Asia Pacific

Party of Sri Lanka’s new Marxist-leaning president wins majority in parliament

The party of Sri Lanka’s new Marxist-leaning President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has won a majority in parliament, according to official election results, providing a solid mandate for his program for economic revival.

Australia’s plan to ban children from social media proves popular and problematic

APEC leaders to open Lima summit as Trump prepares to return to office

China’s president unveils a megaport in Peru, but locals say they’re being left out

With Peru in the global spotlight for APEC, so is one of the world’s least popular presidents

North Korea tests exploding drones as Kim calls for mass production

North Korea says it has tested exploding drones designed to hit targets and leader Kim Jong Un called for accelerating their mass production.

Japanese Princess Yuriko, wartime Emperor Hirohito’s sister-in-law, dies at 101

Japanese Princess Yuriko, the wife of wartime Emperor Hirohito’s brother and the oldest member of the imperial family, has died after her health deteriorated recently.

Van falls off mountain highway in Nepal, killing 8 and injuring 4

A passenger van veered off a mountain highway in western Nepal, killing eight people while four on board were injured.

Clean energy could create millions of tons of waste in India. Some are working to avoid that

As clean energy infrastructure like solar panels and electric car batteries becomes more common in India, some small businesses are working to recycle them when they reach the end of their lifespan, dismantling panels to sell individual components and using old EV batteries’ remaining power to provi

Once-traditional camel trading fair in India transformed into tourist attraction

PUSHKAR, India (AP) — It’s early morning in Pushkar, a city at the edge of the Thar desert in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan, and a herd of about a dozen camels led by two men is returning, raising a golden sand cloud.

Chinese and Philippine forces again avoid a clash in a fiercely disputed shoal under a rare deal

The Philippine navy has transported food and other supplies to a territorial ship outpost in a shoal in the South China Sea without any confrontation with Chinese forces guarding the area.

Lawmakers stage Māori protest in New Zealand’s parliament during fraught race relations debate

A vote in New Zealand’s parliament was suspended and two lawmakers ejected Thursday amid debate over a controversial proposed law redefining the country’s founding agreement between Indigenous Māori and the British Crown.

Pakistan court rejects plea for acquittal from former premier Imran Khan and his wife in graft case

A Pakistani court has rejected a plea for acquittal from former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has been held in prison for more than a year in a graft case.

Australia will require social media platforms to act to prevent online harm to users

Australia plans to require social media platforms to act to prevent online harms to users such as bullying, predatory behavior and algorithms pushing destructive content.

Russian defense official visits China’s premier military showcase in a sign of unity

A top Russian defense official has attended China’s premier military showcase in a show of unity between the countries as Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine.

7 people are killed in Pakistan when a militant’s car bomb accidentally explodes

Police in Pakistan say that a car bomb accidentally went off at the house of a Pakistani Taliban militant in the northwest of the country, killing at least two children and five suspected militants.

South Korean court finds former lawmaker guilty of misusing funds meant for sexual slavery victims

South Korea’s Supreme Court has handed a suspended prison sentence to a former lawmaker who was found guilty of embezzling funds while leading a group supporting Korean survivors of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery.

India’s Modi likely to find comfort in Trump’s return and a shared worldview

Donald Trump’s return to the White House has made many countries anxious and recalculating where they stand with the U.S., but India appears to be welcoming the change that may embolden nationalist leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Voting ends in Sri Lanka’s parliamentary election that’s key for its new Marxist-leaning president

Sri Lankans have voted in a parliamentary election that’s key for their new, Marxist-leaning president to consolidate his party’s power and follow through on promises of economic recovery.

Investigation into Chinese hacking reveals ‘broad and significant’ spying effort, FBI says

Federal authorities say an investigation into Chinese government hacking efforts has revealed a “broad and significant” cyberespionage campaign mounted by Beijing.

Pakistani security forces kill 12 insurgents in 2 raids hours apart

Pakistan’s military says troops have faced off with insurgents in two separate raids on their hideouts in the country, killing 12 militants.

Smog sickens nearly 70,000 people in Pakistan

Pakistan introduced mobile clinics and added more beds in hospitals to treat the nearly 70,000 patients received daily with respiratory-related diseases as hazardous smog continued to shroud the country’s east.

Biden and Xi will meet in Peru as US-China relations tested again by Trump’s return

President Joe Biden will hold talks this week with China’s Xi Jinping on the sidelines of an international summit in Peru.

Rights groups condemn Bangladesh for canceling accreditation of 167 journalists

An association of editors and rights groups has condemned a decision by Bangladesh’s interim government to cancel press accreditations for 167 journalists, calling it a threat to press freedom in the country.

Bangladesh leader Muhammad Yunus slams rich nations for burning up the planet at UN climate talks

Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus said that leaders shouldn’t be negotiating at United Nations climate talks this year, with countries responsible for warming up the planet instead just providing the funds to deal with the global crisis.

Philippines says it will cooperate if ICC seeks Duterte’s custody over drug killings

The Philippine government says its law enforcement agencies will be obliged to cooperate if the International Criminal Court seeks the custody of former President Rodrigo Duterte as part of an investigation into thousands of deaths during his crackdown on illegal drugs.

Japan’s nuclear watchdog disqualifies a reactor for the first time since Fukushima disaster

Japan’s nuclear watchdog has formally disqualified a reactor in the country’s north-central region from starting.

China holds combat drills at a disputed shoal west of the Philippines

China has held sea and air combat drills at disputed Scarborough Shoal, an uninhabited area of reefs and rocks it had seized from the Philippines in the South China Sea.

Indonesia and Australia hold joint military drills after signing a new defense agreement

The Indonesian and Australian militaries are holding joint combat drills off Indonesia’s main island of Java with about 2,000 troops training in air, maritime, amphibious and land operations.

Sri Lankan president seeks party win in parliamentary election to help him push his economic reforms

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is looking to consolidate his party’s power in Thursday’s parliamentary election to help him implement his election pledges to solve the country’s economic woes and foster good governance.

Silence descends around China’s deadliest mass killing in years as flowers cleared away

Online discussion about China’s deadliest mass killing in years was being censored Wednesday as authorities in a southern city cleared candles and flowers from the memorial to the 35 people dead.

Chinese hackers target Tibetan websites in malware attack, cybersecurity group says

A hacking group that is believed to be Chinese state-sponsored has compromised two websites with ties to the Tibetan community in an attack meant to install malware on users’ computers.

A bus carrying wedding guests falls into a river in northern Pakistan, killing 18

Officials say a bus carrying wedding guests fell into the Indus River in northern Pakistan on Tuesday, killing at least 18 people.

South Korean president takes up golf again to forge a bond with Trump

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has dusted off his golf clubs in an attempt to forge a bond with President-elect Donald Trump, an avid lover of the game.

Growing pollution in Pakistan’s Punjab province has sickened 1.8M people in a month, officials say

Officials say worsening air pollution in the past month has sickened an estimated 1.8 million people in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province.

Police officer arrested over deadly 2023 suicide bombing at Pakistan mosque

Authorities in Pakistan say a key suspect in connection with a deadly attack at a mosque in a police compound nearly two years ago has been arrested and has been identified as a police officer.

Bangladesh asks Interpol for help in arresting ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

A special tribunal in Bangladesh has asked the international police organization Interpol to issue a red notice for the arrest of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in connection with the deaths of hundreds of protesters.

Hong Kong reporter says she’ll sue Wall Street Journal for dismissal because of her union role

A former Hong Kong reporter of The Wall Street Journal says she’ll sue the publication for sacking her because she joined a trade union.

Earth’s biggest polluters aren’t sending leaders to UN climate talks in a year of weather extremes

World leaders are converging Tuesday at the United Nations annual climate conference in Azerbaijan. The climate talks often have the star power of a soccer World Cup, but many big names and powerful countries are noticeably absent.

Typhoon batters storm-weary Philippines and displaces thousands more people as a new storm threatens

Typhoon Toraji has unleashed floods, knocked down trees and caused power outages in the northern Philippines before weakening into a tropical storm and blowing out to the South China Sea.