Parts of China's coastal regions to experience heavy storms as this year's first typhoon approaches

Parts of China's coastal regions are expected to experience strong wind and heavy rainfalls in the following days as the National Meteorological Center issued on Wednesday morning a blue alert for the country's first typhoon this year.

The typhoon evolved from a tropical depression that had formed over the central and western waters of the South China Sea. At about 11:00 Wednesday, the typhoon center was located on the sea about 105 kilometers east-southeast of Yongxing Island in Sansha City of China's southernmost island province of Hainan, with the maximum wind speed near the center reaching Level 8.

The typhoon is forecast to move westward at a speed of 10 to 15 kilometers per hour as it gradually strengthens and draws near the southern coastal part of Hainan before making the initial landfall between early morning and midday of Friday.

Its second landfall is expected to take place between the western part of south China's Guangdong Province and the coastal region of the neighboring Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Friday night.

The sea areas near the typhoon's center and the coastal regions of Guangdong and Hainan will experience strong winds from Level 6 to Level 8.

The wind force could reach Level 9, with gusts reaching even Level 10 to Level 11, on the waters near the central and the western parts of the South China Sea and the Xisha Islands,

Some regions, including the coastal areas of Guangdong and Guangxi, most parts of Hainan, and the Xisha Islands, will see heavy rain. In particular, some parts of central and eastern Hainan will experience heavy-to-torrential rain, with rainfall reaching 100 to 150 millimeters.

The meteorological department warned that regions like Hainan and Guangdong will experience increasingly intensifying wind and rain from Wednesday to Friday.

The heavy rainfalls are predicted to move northward to some eastern provinces like Jiangxi, Fujian, and Zhejiang as the typhoon and its circulation move northward to meet with the cold air that is also moving southward at the same time.

Meteorological officials reminded some regions that precautionary measures should be taken against potential secondary disasters triggered by heavy rain.

Parts of China's coastal regions to experience heavy storms as this year's first typhoon approaches

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday condemned the killing of a UN peacekeeper in southern Lebanon and urged all parties to respect the cessation of hostilities agreement.

Sgt. Milovan Jovanovic, a Serbian peacekeeper serving with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), was killed on Wednesday when a mortar struck a UN position near Marjayoun in southern Lebanon, according to a statement by UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

Meanwhile, two other peacekeepers were wounded in the incident and are receiving treatment at a UNIFIL medical facility. An investigation is underway, the statement said.

A total of seven UNIFIL peacekeepers have been killed since hostilities escalated in Lebanon on March 2 following the Israeli-U.S. war on Iran.

"Attacks on peacekeepers must stop. They are grave violations of international humanitarian law and of Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006) and may amount to war crimes," the statement said.

Guterres called on all parties to uphold their obligations under international law, ensure the safety and security of UN personnel, and respect the inviolability of UN property and assets. He also stressed that all attacks on peacekeepers must be promptly investigated and that those responsible must be held accountable.

"The secretary general again urges all actors to respect the cessation of hostilities that was announced on April 16. The UN is committed to supporting the diplomatic efforts towards an extension of the cessation of hostilities and the full implementation of Resolution 1701," said Dujarric.

UN chief condemns killing of UN peacekeeper in Lebanon