Typhoon Dolphin lashed Japan’s southern Okinawa prefecture on Saturday, injuring five people and cutting power to 14,000 buildings, while China shut ports and ferry routes ahead of the storm’s expected arrival on its east coast.

The storm was about 160 km northwest of Kume Island in Okinawa as of 0300 GMT, moving northwest at 15kph, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

Five elderly people suffered non-life-threatening injuries, with three falling due to the wind, the Okinawan prefectural government said.

Domestic airlines, ANA and Japan ⁠Airlines, cancelled flights to the region.

The typhoon had maximum sustained winds of 162kph with gusts reaching 216kph.

Okinawa and Amami Island in Kagoshima prefecture are the main areas expected to be affected in Japan.

The China National Meteorological Centre said Typhoon Dolphin was expected to make landfall along China’s eastern and southern coast between late Sunday and early Monday, most likely between Zhoushan city in Zhejiang province and Fuding city in Fujian province.

It is expected to bring winds of 38-45 metres per second near its centre.

Rain and strong winds are expected to affect eastern China through August 12, including parts of Shanghai and neighbouring provinces.

Some areas of eastern Zhejiang ⁠could receive more than 600 mm of rain, according to forecasters.

Zhejiang raised its coastal typhoon alert to its highest level, halted port operations and suspended 162 passenger ferry routes.

Ningbo Lishe International Airport in Zhejiang said it will halt operations from 11.30pm on Saturday and suspend all flights on Sunday.

Shanghai’s Yangshan port had been cleared of vessels ⁠by late Friday, while some rail services in the Yangtze River Delta will be suspended from Sunday.

In Taiwan, 63 international flights were cancelled because of the typhoon, the government said.

Heavy rain was expected in northern parts of the island over ⁠the weekend, though authorities had not ordered evacuations as of Saturday.

China has ordered that, due to the typhoon, ships passing through the Taiwan Strait must heed its traffic control instructions — measures that Taipei denounced as “ridiculous”, saying that Beijing ⁠has no right to restrict access to international waters.

China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, also claims the strategic strait.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has approved civil awards for 78 individuals, including martyrs and Ghazis who demonstrated exceptional courage, under various categories.

A special meeting of the Gallantry Awards Committee, chaired by Mohsin Naqvi in Islamabad, approved civil awards for the 78 individuals in recognition of their sacrifices and acts of bravery.

Speaking at the meeting, the interior minister said encouraging those who sacrificed their lives for the country and demonstrated extraordinary courage was a national responsibility.

Naqvi said the nation remained indebted to the martyrs and Ghazis for their unforgettable sacrifices, adding that their great contributions were a valuable asset for the entire nation.

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– World food prices rose in July to their highest in more than three years as adverse weather and war escalation in the Gulf and Black Sea supported crop markets, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization said on Friday.

The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in a basket of internationally traded food commodities, averaged 131.1 points in July, up from 130.3 in June and the highest reading since January 2023.

The FAO’s chief economist told Reuters this ⁠week that the world faces another bout of food inflation as wars in Iran and Ukraine along with El Nino create a perfect storm of higher costs and lower crop yields.

A 3.4% month-on-month rise in the FAO’s cereal price index drove the July trend, fuelled in turn by a 5.8% jump in wheat prices, the agency said.

Wheat markets were affected by concerns over Black Sea export disruptions and heat damage to crops in key producing regions, it said.

The FAO’s vegetable oil ⁠index rose 2% to its highest level since June 2022.

Higher crude oil prices amid escalation in the Iran war and strong demand for biodiesel supported palm and soy oil prices, though rapeseed and sunflower oil declined.

Sugar prices rose 5.6% on weather concerns ⁠in Europe and Asia and expectations of stronger ethanol demand in Brazil.

In contrast, meat prices fell 2.8% from a record high in June, FAO said.

Poultry, pig and bovine meat ⁠prices declined, though sheep meat prices reached a record high amid tight export supplies in Oceania. Dairy prices fell 0.7%.

The FAO’s overall food price index ⁠reading for July was slightly above a previous three-year high in April.

The latest reading was nonetheless 18.2% below its March 2022 peak that followed Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.