Top Asian News 3:50 a.m. GMT

Australian army private and her husband accused of spying for Russia

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — An Australian army private and her husband accused of spying for Russia were denied bail Friday on the first charges against suspected operatives under Australia’s sweeping espionage laws enacted in 2018. Kira Korolev, 40, and her husband Igor Korolev, 62, are Russian-born Australian citizens and hold Russian passports. They did not appear in person and were represented by lawyers in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on a charge each of preparing for an espionage offense. They did not enter pleas and will appear next in a federal court on Sept. 20. Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw had earlier told reporters the couple allegedly “worked together to access Australian Defense Force material that related to Australia’s national security interests.” “We allege they sought that information with the intention of providing it to Russian authorities.

Zelenskyy says to win the war, US needs to lift limits on striking military targets inside Russia

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday embraced the support of allies who have provided substantial new military aid and a path to joining NATO, even as he emphatically pushed for the help to arrive faster and for restrictions to be lifted on the use of U.S. weapons to attack military targets inside Russia. “If we want to win, if we want to prevail, if we want to save our country and to defend it, we need to lift all the limitations,” Zelenskyy said alongside NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in the final hours of a summit that saw Ukraine receive fresh commitments of weapons and other support to firm up its defense against Russia.

Faced with threats from Russia and its Asian supporters, NATO and Indo-Pacific partners get closer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Four Indo-Pacific countries attending the NATO summit issued a joint statement Thursday to “strongly condemn the illicit military cooperation” between Russia and North Korea, showing how the military alliance and its Pacific partners are forging closer ties to counter what they see as shared security threats. For the third year in a row, leaders or their deputies from Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia — which are not NATO members — attended the high-level meeting of the 75-year-old military alliance of European and North American countries. In Washington, they launched cooperative projects on Ukraine, disinformation, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.

Former Indonesian agriculture minister sentenced to 10 years for corruption

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia’s anti-graft court sentenced a former agriculture minister to 10 years in prison Thursday after finding him guilty of corruption-related extortion, abuse of power and bribery involving ministry contracts with private vendors. Syahrul Yasin Limpo is the sixth member of President Joko Widodo’s Cabinet to be sentenced to prison in a corruption case, casting a shadow over his efforts to clean up government in the closing months of his administration. The court in the capital, Jakarta, ruled that the former minister was guilty of abusing his power by enriching himself and other officials. It also ordered him to pay a 300 million rupiah ($18,500) fine, and said he would be subject to another four months’ imprisonment if he fails to pay.

Pakistan will consider expelling hundreds of thousands more Afghans in a continued clampdown

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan will consider a plan to expel hundreds of thousands more Afghans who have been living in the country for years, the foreign ministry said Thursday, the latest in a monthslong government clampdown on undocumented migrants. The plan is still in the works, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told reporters — and the government may ultimately reject it. It would mark the “second phase” of the “Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan” and it would involve persons who had been given identification documents known as “Afghan citizen cards” to legalize their stay in Pakistan for a limited time. “At this stage, I do not have a date to share with you,” she said at a weekly news briefing in the capital, Islamabad, adding that an announcement about the action would be made “at an appropriate time.” Pakistan’s crackdown on undocumented migrants has drawn sweeping criticism from the United Nations, aid agencies and human rights groups.

66 people believed missing after 2 buses swept by landslide on Nepal highway into swollen river

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — As many as 66 people were believed missing in Nepal after two buses were swept by a landslide off the highway and into a swollen river early Friday, officials said. Rescuers were trying to locate the buses but the continuous rain was making rescue efforts difficult. Landslides also blocked the route leading to the area in several places, government administrator Khima Nanada Bhusal said. Additional rescuers and security forces have been sent to the area to help with rescue efforts. The buses were swept off the highway around 3 a.m. near Simaltal, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) west of the capital, Kathmandu.

On stage, one of Japan’s biggest Kabuki stars changes roles in an instant. Offstage, it took decades

TOKYO (AP) — Onstage, Danjuro Ichikawa, one of the biggest stars of Japan’s Kabuki theater, is a virtuoso in switching roles. In his latest production, he plays 13 parts, including a princess, a sushi chef and a fox. He hobbles offstage as a feeble old man, then dashes back on moments later as a fierce warrior. He gets in a few sword fights, dies tragically more than once, and takes flight on wires. Offstage, he’s wondering if it’s time for the often rigid role of a Kabuki star to change. The 13th man to bear the name Danjuro Ichikawa — which has been passed down between generations of Kabuki stars for over 300 years — he’s a household name in Japan, showing up in ads, movies and TV shows.

Woman swept to sea while swimming at a Japanese beach rescued 37 hours later and 50 miles away

TOKYO (AP) — A Chinese woman who was swept out to sea while swimming at a Japanese beach was rescued 37 hours later after drifting in an inflatable swim ring more than 80 kilometers (50 miles) in the Pacific Ocean, officials said Thursday. Japan’s coast guard launched a search for the woman, identified only as a Chinese national in her 20s, after receiving a call Monday night from her friend saying she had disappeared while swimming at Shimoda, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) southwest of Tokyo. She was likely swept out to sea by a current and an evening seaward wind from the mountains and her swim ring made it more difficult to move against the wind, experts said.

South Korea to deploy laser weapons to intercept North Korean drones

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea said Thursday it will begin deploying laser weapons systems designed to intercept North Korean drones, which have caused security concerns in the South in recent years. South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration said that it will deploy at least one anti-air laser weapons system called “Block-I” by the end of this year and more in coming years. An agency statement said the “Block-I” system is capable of launching precision attacks on small incoming drones and multi-copters. It said the system, developed by local company Hanwha Aerospace, costs just 2,000 won (about $1.50) per shot.

Germany to bar Chinese companies’ components from core parts of its 5G networks

BERLIN (AP) — Germany will bar the use of critical components made by Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE in core parts of the country’s 5G networks in two steps starting in 2026, the nation’s top security official said Thursday. Germany, which has Europe’s biggest economy, has long mulled what to do about components made by Chinese suppliers in its new-generation cellphone networks. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said critical components from Huawei and ZTE will be barred from 5G core networks by the end of 2026, while “critical management systems” from the two manufacturers in 5G access and transport networks must be replaced by the end of 2029.