Top Asian News 2:41 a.m. GMT

An ancient village in the Himalayas ran out of water. Then, it moved and started over

SAMJUNG, Nepal (AP) — The Himalayan village of Samjung did not die in a day. Perched in a wind-carved valley in Nepal’s Upper Mustang, more than 13,000 feet (3,962 meters) above sea level, the Buddhist village lived by slow, deliberate rhythms — herding yaks and sheep and harvesting barley under sheer ochre cliffs honeycombed with “sky caves” — 2,000-year-old chambers used for ancestral burials, meditation and shelter. Then the water dried up. Snow-capped mountains turned brown and barren as, year after year, snowfall declined. Springs and canals vanished and when it did rain, the water came all at once, flooding fields and melting away the mud homes.

Jury deliberates for 2nd day in the triple murder trial of Australian accused of mushroom poisonings

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A jury was deliberating for a second day Tuesday in the triple murder trial of an Australian woman accused of killing her estranged husband’s relatives by deliberately serving them poisonous mushrooms for lunch. The jurors who began deliberating Monday are sequestered, a rarity in Australia that reflects public and media fervor about the case against Erin Patterson, with several news outlets publishing live blogs that covered every moment of the two-month trial. The jurors will remain secluded until they reach a unanimous decision on the charges of murder and attempted murder. Three of Patterson’s four lunch guests — her parents-in-law Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson — died in the hospital after the 2023 meal, at which she served individual beef Wellington pastries containing death cap mushrooms.

Hong Kong’s security net extends beyond arrests as small businesses pressured

HONG KONG (AP) — It’s been years since mass arrests all but silenced pro-democracy activism in Hong Kong. But a crackdown on dissent in the semiautonomous Chinese city is still expanding, hitting restaurants, bookstores and other small businesses. Shops and eateries owned by people once associated with the largely subdued pro-democracy movement are feeling a tightening grip through increased official inspections, anonymous complaint letters and other regulatory checks. Those critical of the city’s political changes say it’s a less visible side of a push to silence dissent that began five years ago when Beijing imposed a national security law to crush challenges to its rule, under which opposition politicians were jailed and pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily was shuttered.

US brings charges in North Korean remote worker scheme that officials say funds weapons program

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department announced criminal charges Monday in a scheme by North Korea to fund its weapons program through the salaries of remote information technology workers employed unwittingly by U.S. companies. The charges arose from what law enforcement officials described as a nationwide operation that also resulted in the seizure of financial accounts, websites and laptops that were used to carry out the fraud. Separate cases in Georgia and Massachusetts represent the latest Justice Department effort to confront a persistent threat that officials say generates enormous revenue for the North Korean government and in some cases affords workers access to sensitive and proprietary data from the American corporations that hire them.

Japanese manufacturers are slightly more optimistic despite Trump tariff worries

TOKYO (AP) — Business sentiment among large Japanese manufacturers has improved slightly, according to a survey by Japan’s central bank released Tuesday, although worries persist over President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The Bank of Japan’s quarterly tankan survey said an index for large manufacturers rose to plus 13 from plus 12 in March, when it marked the first dip in a year. The survey is an indicator of companies foreseeing good conditions minus those feeling pessimistic. Major manufacturers include auto and electronics sectors, whose exports to the U.S. drive the Japanese economy. U.S. auto tariffs are a worry for major manufacturers like Toyota Motor Corp., but some analysts note global auto sales have held up relatively well in recent months.

China lifts a nearly 2-year ban on seafood from Japan over Fukushima wastewater

BEIJING (AP) — China has reopened its market to seafood from Japan after a nearly two-year ban over the discharge of slightly radioactive wastewater from the tsunami-destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant. A notice from the customs agency said the ban had been lifted Sunday and that imports from much of Japan would be resumed. The ban, imposed in August 2023, was a major blow to Japan’s scallop and sea cucumber exporters. China was the biggest overseas market for Japanese seafood. The decision to lift the ban coincides with efforts by China and Japan to improve ties as both face economic uncertainty because of the American tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.

At least 12 killed in an explosion and fire at a pharmaceutical factory in southern India

NEW DELHI (AP) — An explosion and fire at a pharmaceutical factory in India’s southern state of Telangana killed at least 12 people and injured several others, authorities said Monday. The fire department recovered the charred bodies of 10 workers in an industrial area about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the state capital Hyderabad (31 miles), the state’s fire services director G.V. Narayana Rao told The Associated Press. Two other workers succumbed to burns and were pronounced dead at a hospital, Rao said, adding that debris of the gutted pharmaceutical unit of Sigachi Industries was being removed to find out if any more workers were trapped.

A week of heavy rains and floods across Pakistan kills 46 people including 13 family members

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Nearly a week of heavy monsoon rains and flash floods across Pakistan has killed at least 46 people and injured dozens, officials said Monday. The fatalities caused by abnormally strong downpours since Tuesday include 22 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 13 in eastern Punjab province, seven in southern Sindh, and four in southwestern Balochistan, the National Disaster Management Authority and provincial emergency officials said. “We are expecting above-normal rains during the monsoon season and alerts have been issued to the concerned authorities to take precautionary measures,” said Irfan Virk, a Pakistan Meteorological Department deputy director. Virk said that forecasters cannot rule out a repeat of extreme weather like the devastating floods in 2022.

Pakistan to consider extending deadline for Afghan refugees facing mass deportation

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan will consider extending the deadline for 1.4 million Afghan refugees living legally in the country to return home, officials said on Monday. Any extension approved by the government would be a relief for those who were previously ordered to return to Afghanistan by June 30, according to government and security officials. A decision could come on Tuesday when the Cabinet is due to meet. In 2023, Pakistan launched a controversial crackdown on foreigners it said were in the country illegally, mostly Afghans. Millions of Afghans have fled their homeland over the decades to escape war or poverty.

Photos show a celebration for the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday

DHARAMSHALA, India (AP) — The Dalai Lama attended a celebration of his 90th birthday according to the Tibetan calendar. The event Monday in honor of the Tibetan spiritual leader was held at the Tsuglagkhang temple complex in Dharamshala, India. ___ This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.