Filipinos flock to the Manila Bay area for a swim despite the government's health warnings, as they mark Easter Sunday at Manila Bay on April 5, 2015. Tropical storm Maysak fizzled on Sunday as it made landfall over the Philippines' north-eastern coast, where more than 2,000 people who had fled to safer ground began to return home. Ritchie B Tongo/EPA
Filipinos flock to the Manila Bay area for a swim despite the government's health warnings, as they mark Easter Sunday at Manila Bay on April 5, 2015. Tropical storm Maysak fizzled on Sunday as it made landfall over the Philippines' north-eastern coast, where more than 2,000 people who had fled to safer ground began to return home. Ritchie B Tongo/EPA
Filipinos flock to the Manila Bay area for a swim despite the government's health warnings, as they mark Easter Sunday at Manila Bay on April 5, 2015. Tropical storm Maysak fizzled on Sunday as it made landfall over the Philippines' north-eastern coast, where more than 2,000 people who had fled to safer ground began to return home. Ritchie B Tongo/EPA
Filipinos flock to the Manila Bay area for a swim despite the government's health warnings, as they mark Easter Sunday at Manila Bay on April 5, 2015. Tropical storm Maysak fizzled on Sunday as it mad

Typhoon Maysak melts away as it hits Philippines


  • English
  • Arabic

BALER, PHILIPPINES // A super typhoon dissolved into a tropical depression and made landfall in the Philippines on Sunday easing fears after thousands of residents fled remote coastal villages to avoid potential giant waves.

Maysak, which began as a Super Typhoon in the Pacific Ocean, reached the north-east coast of the main island of Luzon at 8am local time with winds of 55 kilometres per hour, chief state weather forecaster Esperanza Cayanan said.

“As of now, most of our fears have melted away,” she said shortly after the depression reached Dinapigue, a remote town on Luzon’s north-east coast, about 250 kilometres from Manila.

The government had evacuated more than 25,000 people from coastal villages in the region, while police drove away thousands of tourists from beaches on nearby Aurora province as a precaution against potential tsunami-like waves known as storm surges.

The tourists, many of whom had come from Manila and nearby areas to enjoy the long Easter holidays in the mainly Catholic nation, breathed a sigh of relief and dived back into the still choppy waters on Easter Sunday.

“We made a calculated risk [that Maysak would dissipate] and we got lucky. Prayers also helped,” Manila-based television producer Rona Agtay, 39, said as she hit the surf.

State weather forecaster Shelly Ignacio said the super typhoon met unfavourable atmospheric conditions as it approached land, causing the storm system to dissipate dramatically overnight on Saturday.

At its current strength, Maysak can break tree branches and may take the roofs off houses made of light materials, while sea travel remains risky for small boats, the state weather service said.

“We expect this system to melt away as it crosses the mountains, although there is a small possibility it could survive by the time it hits the [South China Sea] water tomorrow,” she added.

More than 500 boats were also ordered to remain at port in the region, while 10 domestic flights suspended.

With the improving conditions, local officials will now make the call on when to send the evacuees back home, civil defence director Alexander Pama said.

“We had not received any reports of casualties,” Mr Pama added.

About 20 typhoons and storms hit the Philippines each year, many of them deadly, but rarely hit in April.

Storm surges caused many of the fatalities when Super Typhoon Haiyan smashed onto the central Philippines in November 2013, leaving more than 7,350 people dead or missing.

* Agence France-Presse

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Company%20Profile
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Rio de Janeiro from Dh7,000 return including taxes. Avianca fliles from Rio to Cusco via Lima from $399 (Dhxx) return including taxes. 

The trip

From US$1,830 per deluxe cabin, twin share, for the one-night Spirit of the Water itinerary and US$4,630 per deluxe cabin for the Peruvian Highlands itinerary, inclusive of meals, and beverages. Surcharges apply for some excursions.

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Spare

Profile

Company name: Spare

Started: March 2018

Co-founders: Dalal Alrayes and Saurabh Shah

Based: UAE

Sector: FinTech

Investment: Own savings. Going for first round of fund-raising in March 2019

Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi

Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe

For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.

Golden Dallah

For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.

Al Mrzab Restaurant

For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.

Al Derwaza

For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup. 

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Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis

Director: Eli Roth

Rating: 0/5

UAE rugby in numbers

5 - Year sponsorship deal between Hesco and Jebel Ali Dragons

700 - Dubai Hurricanes had more than 700 playing members last season between their mini and youth, men's and women's teams

Dh600,000 - Dubai Exiles' budget for pitch and court hire next season, for their rugby, netball and cricket teams

Dh1.8m - Dubai Hurricanes' overall budget for next season

Dh2.8m - Dubai Exiles’ overall budget for next season

Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net

Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.

Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.

A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.

Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.

Green ambitions
  • Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
  • Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
  • Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
  • Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water 

Arctic Monkeys

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