Top Asian News 2:58 a.m. GMT

Seoul says North Korea prepares to destroy the northern sides of inter-Korean roads no longer in use

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea said Monday it has detected signs that North Korea is preparing to destroy the northern parts of inter-Korean roads no longer in use, as the rivals are embroiled in soaring tensions over North Korea’s claim that South Korea flew drones over its territory. Destroying the roads would be in line with leader Kim Jong Un’s push to cut off ties with South Korea and formally cement it as his country’s principal enemy. South Korea’s military said Monday that it was observing various activities in North Korea that appeared to be preparations for demolishing the roads, such as installing screens.

China holds large naval and air force exercises around Taiwan as a warning against independence

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China held large-scale military exercises surrounding Taiwan and its outlying islands Monday in what it called a warning against Taiwan independence. China’s Defense Ministry said the drills were a response to Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s refusal to concede to Beijing’s demands that Taiwan acknowledge itself as a part of the People’s Republic of China under the rule of the Communist Party. Taiwan’s Defense Ministry called the drills a provocation and said its forces were prepared to respond. The PLA’s Eastern Theater Command spokesperson Navy Senior Captain Li Xi said the navy, army air force, missile corps were all mobilized for the drills.

Indian politician known for his close ties with Bollywood is killed in Mumbai

NEW DELHI (AP) — A senior politician in India’s financial capital, Mumbai, who was also known for his close ties with Bollywood has been shot dead weeks before a key state election. Baba Siddique, 66, was shot multiple times outside his son’s office in Mumbai on Saturday night, police said in a statement. He later succumbed to his wounds at the city’s Lilavati Hospital. Siddique was associated with the Indian National Congress party for decades but had recently joined a regional party that rules Maharashtra state. He was also close to several Bollywood superstars and was known for throwing lavish parties.

Pakistani police fire tear gas and charge protesters in Karachi

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani police fired tear gas and swung batons at thousands of protesters on Sunday in Karachi after the demonstrators tried to break through a security barricade. Around 2,000 supporters of a far-right Islamist party tried to reach the city’s press club to oppose a another demonstration staged by civil society groups about the killing of a blasphemy suspect while he was in custody. Supporters of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan party hurled rocks at officers and torched a patrol car when police stopped them from reaching the press club. The party said one of its members died in the violence.

Macao’s former top judge is chosen as the Chinese casino hub’s first leader born in mainland China

MACAO (AP) — Macao’s former top judge, Sam Hou Fai, was chosen as the Chinese casino hub’ s next leader in a largely ceremonial election on Sunday, setting him up to become the city’s first chief executive born in mainland China. Almost the entire election committee stacked with Beijing loyalists — 394 of 398 — voted for Sam, the sole candidate, in a departure from the longstanding custom of having chief executives who were born in the former Portuguese colony, typically from influential business families. The remaining four were blank votes. The shift in the city’s leadership to someone from the legal profession is likely to create expectations of a declining influence from business circles, which critics have often accused of colluding with officials, analysts say.

China’s Premier Li talks trade in Vietnam despite differences over South China Sea

BANGKOK (AP) — China agreed Sunday to assist Vietnam on cross-border railway development and take steps to expand agricultural imports from its smaller neighbor, Vietnam’s official media said. Premier Li Qiang, on an official visit to Vietnam, pledged that China would further open its market to high-quality fruits, seafood and other Vietnamese products, a state media report said. China is Vietnam’s largest trading partner and second-largest export market after the U.S. Trade between the two countries reached $172 billion in 2023. Vietnam’s top leader, To Lam, signaled the importance of the relationship when he made China his first overseas visit after assuming his post last year.

Pregnant Philippine women arrested in Cambodia for surrogacy could be prosecuted after giving birth

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Thirteen pregnant Philippine women accused of illegally acting as surrogate mothers in Cambodia after being recruited online may face prison terms after they give birth, a senior Interior Ministry official said Saturday. Interior Ministry Secretary of State Chou Bun Eng, who leads the country’s fight against human trafficking and sexual exploitation, said police found 24 foreign women, 20 Philippine and four Vietnamese, when they raided a villa in Kandal province, near the capital of Phnom Penh, on Sept. 23. Thirteen of the Philippine women were found to be pregnant and were charged in court on Oct.

A-bomb survivors use Nobel Peace Prize to share anti-nuke message with the young

TOKYO (AP) — The recipient of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize is a fast-dwindling group of atomic bomb survivors who are facing down the shrinking time they have left to convey the firsthand horror they witnessed 79 years ago. Nihon Hidankyo, the Japanese organization of survivors of the U.S. atomic bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, was awarded for its decadeslong activism against nuclear weapons. The survivors, known as hibakusha, see the prize and the international attention as their last chance to get their message out to younger generations. Terumi Tanaka, 91 and who survived the Nagasaki bombing at age 13, said he hopes the award will help raise public awareness about the need to join hands to achieve a world without nuclear weapons.

An Australian police sergeant likely to be charged over a Nazi salute

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — An Australian state police chief apologized to the Jewish community on Saturday after a sergeant allegedly performed an outlawed Nazi salute. The 65-year-old instructor on domestic violence policy and law at the Victoria state police academy in Melbourne is facing charges for the gesture and for praising Nazi leader Adolf Hitler with the words, “Heil Hitler” on Tuesday and Wednesday in front of academy staff and recruits, Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said. “I want to express just here at the outset my disappointment, my disgust, my anger at this appalling conduct,” Patton told a press conference.

Hindus in Bangladesh celebrate their largest festival under tight security following attacks

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Schoolteacher Supriya Sarker is glad to celebrate Bangladesh’s largest Hindu festival of Durga Puja but feels the festivities would be more jubilant without the fear and violence that overshadow this year’s event. The weeklong celebration that ends in the Muslim-majority Bangladesh on Sunday with immersions of the Hindu Goddess has strained the Hindu community with reports of vandalism, violence and intimidation in parts of Bangladesh, which has seen harassment and attacks on Hindus, who make up about 8% of the country’s nearly 170 million people, or more than 13 million people. Despite pledges to keep the festival safe, this year’s version was subdued coming following the ousting of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and attacks on minority groups, especially Hindus.