Asia News Wrap: Cyclone hits Bangladesh, displacing thousands, and more

Nearly 275,000 people in Bangladesh fled to shelters on Wednesday as Cyclone Hamoon slammed into the country’s southern coast, killing at least four people. Many areas suffered from power outages, downed mobile networks, and disruptions on some roads due to uprooted trees and the destruction of hundreds of houses. Cox’s Bazar, a town on the southeast coast of the country, bore the brunt of the damage. Shahin Imran, deputy commissioner of Cox’s Bazar, said the cyclone ripped through the district town, causing power supply lines to collapse and disrupting the mobile network and internet services. Three people died in Cox’s Bazar, and hundreds of others were injured when the cyclone made landfall in the coastal areas on Tuesday night.

Indonesia’s Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto and his running mate, Mr Gibran Rakabuming Raka, registered on Wednesday for the country’s presidential election setting the stage for polls to be held on February 14, 2024. Thousands of cheering supporters met Mr Prabowo, 72, and Mr Gibran, 36, the son of President Joko Widodo, as they handed their credentials and manifesto to election officials in the capital Jakarta. Nearly 205 million Indonesians are eligible to vote in the elections. Earlier in the day, Gibran Raka, who is mayor of Surakarta city told a stadium packed with supporters, that on winning, they would give loans for digital start-ups and continue development of the mineral-processing industry and green economy.

China launched the Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on Thursday. The spaceship later docked with China’s space station assembly, forming a combination of three modules and three spaceships. The 3 taikonauts on board are known as the country’s youngest lineup by average age since the space station’s construction began. 

Mumbai, India’s financial capital, has issued a government notification on Wednesday, urging construction sites to use barricades and prohibiting the burning of garbage in open areas in an effort to combat deteriorating air quality. This decision came just two days after the Swiss group IQAir ranked Mumbai with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 160, designating it as the second most polluted city in the world on Monday. One of the guidelines released on Wednesday by Mumbai’s Municipal Corporation stipulates that construction sites in the city must install barricades at their sites, using tin or metal sheets. Reuters reported,  “Mumbai and New Delhi are host cities for the Cricket World Cup, which is currently under way. Although the tournament has so far remained unaffected by the prevailing pollution, cricketers have flagged the problem…Pollution is a growing problem in India, whose capital is engulfed by a thick layer of smog every winter as cold, heavy air traps vehicle emissions, smoke, and dust, leaving some of its residents struggling to breathe.”

Pak­istan International Air­lines is in dire straits having canceled over 300 flights in the past 10 days due to the unavailability of fuel amid a financial crisis, the national carrier’s spokesman has confirmed. The airline is facing its worst crisis in history as Pakistan State Oil company has cut fuel supply over unpaid dues. The move forced the airline to cancel 322 flights, including 134 on international routes, since October 14. On October 24, 51 flights, including 27 on domestic routes, were canceled, according to the spokesman. Pakistani daily Dawn reported, “While Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), suffering losses to the tune of 750 billion, is no stranger to recurring crises, the current situation is probably the most dire in recent years,”.

(Cover: Onlookers stand along a road blocked by an uprooted tree in Cox’s Bazar following the landfall of Cyclone Hamoon. Nearly 275,000 people fled to shelters. Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. October, 25, 2023. /CFP)