A second typhoon hit east Asia in as many weeks. Typhoon Khanun killed two, injured dozens more and knocked out power for over 200,000 households in Okinawa, Japan. It then moved to China’s Taiwan region on Thursday shutting schools and cancelling dozens of flights as it slowly made its way toward the Chinese mainland's densely populated coastal areas, such as the provinces of Zhejiang and Fujian. Typhoon Khanun comes just a week after Typhoon Doksuri brought strong winds, rain and havoc across east Asia.
FILE: Aung San Suu Kyi, former State Counselor of Myanmar. /CFP
Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi will be pardoned for five of the numerous offenses for which she was jailed for a total of 33 years, Myanmar Radio and Television reported on Tuesday. Suu Kyi, who was moved from prison to house arrest in the capital, Naypyitaw last week, has been in detention since early 2021.
A worker pours cold water in a plastic bottle on his colleague in order to cool him off amid a heatwave at a construction site in Incheon, South Korea. August 2, 2023. /Reuters
A sizzling heatwave has been spreading across Asia.
Heat-related illnesses killed 11 people in South Korea last weekend, authorities said on Sunday. The victims were mostly people in their 70s and older, found dead inside greenhouses or on farms in regions where temperatures shot up to daily highs of between 33 Celsius and 36 C. The Korea Meteorological Administration said the hot and humid North Pacific high pressure has completely covered the nation, pushing up the maximum temperatures above 35 Celsius in most regions during the daytime.
Meanwhile, Iran announced August 2 and 3 would be public holidays because of "unprecedented heat" and told the elderly and people with health conditions to stay indoors. In Afghanistan, escalating heat has led to a spike in health issues among students, including nosebleeds and fainting spells, largely attributed to the excessive heat and lack of adequate cooling facilities in educational institutions.
Affected by Typhoon Doksuri, extreme rainfall was recorded in north China and the regions along the Yellow and Huaihe rivers, triggering floods, geological disasters and causing heavy casualties in Beijing and Hebei. Data showed that from 8 p.m. on Saturday to 9 a.m. on Tuesday, the average rainfall in Beijing was 261.8 mm, with the maximum rainfall exceeding 700mm in the Mentougou and Changping Districts.
India-made laptops being launched by Lenovo in New Delhi, India. October 3, 2016. /CFP
India has restricted imports of laptops, tablets and personal computers with immediate effect, according to a government notice on Thursday, in a bid to push local manufacturing. "Their import would be allowed against a valid licence for restricted imports," the notice said. In April-June, electronics imports, which include laptops, tablets and personal computers, was $19.7 billion, up 6.25 percent year on year. Laptops, tablets and personal computers compose about 1.5 percent of the country's total annual imports. India has imposed high tariffs in the past on products like mobile phones to drive domestic output.
(Cover: Satellite image provided by the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology shows Typhoon Khanun moving north towards Okinawa, southwestern Japan. August 1, 2023. /CFP)