Top Asian News 3:35 a.m. GMT

Australia to hold general elections on May 3 with inflation and a housing shortage major issues

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australians will go to the polls on May 3 for general elections with high costs of living and a shortage of housing likely weighing against the government as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese ‘s center-left Labor Party seeks a second three-year term. Albanese drove to Governor-General Sam Mostyn’s official residence on Friday to trigger the election and announced the date later at a news conference at Parliament House. “Over the last few years, the world has thrown a lot at Australia. In uncertain times, we cannot decide the challenges that we will face, but we can determine how we respond,” Albanese said.

What are the major issues in Australia’s election?

MEBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australians will head to the polls i n May for general elections that will be dominated by the soaring cost of living, the economy, energy and China. Affordable housing is in short supply, interest rates remain high and the major parties are starkly divided on how to wean the nation off fossil fuel-generated electricty. The major parties also differ on how to deal with China, which is at once Australia’s largest trading partner and its greatest strategic threat. Here’s what you need to know about the main issues: Australians have endured one of the sharpest rises in the cost of living in recent history and the current government has been at the helm through the worst of it.

Australia’s prime minister has survived a volatile political era

MEBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Anthony Albanese hopes to become the first Australian prime minister in 21 years to lead a political party to two consecutive election victories. The last was John Howard, who won a fourth consecutive term in 2004, making him the second-longest serving leader in Australia’s history. But when he was voted out three years later, it marked the beginning of a turbulent period in Australian politics with six prime ministers. Albanese, 62, came from humble circumstances, the only child of a single mother who became an invalid pensioner. They lived in public housing in Sydney. Albanese’s election pledge has been that his government would hold no Australian back and leave none behind.

A former detective who’s hawkish on China will lead Australia’s conservatives into an election

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia’s conservative opposition leader Peter Dutton is a former police detective who gained a reputation during his years in government for his tough stance on border security and as a vocal critic of China. During his party’s three years out of power, Dutton has evolved into a less confrontational and more responsive political leader, said Monash University political expert Zareh Ghazarian. “He presented himself as a tough leader. But the more he’s spent time in opposition, the more he has built his leadership repertoire,” Ghazarian said. Dutton has signaled that his international priorities would differ from those of recent prime ministers if his party wins elections.

Rain and cooler weather help South Korean fire crews battle devastating wildfires

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Rain and cooler temperatures are helping South Korean fire crews as they battle the country’s worst-ever wildfires on Friday, as the governor of the hardest-hit region called for overhauling response strategies to respond to the climate crisis that he says worsened the disaster. The wildfires, which have killed 28 people and razed vast swaths of land in the southeast in the last week, were 85% contained as of Friday morning, Korea Forest Service chief Lim Sang-seop told a televised briefing. He said authorities will launch “all-out efforts” to extinguish the remaining blazes by bringing more helicopters and fire fighters to the areas.

Ex-Philippine President Duterte marks 80th birthday in ICC detention

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte marked his 80th birthday in detention in the Netherlands Friday after the International Criminal Court ordered his arrest, while in the Philippines, police forces braced for planned protests by his followers and opponents. Duterte’s chaotic March 11 arrest at Manila’s international airport by police forces, which the ICC sought on an alleged crime against humanity, was a sobering turning point in the life of one of the most unorthodox leaders of the Philippines. While president, he publicly cursed then President Barack Obama and the pope, called God stupid and warned that he would be “happy to slaughter” 3 million drug addicts in his country, the largest Roman Catholic nation in Asia, comparing his anti-drugs crackdown with Adolf Hitler and the Holocaust.

Social media trends are driving Indonesia’s patchouli oil industry. The cost? Deforestation

SIMBORO, Indonesia (AP) — Tucked between the village and the forest, Haruna and his father-in-law worked diligently through the night distilling dried patchouli plants, stoking the boiler with firewood, drops of fragrant patchouli oil trickling into plastic bottles. A sense of satisfaction washed over them as they watched the container fill with thick, rich brown oil, a sign of high-quality patchouli, the result of their hard work and precision. Haruna, 42, who like many Indonesians only uses one name, is a patchouli farmer in Simboro, a sub-district of western Sulawesi. He and his father-in-law have been waiting in line for several weeks to finally be able to process their harvest in a modest steam distillation facility an hour’s drive from their farm.

Myanmar military chief reaffirms election plans and calls for opposition to join politics

BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s military chief used a speech at the annual Armed Forces Day celebration Thursday to reaffirm plans to hold a general election by year’s end and call on opposition groups fighting the army to join in party politics and the electoral process. Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing said his military government was preparing to hold the election in December and that it will be conducted according to security conditions in the country’s various regions, where there is armed conflict. He spoke before more than 7,000 military personnel at the parade, held in the capital Naypyitaw. Rifle-bearing servicemen and women stood to attention as the general reviewed their ranks from the back of an open vehicle.

ChatGPT’s viral Studio Ghibli-style images highlight AI copyright concerns

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Fans of Studio Ghibli, the famed Japanese animation studio behind “Spirited Away” and other beloved movies, were delighted this week when a new version of ChatGPT let them transform popular internet memes or personal photos into the distinct style of Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki. But the trend also highlighted ethical concerns about artificial intelligence tools trained on copyrighted creative works and what that means for the future livelihoods of human artists. Miyazaki, 84, known for his hand-drawn approach and whimsical storytelling, has expressed skepticism about AI’s role in animation. Janu Lingeswaran wasn’t thinking much about that when he uploaded a photo of his 3-year-old ragdoll cat, Mali, into ChatGPT’s new image generator tool on Wednesday.

Taliban leader cites Quran in Eid message calling for unity and reconciliation in Afghanistan

The Taliban’s reclusive supreme leader on Thursday issued a message saying Afghanistan had a “golden opportunity” for unity and reconciliation. Hibatullah Akhundzada, who seldom leaves the southern province of Kandahar and is rarely seen in public, urged people to rally behind the country’s security forces whose “hard work and dedication” had brought peace to Afghanistan. The message, issued ahead of the Islamic Eid Al-Fitr festival, did not mention numerous attacks targeting civilians and the Taliban but it did ask people to support the Vice and Virtue Ministry, which last year issued sweeping and repressive laws regulating personal conduct. Akhundzada’s message was issued in five languages - Arabic, Dari, English, Pashto, and Urdu - and published on the social platform X by the Taliban government’s chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid.