos’ ($2.2 billion) worth of damage to infrastructure and crops, the government says.
The Philippines endures about 20 major storms or typhoons annually, generally in the second half of the year and many of them deadly.

OJB to leave for his kidney transplant this week

People have been asking me for update on OJB Jezreel. Well, here's what I know. The prolific music producer will be leaving for his kidney surgery in India sometime this week. He completed his dialysis at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital last week so is preparing to travel between now and end of the week. As soon as he leaves, I will update you on his progress.

Nicki Minaj, Carey not returning to 'American Idol

Nicki Minaj is following Mariah Carey out the door on "American Idol."
The hip-hop diva posted Thursday on Twitter that it was "time to focus on the music," just a few hours after Carey announced she wasn't coming back to the Fox talent competition so that she could focus on her upcoming tour.
Minaj and Carey became new judges on "Idol" this season, along with country singer Keith Urban. Minaj and Carey frequently bickered on the show, creating a feud that was uncomfortable for both viewers and contestants.
Fox and "Idol" producer FremantleMedia said in a statement Thursday that Minaj was "a superstar who brought a level of honesty and passion" to the show and that Carey "will remain an inspiration to 'Idol' hopefuls for many seasons to come."
Randy Jackson, the show's lone remaining original judge, announced earlier this month that he was leaving the show ahead of its 12th season finale, which crowned booming R&B vocalist Candice Glover as the latest "Idol."
Other judges who've departed the "Idol" panel include Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez and Simon Cowell.