Asia News Wrap: 9 die in India heat wave, and more

Here are a few stories from around Asia you may have missed this week.

Eastern India experienced its hottest April on record as a heat wave scorched parts of the country and killed at least nine people, national media reported on Monday. The mean temperature in eastern India was 28.12 Celsius in April, the warmest since records began in 1901. "In an El Nino year, you get more heating," said Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, chief of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), referring to a climate pattern that typically leads to hot and dry weather in Asia. 

The IMD said on Wednesday that above-normal temperatures were forecast for May too. Reuters reported, "The eastern Indian state of West Bengal recorded the most heat wave days for the month in the last 15 years, followed by the neighboring state of Odisha where heat conditions were the worst in nine years. Authorities also declared a rare heat wave in the southwestern coastal state of Kerala, where at least two deaths were reported due to soaring temperatures.”

The re-entry capsule of China's Shenzhou-17 spaceship, carrying three Chinese astronauts, touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Tuesday at 5:46 p.m. (Beijing Time). They were replaced by three taikonauts who will serve on the China Space Station for about six months.

Indonesia's Ruang volcano erupted for a second time in two weeks on Tuesday, spewing lava as lightning flashes lit up its crater, prompting authorities to raise the alert status and evacuate more than 12,000 people living on a nearby island. The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation had warned the residents of Tagulandang Island that a tsunami could be triggered by volcanic material collapsing into the ocean. 

Ash from the latest Mount Ruang eruption could enter Borneo airspace with possible disruptions to flight operations until May 5, said Malaysia's weather agency. The ash from the volcanic activity has prompted airlines to cancel flights to and from Malaysia's Borneo states of Sabah and Sarawak. At least three flights from Singapore's Changi Airport were also canceled on May 1 due to the volcanic activity.

The Philippines closed all public schools on Monday and Tuesday because of dangerously high temperatures, moving classes online. Heat indices hit 50 degrees Celsius in various regions in the Philippines, as the weather phenomenon El Nino intensified heat. 

Thousands of schools have suspended classes due to the heat, affecting more than 3.6 million students, Education Ministry data showed. "In May, we're expecting more class suspensions because of the heat waves. We're seeing an average of more than 52 degrees Celsius, so you could imagine how stressful that would be for learners," said Xerxes Castro, basic education adviser for Save the Children Philippines.

In a farewell speech on May 1, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said he has prepared a leadership team to succeed him that deserves Singaporeans' confidence and support, and asked that all Singaporeans support the new team. 

In a valedictory speech at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre at a May Day Rally, he said, "I have done my duty, and I am very happy I chose this path of public service all those many years ago," to a standing ovation from the 1,400 business leaders, trade union members and government officials present. He said he felt "a sense of satisfaction and completeness" as he prepared to hand over the leadership to his successor, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, on May 15.

(Cover: Silhouette of a man drinking water from a bottle during a hot summer day, near India Gate in New Delhi, India on April 20, 2024. /CFP)