Pagasa: Queenie nears typhoon category

MANILA, Philippines — Severe Tropical Storm Queenie is now nearing typhoon category, said the state weather bureau on Saturday, after gaining strength since early morning. According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) in its latest typhoon bulletin, Queenie was last spotted 575 kilometers (km) east northeast of Itbayat, Batanes. READ: Queenie