News Flash Asia from September 8, 2025

1. Tropical Storm Tapah hits southern China's coast

Tropical Storm Tapah made landfall on Monday in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong (Taishan) with wind speeds of up to 110 km/h. Around 60,000 people were evacuated as a precaution, schools and tourist attractions were closed, and train and ferry services were suspended. Hong Kong was placed under storm warning level 8 – over 100 flights were canceled, and one aircraft encountered difficulties on the runway during takeoff. There were no injuries, but some minor flooding, tree damage, and evacuated courtrooms were reported. Minor flooding also occurred in Macau and the Guangxi region.

2. Internet outage due to damaged submarine cables in the Red Sea

Damage to critical submarine cables in the Red Sea has caused internet disruptions across large parts of Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Nations such as India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE were particularly affected, with disruptions to connectivity and cloud services like Azure. Microsoft has since confirmed that Azure services have been restored in parts of the Middle East. The incident highlights the vulnerability of global digital infrastructure to physical disruptions.

3. Asia: Production weakens, Europe increases

In August, Europe's manufacturing sector proved more robust – the eurozone's manufacturing sector grew for the first time since mid-2022, with a PMI of 50.7. In Asia, however, much is in retreat: Japan (PMI 49.7), South Korea (48.3), and Taiwan are all experiencing contraction. China is sending mixed signals: the private RatingDog PMI shows slight growth (50.5), while the official index remains declining. India stands out: although its PMI is expanding at its fastest rate in over 17 years, it faces headwinds from new US tariffs on textiles and jewelry.

4. India wins back the Asia-Pacific Hockey Cup after eight years

In Rajgir (Bihar), the Indian men's hockey team won the Asia Cup for the first time in eight years with a 4:1 victory against South Korea – and thus qualified for the upcoming Hockey World Cup.

5. Pakistan shows strong form ahead of the Asian Cricket Cup

In the run-up to the Asia Cup, Pakistan impressed in the final of a three-nation series against Afghanistan in Sharjah: Mohammad Nawaz scored a hat trick – sending a clear signal to rivals such as Team India.

The 6th Asia Cup 2025 in cricket is about to begin.

The T20 Asia Cup 2025 begins on September 9th and runs until September 28th. Eight teams are divided into two groups. India opens its title defense on September 10th against hosts UAE in Dubai. Fans will find comprehensive information about schedules, tickets, broadcasts, and squads.

7. Celestial Spectacle: Total Lunar Eclipse over Asia

On September 7, Asia was the best place to observe the second total lunar eclipse of the year. The AP published impressive photographs from the affected region and Europe – a breathtaking natural spectacle.