In China, Shanghai's airports cancelled most of their flights today as authorities braced for Typhoon Muifa. Almost 500,000 people were evacuated as the powerful typhoon was previously forecast to hit the eastern coast near Shanghai over the weekend.The national meteorological centre today said Muifa, however, changed course while at sea, packing winds of 178 kilometres an hour. It said the temperamental storm, which has already changed speed and direction several times, is now due either to make landfall in the eastern province of Shandong tomorrow morning or to keep moving north along the coast.The two airports in Shanghai halted the majority of flights today, following the cancellation of more than 200 flights the previous day, which affected nearly 30,000 passengers. The official Xinhua news agency said at least one person went missing in the neighbouring province of Zhejiang when a boat sank. Meanwhile, the eastern provinces of Jiangsu and Shandong were bracing for the impact of the storm, evacuating tens of thousands of people and ordering more than 11,000 boats back to shore. Authorities have warned that the typhoon could affect an even wider area than initially predicted if it continues to hug the eastern coast and makes landfall further north.