MANILA (Reuters) -The Philippines suspended work and classes across Metro Manila and large parts of the country on Monday as Super Typhoon Ragasa moved toward northern Luzon, threatening destructive winds and heavy rain.

State weather officials raised the highest typhoon warning over the remote Babuyan Islands, urging residents in low-lying and coastal communities to evacuate ahead of storm surges and possible flooding.

Packing maximum sustained winds of 205 kph (127 mph) and gusts of up to 250 kph, Ragasa was forecast to make landfall or brush past the Babuyan Islands around midday before crossing the Luzon Strait.

While it will not directly hit Taiwan, the typhoon’s outer band is expected to bring heavy rain to the island’s sparsely populated east coast. Taiwan has issued land and sea

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