Top Asian News 6:20 p.m. GMT

The IRS is investigating Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter and an alleged bookmaker. Here’s what we know

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well over $1 million.

A Modi rival is arrested. Now, supporters of the opposition leader are protesting in India’s capital

NEW DELHI (AP) — Supporters of an anti-corruption crusader and one of India’s most consequential politicians of the past decade held protests Friday against his arrest, which opposition parties say is part of a crackdown by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government before national elections. Arvind Kejriwal, who is New Delhi’s top elected official, was arrested Thursday night by the federal Enforcement Directorate, which is controlled by Modi’s government. The agency accused his party and ministers of accepting 1 billion rupees ($12 million) in bribes from liquor contractors nearly two years ago. Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party, or Common People’s Party, denied the accusations and said they were fabricated.

As India’s election nears, some Bollywood films promote Modi politics by embracing Hindu nationalism

NEW DELHI (AP) — The movie trailer begins with an outline of the iconic glasses worn by Mohandas Gandhi, the leader who helped India win independence from the British colonialists in 1947. In the backdrop of a devotional song that Gandhi loved, the outline slowly morphs into what appears like his face. Then, a raucous beat drops, followed by a rap song. A face is finally revealed: not Gandhi, but an actor who plays the independence leader’s ideological nemesis, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar — the man considered the fountainhead of Hindu nationalism in India. It is the same ideology Prime Minister Narendra Modi has harnessed to cement his power as his ruling party makes strides in its quest to turn the secular country into a Hindu nation.

Former Filipino congressman accused of masterminding a governor’s murder is arrested in East Timor

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A former Filipino congressman accused of masterminding the killings of a provincial governor and several others has been arrested in East Timor and will be deported to the Philippines, Philippine justice officials said Friday. Police arrested Arnolfo Teves Jr. while he was playing at a golf driving range Thursday in East Timor’s capital of Dili, where he has tried to seek asylum, the Philippine Department of Justice said. His arrest had been sought through an Interpol red notice asking police worldwide to locate and apprehend him. Teves is facing murder charges in connection with the killings of Negros Oriental Gov.

UN agencies fear about 70 missing or dead from capsized Rohingya refugee boat

MEULABOH, Indonesia (AP) — About 70 Muslim Rohingya refugees are feared missing or dead from a boat that made a grueling sea voyage from Bangladesh and sank off Indonesia’s coast this week with 75 survivors, U.N. agencies said. A statement issued jointly by U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, or UNHCR, and the International Office for Migration, or IOM, said they were “extremely concerned about the scale of potential loss of life,” saying that accounts from survivors indicated about 150 people originally were aboard. That likely would have included a crew of about five people, who apparently abandoned the vessel and whose whereabouts are unknown.

Indonesia’s rescue of Rohingya refugees at sea is a reminder of an ordeal that began in Myanmar

BANGKOK (AP) — A dramatic story of survival and rescue off the western coast of Indonesia’s Aceh province has put the spotlight again on the plight of ethnic Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar who make extremely dangerous voyages across the Indian Ocean to seek better lives. Desperate survivors were pulled to safety from their capsized boat by local fishermen on Thursday, after a yet-unknown number perished. For Rohingya refugees living in squalid refugee camps in Bangladesh, escaping across the seas might seem like a good option --- but it’s often a deadly one. The U.N. estimates that as many as one in eight people die or disappear in the attempt.

What is Holi, the Hindu festival of colors and how is it celebrated?

Holi, widely known as the Hindu festival of colors, is a joyful annual celebration at the advent of spring with cultural and religious significance. Typically observed in March in India, Nepal, other South Asian countries and across the diaspora, the festival celebrates love and signifies a time of rebirth and rejuvenation — a time to embrace the positive and let go of negative energy. For one of Holi’s most well-known traditions, celebrants clad in all white, come out to the street and throw colored powders at each other, leaving behind a kaleidoscope of pigments and joy. Festivities with music, dancing and food ensue.

$3 billion deal with the UK gets Australia closer to having a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines

SYDNEY (AP) — Australia is set to provide 4.6 billion Australian dollars ($3 billion) to British industry to support the construction of nuclear-powered submarines and ensure its new fleet arrives on time, the two countries said Friday. The announcement came a day after the two countries signed a defense and security pact to better meet challenges such as China’s increased activity in the South China Sea and South Pacific. United Kingdom Defense Minister Grant Shapps said the submarine program was expensive but necessary. “Nuclear-powered submarines are not cheap, but we live in a much more dangerous world where we are seeing a much more assertive region with China, a much more dangerous world all around with what’s happening in the Middle East and Europe,” Shapps told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Vietnam’s president resigns in latest twist of anti-graft campaign shaking its fast-growing economy

BANGKOK (AP) — Vietnam’s president resigned in the latest episode of the ruling Communist Party’s “blazing furnace” anti-corruption campaign, and Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan was named acting president. The appointment is Xuan’s second stint as acting president after she stepped in when Vo Van Thuong’s predecessor resigned in early 2023. The turmoil among top leaders is raising questions about Vietnam’s political stability as its fast-growing economy plays an increasingly important role in world supply chains. Vietnam depends heavily on exports and foreign investment, but its leaders have been tightening the party’s grip on power and cracking down on dissent as well as widespread corruption.

Drought, heat and mismanagement make getting fresh water an increasingly tough task

As the world warms from human-caused climate change, fresh water for drinking, cooking and cleaning is becoming harder to get for many people. That’s because the warming world is leading to erratic rainfall patterns, extreme heat and periods of drought — on top of decades of bad water management and extractive policies around the world. The United Nations estimates that around 2.2 billion people worldwide don’t have access to safely managed drinking water. This World Water Day, Associated Press journalists from around the world interviewed some of the people struggling to get fresh water. LIMA, PERU Justina Flores, a 50-year-old grandmother, lives in a hilly Lima, Peru, suburb with no running water.