Asia News Wrap: 65 die in Pakistan heat wave, and more

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

As the temperature soared in Pakistan, so did the death toll from heatstroke. Local media reported at least 65 deaths in Karachi city as the temperature crossed 40 degrees Celsius for the fourth day in a row on Wednesday. Dr Imran Sarwar G. Sheikh, the doctor in charge of the emergency department at the Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi, told the Dawn newspaper that "three male patients were declared dead on arrival. They appeared to be laborers in their 50s and 60s and had clear clinical signs suggesting that they suffered from heatstroke," he said. He added that "63 patients either reported with heatstroke or heat-related illnesses on Wednesday."

According to the country's meteorological department, "Passing thunder cells from the northern region brought about a dust storm in different parts of Karachi. The department also said that the maximum temperature in the city was 40 degrees Celsius with 53 percent relative humidity." The heat index – the temperature that the human body feels like when relative humidity is combined with the air temperature – calculated on Wednesday afternoon was 48 to 50 degrees Celsius.

China has transported the world's first samples collected from the moon's far side to Earth, as the return capsule of the Chang'e-6 lunar probe touched down at 2:07 p.m. Beijing Time on Tuesday in Siziwang Banner, China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. 

The return capsule landed precisely in the designated area and the mission was declared a success by the China National Space Administration. On Wednesday, the samples were handed over to researchers in Beijing.

Monsoon rain and upstream river water from India have caused widespread flooding in north-eastern Bangladesh, stranding over two million people. At least 10 people were killed last week after heavy monsoon rain triggered landslides in refugee camps in southern Bangladesh. 

The UN children's agency, UNICEF, said trapped residents in the region, including more than 772,000 children, were in urgent need of assistance. The Bangladesh Meteorological Department forecast more heavy rainfall in the next few days that could exacerbate the flooding and cause landslides.

Thailand's cabinet on Tuesday decided to extend a waiver of operating fees for hoteliers for two more years to support the recovery of the country's tourism sector. 

The exemption of the annual fee of 40 baht ($1) per hotel room from July 2024 to June 2026 will cost the government 54 million baht in lost revenue, deputy government spokesman Karom Phonphonklang told a news conference. Waiving the fee will help reduce expenses for hotel operators who may remain unable to recover from the impact of the pandemic, he added. Tourism is a key driver of the Thai economy. The government, targeting 3 percent economic growth in 2024, said tourism will continue to underpin economic growth.

The Japanese yen dropped to a new year low on Wednesday as it hit 160.88 to the U.S. dollar, its weakest level since 1986. The Japanese currency has fallen 2 percent in the month and 12 percent in the year against the dollar. Experts attribute it to interest rate differentials between the U.S. and Japan.

Japan has signaled it may intervene to prop up the yen after the currency fell to a 38-year low. Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said on Thursday that authorities would take action as necessary to prevent damage to the economy. On Friday, the country appointed a new top foreign exchange diplomat, heightening expectations of imminent market intervention by Tokyo to shore up the battered currency. Atsushi Mimura, a financial regulation veteran, replaced Masato Kanda, who launched the biggest yen-buying intervention on record this year and pushed speculators against driving down the Japanese currency too much.

(Cover: A Pakistani youth cools off at a hand pump at sunset during hot weather in Lahore, Pakistan, May 28, 2024. /CFP)