Top Asian News 8:37 a.m. GMT

Congregation flees after arsonist sets fire to an Australian synagogue door

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — An arsonist set fire to the door of a Melbourne synagogue and forced the congregation to flee on Friday, seven months after criminals destroyed a synagogue in the same Australian city with an accelerant-fueled blaze that left a worshipper injured. A man doused the double front doors of the downtown East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation and set it alight around 8 p.m., a police statement said on Saturday. Around 20 worshippers sharing a meal to mark the Shabbat Jewish day of rest evacuated through a rear door and no one was injured, police said. Fire fighters extinguished the blaze which was contained to the front entrance, police said.

The Dalai Lama says he hopes to live more than 130 years ahead of 90th birthday

DHARAMSHALA, India (AP) — Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama said that he hopes to live until he is over 130 years old, days after he laid out a succession plan by saying he plans to reincarnate after his death. The Dalai Lama, who is celebrating his 90th birthday on Sunday, made these comments during a ceremony organized by his followers to offer prayers for his long life. He has previously told followers worried about his health that he may live to the age of 110. “I have been able to serve the Buddha dharma and the beings of Tibet so far quite well, and I hope to live over 130 years,” the Dalai Lama told thousands of followers who had gathered Saturday in India’s northern town of Dharamshala.

American bombs in Iran also reverberate in China and North Korea

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — President Donald Trump campaigned on keeping the United States out of foreign wars, but it didn’t take long to convince him to come to the direct aid of Israel, hitting Iranian nuclear targets with bunker-buster bombs dropped by B-2 stealth bombers and Tomahawk cruise missiles fired from a submarine. Beyond the attack’s immediate impact on helping bring the 12-day war to a close, experts say Trump’s decision to use force against another country also will certainly be reverberating in the Asia-Pacific, Washington’s priority theater. “Trump’s strikes on Iran show that he’s not afraid to use military force — this would send a clear message to North Korea, and even to China and Russia, about Trump’s style,” said Duyeon Kim, a senior analyst at the Center for a New American Security based in Seoul, South Korea.

Indonesia suspends search for 29 missing after ferry sinking because of poor visibility

GILIMANUK, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian authorities deployed navy ships and helicopters Friday in the intensified search for 29 people still missing almost two days after a ferry sank near the tourist island of Bali. But the search was later suspended because of poor visibility. More than 160 rescuers including police and soldiers were involved in the search that resumed after being halted overnight because of poor visibility, said Ribut Eko Suyatno, the deputy chief of operations at the National Search and Rescue Agency. Three helicopters and a thermal drone had been involved in the search by air over the Bali Strait, while about 20 vessels and fishing boats were mobilized for the sea search, Suyatno said.

After decades of service, Taiwan retires its last F-5 fighter jets

HUALIEN, Taiwan (AP) — After decades in service, Taiwan’s Vietnam-era F-5 fighter jets are being retired as part of the island democracy’s transition to more advanced hardware. To keep pace with increased threats from mainland China, Taiwan has been upgrading both its manned and unmanned aerial assets, including purchasing 66 of the latest generation F-16V fighters and upgrading existing aircraft to modern specifications. China claims the island as its own territory and has never dropped its threat to invade since the sides split amid civil war in 1949. The air force invited journalists on Friday to witness one last flyby by the F-5, which first entered service with Taiwan in 1965 and most of which have now been converted to trainers, reconnaissance planes or decoys.

North Korean man crosses the heavily fortified border to South Korea

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — An unidentified North Korean man crossed the heavily fortified land border separating the two Koreas and is in South Korean custody, the South’s military said Friday. The South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the military identified and tracked the individual near the central-west section of the military demarcation line and conducted a “guiding operation” before taking the person into custody Thursday night. It said authorities plan to investigate the border crossing and did not immediately say whether they view the incident as a defection attempt. The Joint Chiefs said it notified the U.S.-led United Nations Command about the incident and had not detected any immediate signs of unusual military activity by the North.

Dalai Lama, god-king for Tibetan Buddhists, will have a successor. That decision is consequential

DHARAMSHALA, India (AP) — The Dalai Lama has often called himself a simple monk, but millions of his Tibetan Buddhist followers have worshipped him for decades as a near deity. They also see him as the face of Tibet’s aspirations for greater autonomy, but have for years wrestled with the idea that he might be the last person to hold the role. He put that speculation to rest Wednesday, just days before he turns 90 on Sunday. There will be a successor after his death, he announced, and the Dalai Lama’s office will lead the search and recognize a successor in accordance with past tradition.

Brazilian hiker buried after fatal fall from Indonesian volcano

NITEROI, Brazil (AP) — A Brazilian hiker who died after falling from the ridge of a volcano in Indonesia was buried on Friday in Rio de Janeiro state. Juliana Marins’ body arrived in Brazil on Tuesday, a week after authorities confirmed her death. Her family has accused Indonesian authorities of negligence and delays in the rescue and repatriation process. On June 21, the 26-year-old tourist began summiting on Mount Rinjani, an active 3,726-meter (12,224-foot) volcano on the Indonesian island of Lombok, with a guide and five other foreigners, when she fell about 600 meters (nearly 2,000 feet), Indonesian authorities said. Indonesian rescuers retrieved her body on June 25.

As the Dalai Lama turns 90, photos show the global arc of his life

DHARAMSHALA, India (AP) — The Dalai Lama is revered as a deity by millions of Tibetan Buddhists and known worldwide as a resolute voice for peace, spirituality and Tibet ’s autonomy. He is also seen as a threat by China, which accuses him of wanting to wrest Tibet from Beijing’s control. As the spiritual and political leader of Tibetan Buddhists, he established a government-in-exile in the Indian town of Dharamshala after fleeing Tibet in 1959. Since then he has traveled the world to raise the issue of Tibet and Tibetans, while spreading a message of nonviolence. He has met world leaders and celebrities, from the likes of fellow Nobel Peace Prize winners Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu to multiple U.S.

India’s leader promises trade and investment in a visit to Trinidad and Tobago

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi promising continued trade and investment in Trinidad and Tobago on Friday in an address to the nation’s parliament. “It’s time for us to work together to give the global south its rightful seat at the table,” Modi said. “For us there are no limits to our cooperation with you.” The two-day trip was Modi’s first official visit to the diverse, twin-island Caribbean country that shares longstanding ties with India. The visit was expected to boost investment in energy, health, security and other sectors. In his speech, Modi said that he saw “great potential” in working with Trinidad and Tobago on everything from developing new digital artificial intelligence tools to agriculture.