A powerful cyclone in southern India has killed at least 33 people

India

NEW DELHI: A powerful cyclone in southern India has killed at least 33 people, caused massive damage to homes and roads and drove tens of thousands of people into relief camps, officials said.
India’s navy assigned two ships and a helicopter for relief work as state authorities rushed drinking water, food and paramedics to nearly 82,000 people who took shelter in more than 400 state-run camps.


They were evacuated from areas in the path of Cyclone Gaja, which struck six districts of Tamil Nadu state on Friday with heavy rains and winds that reached 90 kilometers (55 miles) per hour.
Rescuers found 13 bodies Friday and an additional 20 on Saturday, said Edappadi Palaniswami, the state’s top elected official. Most deaths were caused by flooding, house collapses and electrocution.
The cyclone uprooted 30,000 electricity poles and more than 100,000 trees, he said. Nearly 10,000 workers were trying to restore electricity supply to the worst-hit areas, he said.
Palaniswami said a large number of goats, deer and wild animals had also perished in the flooding over the past two days.


Coconut trees over thousands of acres (hectares) of farmland have been uprooted, according to Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam, a farmers’ organization.
Tamil Nadu state is prone to cyclones that develop in the Bay of Bengal.

Saudis Victimized in Manila Over 400 Cases in Dealing with Fraudulent Brokers

RIYADH: Saudi Ambassador in Manila Abdullah Al-Basiri warned Saudi tourists against fraud attempts in the Philippines. He said that around 400 cases of fraud have affected Saudi tourists in one year only, where one victim was embezzled out of SR400,000, adding that the embassy was able to retrieve the money in some cases. (Kapag nakuha na nila ang PERA saka sila mag papalit nang pangalan nang ahensya nila at isasara ang naunang tanggapan.)

He said that recruitment brokers in Philippine offices hunt for Saudis looking for visas to recruit domestic workers and drivers. “They lure them so they can quickly provide them with the required number of visas,” Al-Basiri said. “After the transfer of money to the broker’s account, the latter disappears from the office, and changes numbers without meeting any of the conditions promised to the Saudi client.” 

He said that those who are dealing with fraudulent brokers are breaking the recruitment agreement signed between Saudi Arabia and the Philippines, which limits the recruitment process to Saudi offices.

He clarified that many people still make this mistake despite multiple warnings from the Ministries of Interior and Foreign Affairs on their websites.

The ambassador called on Saudi tourists traveling to the Philippines to stay away from suspicious places dealing with drugs and employing minor girls in immoral acts, which might put the tourist at risk of imprisonment for life.

He said that the embassy’s field teams allowed them to protect Saudis before its too late, adding that there are no Saudi prisoners in the Philippines currently.