As Typhoon Champi approached Taiwan, most businesses and schools were closed across the island Friday and hundreds of flights were canceled in the region. Authorities reported at least one death and dozens of injuries and more than 1,200 people have evacuated their homes.

At least 16 people have died and dozens more have been injured after a major earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale shook China’s remote Tibet region on Thursday, state media said. Hundreds of houses collapsed in the tremor.

Police on Tuesday charged a driver with intentionally causing serious injury to Australian federal lawmaker Helen Haines, who is in a critical condition after being struck by a car outside her office in an incident that has shocked the nation. Haines had her leg amputated following the attack, according to Australian media reports.

Parts of southern Southeast Asia have been put under the highest-level haze alert as wildfires that have swept Indonesia for months continue to belch toxic smoke across the region. The seasonal wildfires are worse this year due to the drought conditions caused by a severe "super-El Nino" effect.

Indian police released Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke from detention on Saturday after the activist was detained ahead of a rally calling for the resignation of India's chief election commissioner. Two other CJP leaders remain in custody after having been arrested while demonstrating at a protest site that police had ruled off-limits.