Top Asian News 3:18 a.m. GMT

Indonesian rescuers intensify search for 30 people missing after ferry sinks near Bali

GILIMANUK, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian authorities intensified on Friday a search operation for 30 people missing after a ferry sank near the tourist island of Bali. The KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya sank almost half an hour after leaving Ketapang port in East Java late Wednesday for a trip of about 5 kilometers (3 miles) to Bali’s Gilimanuk port. The search and rescue operation was halted Thursday evening due to visibility problems and resumed on Friday morning with more than 160 rescuers including police and soldiers, said Ribut Eko Suyatno, the deputy chief of operations at the National Search and Rescue Agency.

North Korean 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.

Tibetans in exile wonder: Will the next Dalai Lama be as charismatic as this one?

DHARAMSHALA, India (AP) — The Dalai Lama has announced that he intends to reincarnate, paving the way for a successor to take on a mantle stretching back 500 years after his death. But as he approaches his 90th birthday, that news hasn’t eased the worries of Tibetan Buddhists who wonder: What will happen when this Dalai Lama is gone? For decades, the 14th Dalai Lama has been more than a spiritual leader. He has sustained a nation in exile and managed to build a community that’s kept the Tibetan culture and identity alive. He is the China -reviled spokesperson for a Tibetan homeland that many, like him, can see only from afar.

Russia becomes the first country to formally recognize Taliban’s latest rule in Afghanistan

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia on Thursday became the first country to formally recognize the Taliban’s government in Afghanistan since it seized power in 2021, after Moscow r emoved the group from its list of outlawed organizations. The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that it had received credentials from Afghanistan’s newly appointed Ambassador Gul Hassan Hassan. The official recognition of the Afghan government will foster “productive bilateral cooperation,” the ministry said in a statement. Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry called it a historic step, and quoted Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi as welcoming the decision as “a good example for other countries.” The Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021 following the withdrawal of U.S.

China shows signs of tackling the price wars that are taking a toll on its EV industry

BEIJING (AP) — The Chinese government is signaling enough is enough when it comes to the fierce competition in the country’s electric car market. China’s industrial policy has engineered a remarkable transformation to electric vehicles in what is the world’s largest auto market. In so doing, it has spawned far more makers than can possibly survive. Now, long-simmering concerns about oversupply and debilitating price wars are coming to the fore, even as the headline sales numbers soar to new heights. Market-leader BYD announced this week that its sales grew 31% in the first six months of the year to 2.1 million cars.

Thailand swears in new Cabinet including suspended prime minister

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand swore in new Cabinet members Thursday with its government in flux after the Constitutional Court suspended the prime minister less than a year after the same court removed her predecessor. Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who was suspended as prime minister while under an ethics investigation for a conversation with a senior Cambodian leader, returned to the cabinet as culture minister. The top job was filled by Phumtham Wechayachai, a longtime ally of Paetongtarn’s father, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Phumtham served under Paetongtarn as deputy prime minister and defense minister. He was sworn in Thursday as deputy prime minister and interior minister.

Chinese aircraft carrier sails into Hong Kong to boost patriotism

HONG KONG (AP) — China’s first domestically-built aircraft carrier arrived in Hong Kong on Thursday as part of a drive to drum up patriotism, days after the former British colony marked the 28th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule. The Shandong entered the city’s waters alongside another vessel from its battle group in the early morning hours. According to state media, two destroyers and a frigate had accompanied the aircraft carrier into Hong Kong. The warships will be open for public visits this weekend. All 10,000 available tickets for visits have already been claimed by eager residents. Two thousand of them were for seeing the Shandong, while the others were for one of the destroyers and the frigate, local media reported.

India’s Modi arrives in Trinidad and Tobago to strengthen ties in first official visit

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday for a two-day trip expected to boost investments in energy, health, security and other sectors. It is Modi’s first official visit to the diverse, twin-island Caribbean nation. More than 35% of its 1.4 million inhabitants are East Indian, descendants of indentured workers brought from India during the colonial era. Modi said on X prior to the trip that he was “looking forward to deepening ties with a valued partner in the Caribbean, with whom we share very old cultural linkages.” Hours before Modi landed in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad’s prime minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, closed schools and non-essential government offices as a security measure aimed at reducing traffic.

Bangladesh tribunal sentences Hasina to jail for contempt over a claim she had a license to kill

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A special tribunal has sentenced Bangladesh’s former leader Sheikh Hasina to six months in jail after she was found in contempt of court for allegedly claiming she had a license to kill at least 227 people. Wednesday’s sentence was the first in any case against Hasina since she fled to India during a mass uprising last year that toppled her 15-year rule. The contempt case stemmed from a leaked audio recording of a supposed phone conversation between Hasina and a leader of the student wing of her political party. A person alleged to be Hasina is heard on the audio saying: “There are 227 cases against me, so I now have a license to kill 227 people.” The Criminal Investigation Department confirmed the audio’s authenticity through forensic analysis.