Asia News Wrap: Second typhoon in a week hits China, and more

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

Pulasan, the 14th typhoon of the year, according to China's meteorological authorities, made a second landfall in the country on Thursday. The typhoon, which has reached a maximum wind velocity of 23 meters per second near its center, hit the Fengxian District of Shanghai at about 9:45 p.m. on Thursday after its first landfall earlier the same day in Zhejiang Province. Pulasan is the second typhoon to hit east China this year, following Typhoon Bebinca, the 13th typhoon of the year, which churned ashore at Shanghai's Lingang area of Pudong District on Monday. All 72 passenger ferry route services in the city of Zhoushan have been suspended. In the city of Ningbo, 20 coastal construction projects were halted, while 352 vessels involved in these projects were moved to safer waters.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles in a northeastern direction on Wednesday, the Republic of Korea's (ROK) military said. The ROK's Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected the launches at about 6:50 a.m. from the Kaechon area in South Phyongan Province, north of Pyongyang, and the missiles flew about 400 kilometers.

South Korea is rolling out a new policy to combat drunk driving in the country that will require repeat offenders to blow into a breathalyzer every time they start their car, authorities said on Tuesday. The policy, which will take effect on October 25, applies to anyone caught driving under the influence more than twice in the past five years. Offenders will be responsible for installing the breathalyzer-like device at their own expense, called the ignition interlock device, which prevents a vehicle from starting if the driver's alcohol concentration is above a certain level. The mandatory use of the device will last for the same period the offender's license was suspended, which means those whose licenses were revoked for two years will need to keep the devices installed for two years after their driving privileges are reinstated. Drink driving is a significant problem in the country. According to police records, 130,150 cases were reported in 2023, a 20 percent increase from pandemic lows.

Sri Lanka's presidential candidates wrapped up campaigning on Wednesday, 48 hours before the election, pledging to fix the island country's ailing economy, which is struggling to recover from a crippling financial crisis. Over 17 million Sri Lankans will vote on Saturday to elect a new president for a five-year term, the first election since a severe shortfall of dollar reserves pushed the South Asian nation into its worst financial crisis in decades. Supported by a $2.9 billion International Monetary Fund bailout, the country has since posted a tentative recovery. It is also working to finalize a $12.5 billion debt restructuring with bondholders. President Ranil Wickremesinghe, one of the frontrunners, recapped his policy wins and debt restructuring efforts in the last lap, saying on Thursday that he hopes to complete negotiations with bondholders. "I have shown people that when I take up a task, I complete it. Now it's up to you to decide what kind of path we should take from Sunday," he told a crowd in the town of Matara, about 157 kilometers south of the capital, Colombo.

Floods in Myanmar have killed at least 226 people in just over a week, state media reported on Tuesday after heavy rains brought on by Typhoon Yagi battered the central provinces of the country. The areas hardest hit by the flooding include the second-largest city of Mandalay, the capital Naypyitaw and parts of Shan state. In the Mandalay region alone, some 40,000 acres of agricultural land were submerged and 26,700 houses were damaged by the heavy rains and flooding, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). More than 70 people are still missing, according to state media.

(Cover: Waves higher than 10 meters set off by Typhoon "Pulasan" lash the Golden Beach shores of Shitang Town, Wenling City, Zhejiang Province on September 19, 2024. /CFP)