Asia News Wrap: Indonesia's president-elect expands coalition and more

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

Indonesia's president-elect, Prabowo Subianto, has secured a parliamentary majority after the party that backed his rival in the February elections announced it was joining his coalition. 

The NasDem party, which accounts for about 10 percent of parliament, announced on Thursday that it would support the incoming administration of Prabowo. The move will give the Prabowo government control over parliament, boosting its stake from 43 percent to 52 percent.

The operator of Japan's stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant said on Monday it would send a probe inside a melted-down reactor this week for a trial removal of radioactive debris. Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) aims to retrieve a tiny sample of an estimated 880 tonnes of radioactive debris believed to be inside the reactors at the wrecked nuclear plant. 

The sample will be studied for clues about the condition on the inside of the reactors and their hazardous contents, a crucial step towards decommissioning the plant.“We will proceed carefully by putting safety as our highest priority," a Tepco official said at a news conference on Monday. The debris has radiation levels so high that Tepco had to develop specialized robots to function inside.

Over 86,000 people in south China's Guangdong Province have been relocated as a preventive measure following heavy rainfall on Wednesday. Some railway services have been suspended, and flights have been delayed.

Sixty-five townships and sub-districts in Guangdong experienced torrential rain between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Wednesday, with precipitation exceeding 100 millimeters. At the same time, the maximum accumulated rainfall reached 247.9 millimeters in a sub-district of the city of Dongguan, according to local meteorological and hydrological monitoring.

As electric scooters grow in popularity in South Korea, Seoul's Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on Tuesday that it will tighten safety measures regarding the usage of the vehicles. In a pilot program, the speed limit for e-scooters will be reduced from 25 kmph to 20. This is expected to reduce accidents and casualties involving e-scooters. The ministry will analyze the program at the end of the year and decide if it needs to be continued. 

The Korea Herald reported that "intensive crackdowns will be conducted until the end of September, and fines will be imposed for violations. Driving without a license or under the influence will result in a 100,000 won ($74.89) fine, while fines for riding with two or more people are 40,000 won and not wearing a safety helmet 20,000 won."

At least 28 Pakistani pilgrims were killed and 23 others injured on Tuesday night when their bus crashed in Iran's Yazd city, Pakistan's envoy to Tehran confirmed. "In pursuit of their religious journey, 28 Pakistani 'zaireen' laid down their lives last night in Yazd city in a bus accident. Another 23 are injured," Pakistani Ambassador to Iran Mudassir Tipu announced in a post on X. 

The bus overturned at the Dehshir-Taftan checkpoint in Yazd on Tuesday night and then caught fire. The Pakistani pilgrims were headed through Iran to Iraq to attend the Arbaeen commemoration, which marks the 40th day of mourning for Imam Husain, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.

(Cover: Indonesia's president-elect, Prabowo Subianto, arrives to attend the annual session of the People's Consultative Assembly at the parliament building in Jakarta, Indonesia, August 16, 2024. /CFP)