Top Asian News 3:14 a.m. GMT

South Korean troops fire to repel North soldiers’ 3rd border incursion. Activists fly more leaflets

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s military said Friday it had fired warning shots the previous day to repel North Korean soldiers who temporarily crossed the rivals’ land border for the third time this month. Meanwhile, an activists’ group said it flew more balloons carrying propaganda leaflets toward North Korea, continuing a campaign that has aggravated animosities between the rivals and prompted a resumption of Cold War-style psychological warfare along their border. The intrusions are likely related to the large number of troops North Korea has been deploying in frontline areas to fortify their side of the border, possibly to prevent civilians and soldiers from defecting to the South, as Pyongyang’s leadership continues to tighten its grip over the population.

Putin signs deals with Vietnam in bid to shore up ties in Asia to offset Moscow’s growing isolation

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin signed at least a dozen deals with his Vietnamese counterpart on Thursday and offered to supply fossil fuels, including natural gas, to Vietnam during a state visit that comes as Moscow is seeking to bolster ties in Asia to offset its growing international isolation over its war in Ukraine. Putin and President To Lam agreed to further cooperate in education, science and technology, oil and gas exploration and clean energy. The two countries also agreed to work on a roadmap for a nuclear science and technology center in Vietnam. Of the 12 publicly announced agreements, none overtly pertained to defense but Lam said there were other deals that were not made public.

The Putin-Kim summit produced an unusual — and speedy — flurry of glimpses into North Korea

The imagery from Pyongyang emerged quickly, notable in its variety — glimpses into North Korea in near-real time that showed its leader, Kim Jong Un, grinning and glad-handing with Russian President Vladimir Putin and showing him around the capital of one of the world’s least accessible nations. For those who follow the happenings of the Kim family’s three-generation rule, the coverage of the Kim-Putin meeting this week — visuals released only by the respective propaganda arms of each government — represented an extraordinary flurry of views into a nation where imagery that feels even remotely off the cuff, not vetted and edited ad nauseam, is rare.

South Korea will consider supplying arms to Ukraine after Russia and North Korea sign strategic pact

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea said Thursday that it would consider sending arms to Ukraine, a major policy change that was suggested after Russia and North Korea rattled the region and beyond by signing a pact to come to each other’s defense in the event of war. The comments from a senior presidential official came hours after North Korea’s state media released the details of the agreement, which observers said could mark the strongest connection between Moscow and Pyongyang since the end of the Cold War. It comes at a time when Russia faces growing isolation over the war in Ukraine and both countries face escalating standoffs with the West.

Mutual defense pact between North Korea and Russia raises new questions, but it’s far from unique

BANGKOK (AP) — A new mutual-defense pact signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un commits each country to come to the other’s aid if attacked. Just what the threshold for such assistance would be is currently unclear -- maybe deliberately so, to deter other countries from putting it to the test. Putin initially told Russian media that the partnership provides for “mutual assistance in the event of aggression against one of the parties,” while North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency later reported that the pact’s Article 4 called for assistance “in the event that either of the parties is invaded and pushed into a state of war.”

Extreme heat in India has killed more than 100 people in the past three and a half months

NEW DELHI (AP) — A monthslong heat wave across swathes of India has killed more than 100 people and led to over 40,000 suspected cases of heat stroke in the past three and a half months, according to data from India’s Health Ministry. Between March 1 and June 18, 110 people in India died after suffering heat strokes, according to Health Ministry data provided to The Associated Press. Officials from India’s Health Ministry and its subsidiary body, the National Centre for Disease Control, which compiled the figures, declined to comment. The highest number of deaths — 36 — were reported in Uttar Pradesh state, followed by other northern states including Rajasthan, Bihar and Odisha, which has borne the brunt of the extreme weather.

Politician who pushed Philippines natural gas boom is behind firm that planned to profit

BATANGAS, Philippines (AP) — An influential politician in the Philippines, who has been a cheerleader for natural gas power, is behind a company that planned to make a fortune from it, an Associated Press investigation of thousands of pages of documents has found. Gov. Hermilando Mandanas of Batangas province and his late wife stood to profit from a buildout of liquified natural gas power — he owned the largest share in a real estate firm that soared in value as energy companies moved in, while he promoted the expansion in media interviews and public events. The firm also launched its own natural gas project.

A Muslim mob in Pakistan torches a police station and lynches a man after accusing him of blasphemy

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A Muslim mob in northwestern Pakistan on Thursday broke into a police station, snatched a man who was held there and then lynched him over allegations that he had desecrated Islam’s holy book, the Quran. The attackers also torched the station in Madyan, a town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and burned police vehicles parked there, according to local police official Rahim Ullah. The slain man, Mohammad Ismail, was a tourist who was staying at a hotel in the town when some locals turned on him and accused him of blasphemy. Ullah said police officers took the man to the station for his protection but the mob swelled and pursued them.

Malaysian leader Anwar says China a ‘true friend’ and not to be feared as Premier Li ends visit

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Thursday rejected the notion that China’s dominance is to be feared, calling China a “true friend” at the end of Premier Li Qiang’s visit to mark 50 years of diplomatic ties between their countries. While the leaders raised some contentious bilateral issues, Anwar said they discussed them as “equal partners, as trusted friends.” He didn’t give details but was likely referring to the prickly issue of overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea. “People say, well, Malaysia is a growing economy. Don’t let China abuse its privilege and extort from the country.

Indian opposition leader Arvind Kejriwal granted bail after arrest in bribery case

NEW DELHI (AP) — Arvind Kejriwal, an Indian opposition leader and New Delhi’s chief minister, was granted bail on Thursday by a court in the capital, after he was arrested in a bribery case in March. Kejriwal, the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party, or Common Man’s Party, was taken into custody weeks before India’s national election, in which he was one of the challengers to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi returned to power for a third straight term earlier in June, even though his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party lost its majority. However, Modi’s National Democratic Alliance coalition won enough seats to form a government, with him at the helm.