From around Asia, here are five stories that you may have missed this week.
The 52nd and 56th Divisions of the Army join the rescue in the flower village of Sosongpa District, which was hit by large-scale floods, in Seoul, South Korea, August 11, 2022. /CFP
Eleven people died, including two Chinese citizens, and eight are missing after this week's torrential rains in Korea. The Korea Herald reported, "Of the dead, six were in Seoul, three in Gyeonggi Province and two in Gangwon Province while three of the eight unaccounted for were from Seoul, according to data from the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters."
Nitish Kumar, Bihar's chief minister and leader of Janata Dal United party, during an interview with Reuters in the eastern Indian city of Patna, January 8, 2012. /Reuters
India's ruling party, the BJP, took a beating when a regional party (JDU) withdrew from a ruling coalition in the politically significant north Indian state of Bihar, and toppled the local government. The chief minister, Nitish Kumar, who was in power with the support of the BJP, decided to end the alliance. He resigned on Tuesday, joined hands with the opposition's Congress and his arch-rival RJD, and was sworn back into power the very next day. The move is regarded as a major blow to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's invulnerable image.
People celebrate Children's Day during Golden Week in Tokyo, Japan, May 5, 2022. /CFP
Japan recorded its largest decline in population ever. The number of Japanese people living in Japan fell by 619,140, or 0.5 percent, down for the 13th year in a row. The Japan Times reported, "The number of Japanese people living in the Tokyo metropolitan area as of January 1 fell for the first time since statistics began in 1975, reflecting a continued decline in the number of births in the country, a government survey showed Tuesday."
Former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa (R) arrives at Bangkok's Don Mueang International Airport, Thailand, August 11, 2022. /Reuters
Former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled his country a month ago, arrived in Bangkok on Thursday for what the Thai government said would be a temporary stay. He landed on the same day when his Singapore visa expired. The Bangkok Post reported that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha told reporters on Wednesday, "This is a humanitarian issue and there is an agreement that it's a temporary stay." Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai said the current Sri Lankan government supported Rajapaksa's trip to Thailand, adding that the former president's diplomatic passport would allow him to stay for up to 90 days.
The AR-500CJ on its maiden flight. /CGTN
In China, a new type of shipborne unmanned helicopter developed by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China made its maiden flight in Poyang County, east China's Jiangxi Province.
During its maiden flight, the AR-500CJ aircraft completed training courses in manned take-off, landing, hovering and other areas and landed smoothly.
The aircraft was in good condition, and all systems were functioning normally, marking its official entry into the test flight phase from the design and production phase.