Briefly

THE PHILIPPINES

Evacuations ordered ahead of strong typhoon

A super typhoon swept toward the northern Philippines on Tuesday, the country's weather agency said, triggering evacuation orders for coastal communities expected to bear the brunt of the powerful storm. Super Typhoon Doksuri was packing maximum sustained winds of 185 kilometers per hour as it headed toward the northern tip of the main island of Luzon. The storm, which is called "Egay" in the Philippines, was expected to make landfall or pass very close to the lightly populated Babuyan islands or northeastern Cagayan Province by Wednesday, the agency said. Coastal communities in northwestern and northeastern Cagayan had been ordered to evacuate their homes.

IRAQ

Recurring Quran insults in Denmark condemned

The Iraqi Foreign Ministry condemned on Monday the burning of a copy of the Muslim holy book Quran for the second time in four days in Denmark. "These acts incite extremism and hatred and pose a real threat to peaceful coexistence," the ministry said in a statement. It called on the authorities of the European Union countries to "expedite a review of the so-called freedom of expression and the right to demonstrate and adopt a clear collective position to prevent such acts." In a separate statement on Monday, the ministry spokesman Ahmed al-Sahaf said the Danish diplomatic mission in Baghdad left Iraqi territory two days ago.

Agencies - Xinhua