Top Asian News 4:24 a.m. GMT

Philippine vice president preparing for impeachment battle but silent on option to resign

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte said Friday that her lawyers were preparing for a legal battle in her upcoming impeachment trial but refused to say if resignation was an option so she could preempt a possible conviction that would bar her from running for president in the future. Duterte was speaking for the first time since the House of Representatives impeached her Wednesday on a raft of criminal charges, including plotting to have President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assassinated, which she again denied. Marcos was her running mate in the 2022 elections but they have had a bitter falling out.

Reid G. Miller, longtime AP international correspondent and editor, dies at 90

NEW YORK (AP) — Reid G. Miller, who traveled the planet as an intrepid international correspondent for The Associated Press and developed a reputation as a supportive editor and unswervingly loyal boss during the toughest of breaking-news moments, has died. He was 90. Miller died early Thursday in his sleep at his home in Sarasota, Florida, where he had been fighting congestive heart failure, said his son, G. Clay Miller of Brooklyn, New York. In his 43-year AP career, he bore witness to and reported on some of the late 20th century’s most momentous — and sometimes most violent — events from Washington to Central America, East Africa to South Korea.

China lashes out at US ‘coercion’ after Panama declines to renew infrastructure agreement

BEIJING (AP) — China on Friday lashed out at what it called U.S. “coercion” after Panama declined to renew a key infrastructure agreement with Beijing following Washington’s threat to take back the Panama Canal. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a briefing that China “firmly opposes the U.S. smearing and undermining the Belt and Road cooperation through means of pressure and coercion.” The Belt and Road Initiative is President Xi Jinping’s signature foreign police drive to bind China closer to countries in the region and beyond by building roads, railways, airports, power plants and other infrastructure. The program has completed some major projects but also raised concerns about debt and environmental impact.

Bangladesh’s government warns of stern action after house where independence was declared is razed

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh’s interim government headed by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus said Friday it will contain vandalism and arson taking place across the country. The development comes amid concern from a major opposition party and neighboring India over attacks on a historic house linked to ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Mobs targeting supporters of Hasina have vandalized homes and businesses in various parts of the country since Wednesday night. Many of the establishments belonging to former lawmakers, Cabinet members and the leaders of Hasina’s Awami League party were set on fire, apparently as part of a coordinated campaign involving the former home of Bangladesh’s independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman — Hasina’s father — in Dhaka, the capital.

Turkey ends former Afghan government’s diplomatic tenure, paving way for Taliban-appointed mission

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey has terminated the mission of diplomats appointed by Afghanistan’s former pro-Western government, the outgoing diplomatic team said, in a move that paves the way for the Taliban to appoint their own envoys. The departing team said on X that it had handed over the embassy in Ankara to Turkey’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday. The unusually strongly-worded statement said that the decision by the Turkish government to end the mission was the result of pressure by the Taliban on the diplomats and Turkish officials. “The interim administration of Afghanistan announced the end of the term of office of the ambassador and some diplomats in November 2024, and the duties of the ambassador and relevant diplomats have ended.

The number of venomous snakes removed from this Australian yard will make you shudder

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A man described feeling “the shudders” as more than 100 venomous red-bellied black snakes were removed from a pile of mulch in his Sydney backyard. David Stein called Reptile Relocation Sydney last week after watching around six snakes slither into the mulch. He learned from an internet search that pregnant, known as gravid, red-belly blacks pile on top of each other before they give birth. Snake catcher Dylan Cooper arrived that afternoon. Stein helped rake away mulch as Cooper bagged 102 pregnant and newborn snakes. “Just seeing that amount in one group, it gives you a bit of the shudders,” Stein said on Friday.

Hong Kong to file complaint with WTO on US tariffs

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong will file a complaint against new U.S. tariffs on the southern Chinese city’s products with the World Trade Organization, its government said on Friday. The U.S. imposed an additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods and ended a customs exception that allowed small-value parcels to enter the U.S. without paying tax. The measures have already prompted China to request WTO dispute consultations with the U.S., as well as announce retaliatory tariffs on select American imports and an antitrust investigation into Google. In a statement, the Hong Kong government slammed the U.S. measures as “grossly inconsistent with the relevant WTO rules” and said they had ignored the city’s status as a separate customs territory.

Canadian foreign interference agency says it detected a ‘malicious activity’ targeting candidate

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — A Canadian government department that tracks suspected foreign interference said Friday it has detected a “coordinated and malicious activity” targeting federal Liberal Party leadership candidate Chrystia Freeland. A release from the Rapid Response Mechanism Canada, based at Global Affairs Canada, said the activity has been traced to a WeChat account linked to the Chinese government. “The launch of this information operation was traced to WeChat’s most popular news account – an anonymous blog that has been previously linked by experts at the China Digital Times to the People’s Republic of China,” the release said. “RRM Canada identified over 30 WeChat news accounts taking part in the campaign.

Indonesia orders the halting of tourism projects linked to Trump over environmental issues

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian authorities have ordered the halting of development of a tourism project affiliated with U.S. President Donald Trump over water management and environmental issues, officials said Friday. The 3,000-hectare (11.6-square-mile) project is the brainchild of Trump’s Indonesian business partner, billionaire and politician Hary Tanoesoedibjo, who attended Trump’s inauguration in Washington last month. His association with Trump began in 2014 when his group company, MNC, was looking for an operator for sprawling “six star” resorts, one to be built on the tourist island of Bali and the other near Jakarta. In exchange for a cut of the revenue, the Trump Organization would manage hotels, golf courses and country clubs that would cost about $700 million for MNC to build.

Opposition lawmakers protest alleged mistreatment of Indian deportees by US

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s Parliament was disrupted Thursday as opposition lawmakers protested the alleged mistreatment of 104 Indian immigrants deported by the United States. A U.S. military plane carrying Indian migrants arrived Wednesday in a northern Indian city, the first such flight to the country as part of a crackdown ordered by President Donald Trump’s administration. Renuka Chowdhury, a lawmaker in the Congress party, said the deportees were “handcuffed, had their legs chained and even struggled to use the washroom.” Her colleague, Gaurav Gogoi, called it “degrading.” Parliament adjourned as the opposition chanted slogans and demanded a discussion about flights.