ISLANDS HIT BY FOURTH STORM

Typhoon Mirinae became the fourth storm to hit the Philippines over the past month as it made landfall. The rains brought by the storm were reportedly not as heavy as anticipated, although the storm caused interruptions to electrical services and flooding that destroyed a bridge in the central Philippines city of Batangas. According to local authorities, at least 20 people were killed, primarily due to drowning in suburban areas south of Manila and in two eastern provinces.