Top Asian News 3:25 a.m. GMT

Resignations of Bangladeshi officials close to Hasina are legal, interim leader Yunus says

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — The head of Bangladesh’s interim government, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, says the high-profile resignations of authorities close to ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina are legal after student leaders who organized protests against Hasina’s government issued ultimatums for them to quit. “Legally ... all the steps were taken,” Yunus, 83, told a group of journalists Sunday night. The country’s chief justice, five justices and central bank governor have all resigned in the past few days, part of a dramatic transformation after weeks of protests against a quota system for government jobs turned into a mass uprising. Hasina resigned and fled to India last week.

Indonesian president holds the first cabinet meeting in the nation’s unfinished future capital

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian President Joko Widodo held his first cabinet meeting in the nation’s future capital of Nusantara, surrounded by miles of construction sites and doubts about the sustainability of the ambitious megaproject. Widodo began working from the city two weeks ago, using an office inside the construction site of the massive new palace in the form of the mythical eagle-shaped Garuda, the symbol of the country. The city is set to hold its first Indonesian Independence Day celebration in less than a week. Appearing with his successor, President-elect Prabowo Subianto, in front of the palace, Widodo insisted that the controversial $33 billion construction effort will be worth it.

Pakistan’s military arrests former spy chief over probe related to a housing project scheme

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s former spy chief has been arrested and will be court-martialed, the country’s military announced Monday without disclosing charges against the retired army general implicated in a housing scheme while former Prime Minister Imran Khan was in power. In a statement, the military said Faiz Hameed was arrested following an internal probe ordered by the country’s Supreme Court over allegations related to what became known as the Top City project scam. The company, Top City, was developing land near the capital, Islamabad, for a private housing project. It did not say when the arrest took place, only that the “appropriate disciplinary action has been initiated” against Hameed under army regulations.

Hong Kong’s top court upholds convictions of 7 prominent pro-democracy activists over 2019 protest

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s top court on Monday upheld the convictions of seven of Hong Kong’s most prominent pro-democracy activists over their roles in one of the biggest anti-government protests in 2019. Jimmy Lai, founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper; Martin Lee, the founding chairman of the city’s Democratic Party; and five former pro-democracy lawmakers were found guilty in 2021 of organizing and participating in an unauthorized assembly. Their convictions dealt a blow to the city’s flagging pro-democracy movement during a political crackdown on dissidents following the protests. Last year, the activists partially won their appeal at a lower court, with their convictions quashed over the charge of organizing an unauthorized assembly.

South Korea and US will start summer military drills next week to counter North Korean threats

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea and the United States will begin their annual joint military exercises next week with a focus on improving their combined capabilities to deter and defend against growing North Korean nuclear threats, the allies said Monday. The drills could trigger a belligerent response from North Korea, which portrays them as invasion rehearsals and have used the allies’ military cooperation as a pretext to advance the development of nuclear weapons and missile systems. South Korean and U.S. military officials said this year’s Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, scheduled for Aug. 19-29, will include computer-simulated exercises designed to enhance readiness against such threats as missiles, GPS jamming and cyberattacks, and concurrent field maneuvers and live-fire exercises.

Philippines protests Chinese air force jets’ firing of flares in the path of patrol plane

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine government said Tuesday it has filed a diplomatic protest against Beijing after Chinese jets flew dangerously close and fired a volley of flares in the path of a Philippine air force patrol plane over a disputed shoal in the South China Sea. The Chinese air force jets’ hostile actions against the Philippine military’s NC-212i light transport plane Thursday over the Scarborough Shoal was the first such aerial encounter since high-seas hostilities between Beijing and Manila in the busy seaway started to flare last year. Philippine military chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. did not report any injuries or damage but condemned the Chinese actions, which he said could have caused tragic consequences.

Indians who prepaid $1,000 to order Tesla EVs ask for their money back as cars fail to arrive

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — In April 2016, Elon Musk invited Indians to preorder the upcoming Tesla Model 3. Vishal Gondal was one of the first to sign up, paying a $1,000 deposit for a car that never arrived. The founder and CEO of a health-tech startup called GOQii in India’s financial capital Mumbai, Gondal wasn’t sure when the automaker would launch in India or how much the car would eventually cost. But the Elon Musk fan was excited about the Model 3 and willing to wait. In the eight years since Tesla’s initial promise to sell cars in India, other automakers have launched their own EVs.

How a young generation in Bangladesh forced out the leader who ruled for much of their lives

Jannatul Prome hopes to leave Bangladesh to study more or possibly find a job after she finishes her university degree, frustrated by a system that she says doesn’t reward merit and offers little opportunity for young people. “We have very limited scope here,” said the 21-year-old, who would have left sooner if her family had enough money to pay tuition at foreign universities for both her and her older brother at the same time. But recent events have given her hope that one day she might be able to return to a transformed Bangladesh. After 15 years in power, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country last week — chased out by young protesters, Prome among them, who say they are fed up with the way her increasingly autocratic rule has stifled dissent, favored the elite and widened inequalities.

Bangladesh protests are not the first time student uprisings have helped bring about radical change

BANGKOK (AP) — In Bangladesh, weeks of protests against a quota system for government jobs turned into a broad uprising that forced the prime minister to flee the country and resign. The demonstrations began peacefully weeks ago and were primarily led by students frustrated with the system that they said favored those with connections to the ruling party. But it turned violent on July 15 as student protesters clashed with security officials and pro-government activists. Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled last week after the unrest during which nearly 300 people died, including both students and police officers. Students or other young people have frequently played pivotal roles in popular uprisings that have brought down governments or forced them to change policies.

‘Unauthorized’ helicopter flight ends with crash on hotel roof in Australia, killing pilot

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A man died after an unauthorized helicopter flight in Queensland, Australia ended in a crash on a hotel roof early Monday morning, prompting the evacuation of hundreds of people from the building as flames engulfed the aircraft. Authorities in the city of Cairns said that they had not confirmed the identity of the pilot, his reason for making the flight or how the tourist helicopter was able to take off from Cairns Airport. A couple staying at the hotel was hospitalized suffering from smoke inhalation and have now been discharged, Queensland Police Service Acting Chief Superintendent Shane Holmes told reporters.