Cebu: rubbish dump collapses, one dead and dozens missing

Today's headlines: Closing Consistory Leo XIV convenes a new meeting of cardinals for June; Hamas reportedly elects a new leader in Gaza and replaces members of the political bureau killed by Israel; India announces first phase of census from 1 April to 30 September; Kazakhstan makes biometric identification mandatory for to buy a SIM card.

PHILIPPINES

Rescue operations are underway in Cebu, Philippines, after a huge mass of waste collapsed at the Binaliw landfill, killing at least one person and leaving dozens more presumed trapped, according to authorities. The collapse occurred yesterday afternoon at a privately operated facility that processes about 1,000 tonnes of solid urban waste per day. Jason Morata, the city's deputy public information officer, described the pile of waste as “four storeys high” and said aerial images show several structures crushed under the debris. The area where the site is located has recently been affected by extreme weather conditions, including two typhoons and an earthquake in late 2025, factors that may have contributed to the collapse.

VATICAN

A new extraordinary consistory of Pope Leo XIV with cardinals from around the world will be held in the Vatican in June, close to the solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. This was announced yesterday evening by the pontiff himself at the conclusion of the meeting on 7 and 8 January, which brought together 170 cardinal electors and non-electors to discuss the themes of synodality and evangelisation. The Pope expressed his desire to continue the consistories on an annual basis for a duration of 3-4 days.

GAZA

In another sign of its reorganisation, Hamas has secretly elected a new leader in Gaza and filled vacant positions in its political office, two officials from the Palestinian militant faction and sources in Cairo close to the group told the United Arab Emirates newspaper The National. The elections took place last week and the process was conducted via telephone lines deemed “secure” and face-to-face meetings between Hamas leaders in Egypt, Turkey and Qatar. The sources cited reported that the names of those elected will not be announced until the second phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza begins.

INDIA

The Union government has officially announced the launch of the 2027 Census - which, after numerous postponements, should update the data from the last survey in 2011 - notifying the first phase, which involves the survey of dwellings and the census of housing throughout the country. According to the notification, this phase will take place from 1 April to 30 September 2026 and will cover all states and territories of the Union. The second phase of the census, known as the Population Enumeration, is scheduled for February 2027. In this phase, demographic, socio-economic and cultural information on each individual will be collected.

SOUTH KOREA

With the rapid ageing of the Korean population, pressure on the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) is growing, with total medical care costs expected to reach up to 191 trillion won (1 billion) by 2030, nearly double the national health expenditure of ten years ago. According to a recent NHIS report, the total cost of medical care in Korea has already increased from approximately 22 trillion won in 2004 to 110 trillion won in 2023, a fivefold increase over two decades.

RUSSIA

According to the 7x70 channel, in 2025, more than 200 people were sent to labour camps or isolation cells in Russia for religious reasons, mainly pastors of independent evangelical churches (two at the end of December) and many Jehovah's Witnesses, an increase of 15% compared to 2024, with average sentences of eight years' imprisonment, and also Orthodox priests who criticise the war and the patriarchate's statements on the matter.

KAZAKHSTAN

Since the beginning of 2026, Kazakhstan has introduced mandatory biometric identification for those who purchase SIM cards for their phones, following a decision by the Ministry of Digital Development and Artificial Intelligence. When the SIM card is installed automatically, the necessary procedure for recognition is communicated via a special application, with the aim of “preventing fraud and fake numbers”. Each citizen will be entitled to a maximum of 10 SIM cards.