Top Asian News 3:43 a.m. GMT

Protests toppled Bangladesh’s government and drove powerful PM into exile. How did they get here?

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — What began as peaceful protests by students in Bangladesh against a quota system for government jobs eventually turned into an uprising that forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee the country by helicopter. The end to her 15 years in power came after weeks of violent unrest during which nearly 300 people died, according to local media reports. The government repeatedly tried to quell demonstrations they blamed on sabotage and opposition parties with bullets, curfews and internet outages, but these heavy-handed moves backfired, fueling outrage and further protests. On Monday, protesters defied a military curfew to march into the capital’s center, following a weekend of violence left dozens of people dead.

Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina resigns as widening unrest sees protesters storm her official residence

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh’s prime minister resigned and fled the country Monday after weeks of protests against a quota system for government jobs descended into violence and grew into a broader challenge to her 15-year rule. Thousands of demonstrators stormed her official residence and other buildings associated with her party and family. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s departure threatens to create even more instability in the densely populated nation on India’s border that is already dealing with a series of crises, from high unemployment to corruption to climate change. Amid security concerns, the main airport in Dhaka, the capital, suspended operations.

Sheikh Hasina came back from tragedy to lead Bangladesh — until protests forced her to flee

DHAKA, Bangaladesh (AP) — Sheikh Hasina, the longest-serving prime minister in Bangladesh’s history, resigned and fled the country on Monday, bringing a tumultuous end to her 15-year rule as an extraordinary wave of protest succeeded in toppling her government. Her ouster came after weeks of relentless protests and clashes with security forces that have killed nearly 300 people since mid-July, according to local media reports. What began as peaceful demonstrations by students frustrated with a quota system for government jobs unexpectedly grew into a major uprising against Hasina and her ruling Awami League party. The recent upheaval was the largest and last crisis for the 76-year-old leader, the world’s longest-serving female head of government, who won a fourth consecutive term in January in an election boycotted by the main opposition amid concerns that the polls were not free or fair.

Japan’s share benchmark soars nearly 11% a day after massive sell-offs that shook Wall Street

NEW YORK (AP) — Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index soared more than 10% early Tuesday, a day after it set markets tumbling in Europe and on Wall Street. Other markets in Asia appeared to have settled somewhat after the rollercoaster ride that started the week. The scary Monday started with a plunge abroad reminiscent of 1987 ’s crash that swept around the world and pummeled Wall Street with more steep losses, as fears worsened about a slowing U.S. economy. The Nikkei gained nearly 11% early Tuesday but then fell back, trading 8.7% higher at 34,211.83 as investors bought into bargains after the 12.4% rout of the day before.

Hiroshima governor says nuclear disarmament must be tackled as a pressing issue, not an ideal

TOKYO (AP) — Hiroshima officials urged world leaders Tuesday to stop relying on nuclear weapons as deterrence and take immediate action toward abolishment — not as an ideal, but to remove the risk of atomic war amid conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East and rising tensions in East Asia. They commented as Hiroshima remembered its atomic bombing 79 years ago at the end of World War II. The memorial comes days after Japan and the U.S. reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to “extended deterrence,” which includes atomic weapons, to protect its Asian ally. That is a shift from Japan’s past reluctance to openly discuss the sensitive issue as the world’s only country to have suffered atomic attacks.

Thailand’s progressive Move Forward party might be dissolved, but its former chief remains hopeful

BANGKOK (AP) — The charismatic Thai politician who led his young, progressive party to a stunning general election victory a year ago is urging supporters not to lose hope, even if the party is disbanded by a legal order. Thailand’s Constitutional Court will rule Wednesday on whether the Move Forward Party violated the constitution by proposing to amend a law that forbids defaming the country’s royal family. A petition to the court requested the party’s dissolution and a 10-year ban on political activity by its executives, including former chief Pita Limjaroenrat. Move Forward won the most seats in the 2023 election, but was blocked from taking power and now heads the opposition.

Human remains found after Australia’s second fatal crocodile attack in a month

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Police said Tuesday human remains were found inside a large crocodile suspected of killing a fisherman in Australia’s second fatal attack in about a month. The latest victim was a 40-year-old man who fell from a steep bank Saturday into the Annan River south of Cooktown in Queensland state. He never surfaced. Wildlife rangers on Monday killed a 4.9-meter (16-foot) crocodile in a creek 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from where the man disappeared. The crocodile had scars on its snout like those witnesses described seeing on a reptile in the vicinity of the disappearance, officials said. The human remains found inside the crocodile during an examination in Cooktown were believed to be the missing man, a police statement said.

AP PHOTOS: Bangladesh protesters erupt in joy and anger as longtime prime minister steps down

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Tens of thousands of protesters surged through the capital of Bangladesh in joy and anger after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned on Monday to end 15 years in power and fled the country. The weeks of protests had begun peacefully as frustrated students demanded an end to a quota system for government jobs, but they turned into an unprecedented uprising against Hasina and her ruling Awami League party. Anger also lingered from January’s election, which saw the jailing of thousands of opposition members. The government responded to the protests with force, leaving nearly 300 people dead and fueling further outrage.

Strategically important Myanmar military HQ appears to fall to the resistance, in a blow to regime

BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s military regime acknowledged Monday it had lost communications with the commanders of a strategically important army headquarters in the northeast, adding credence to a militia group’s claims it had captured the base. The fall of the army’s Northeast Command in Lashio city would be the biggest in a series of setbacks for Myanmar’s military government this year, as an offensive by an alliance of powerful militias of ethnic minority groups makes broad gains in the civil war. “The regime’s loss of the Northeast Command is the most humiliating defeat of the war,” said Morgan Michaels, a Singapore-based analyst with the International Institute of Strategic Studies who runs its Myanmar Conflict Map project.

Thousands of supporters of Pakistan’s imprisoned ex-Prime Minister Khan rally to demand his release

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Thousands of supporters of Pakistan’s imprisoned former prime minister rallied Monday in the country’s volatile northwest to mark the first anniversary of his arrest and demand his immediate release, officials said. The protest is part of Imram Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf or PTI opposition party’s campaign aimed at pressuring the current government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to free him without any further delay. The rally was held in Swabi, a city in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where Khan’s party rules. More than 10,000 supporters of Khan were seen waving the party’s flags and chanting slogans in his favor in Swabi.