Top Asian News 2:50 a.m. GMT

Indian city sets curfew after Hindu groups demand demolition of 17th century Muslim ruler’s tomb

NEW DELHI (AP) — Authorities imposed an indefinite curfew in parts of a western Indian city on Tuesday, a day after sectarian clashes were sparked by Hindu nationalist groups who want to demolish the tomb of a 17th-century Muslim Mughal ruler. Clashes between Hindus and Muslims in Maharashtra state’s Nagpur city broke out on Monday during a protest led by Hindu nationalist groups demanding the demolition of the tomb of Aurangzeb, a Muslim Mughal ruler who has been dead for more than 300 years. Lawmaker Chandrashekhar Bawankule said at least 34 police personnel and five other people were injured and several houses and vehicles were damaged during the violence.

Hong Kong’s leader swipes at Trump but avoids criticism of tycoon’s deal to sell Panama Port assets

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s leader has waded into a controversy over a prominent conglomerate’s decision to sell its Panama Canal port assets to a consortium including American investment bank BlackRock Inc., a deal that has angered Beijing and highlights how escalating tensions between Beijing and Washington can leave the Chinese financial center’s business leaders trapped in the middle. Chief Executive John Lee told reporters at a weekly news briefing that CK Hutchison Holdings’ in-principle agreement to sell its controlling stake in a company operating ports at both ends of the Panama Canal was being discussed extensively and concerns raised about the deal deserve serious attention.

Cambodia says expanded port funded by China opening next month - with first call from Japanese navy

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — A Cambodian naval port expansion funded by China that has raised concerns over Beijing’s growing military reach in the region has been completed. The port will host a Japanese vessel as the first foreign warship to make a port call, officials said Tuesday. The Ream Naval Base — with a new pier to accommodate much larger ships, a dry dock for repairs and other features — will be inaugurated on April 2 by Prime Minister Hun Manet, according to Maj. Gen. Thong Solimo, spokesman for Cambodia’s armed forces. “Giving priority to Japanese warships ... is a tribute to the high level of openness in cooperation, relations and mutual trust,” Thong said China and Cambodia broke ground on the port project in 2022, prompting the United States to express concerns that it could become a strategically-important outpost for the Chinese navy on the Gulf of Thailand.

Canada’s new leader announces $4.2 billion Australian radar purchase on visit to Arctic Circle

IQALUIT, Nunavut (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday announced a radar purchase from Australia and an expansion of military operations in the Arctic while visiting Canada’s far north in an effort to assert sovereignty over the increasingly contested region. The prime minister’s office said the Canadian $6 billion ($4.2 billion) Over-the-Horizon Radar system will provide early warning radar coverage from the Canada-United States border into the Arctic. Carney announced the purchase at a military base in the capital of the Inuit-governed territory of Nunavut on his last stop after visiting Paris and London for meetings with leaders there.

China conducts air and sea drills near Taiwan in response to US and Taiwanese statements

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — An unusually large number of Chinese military ships, planes and drones entered airspace and waters surrounding Taiwan between Sunday and Monday, the self-governing island’s Defense Ministry said. China said the drills were a response to recent statements and actions by the United States and Taiwan. Beijing launches such missions on a daily basis, seeking to wear down Taiwanese defenses and morale, although the vast majority of the island’s 23 million people reject its claim of sovereignty over Taiwan. Taiwanese Defense Minister Wellington Koo told legislators the drills were further evidence China was a “troublemaker” endangering peace in the region.

Afghan refugees in US struggle as faith-based aid is disrupted

LAUREL, Md. (AP) — The rent is due, but Rahmani has no money to pay it. The Afghan father of two worked for a U.S.-backed organization in Kabul, which put him at risk of Taliban retribution. Now he is among thousands of newly arrived refugees who lost financial assistance when the Trump administration cut off funding for the federal refugee program in January. His family’s monthly rent and utilities total nearly $1,850, an unfathomable amount compared to what he once paid in Kabul. He has spent weeks looking for work, walking along the suburban highway across from his family’s apartment, inquiring at small markets and big box stores.

Trump’s cuts to Voice of America may be welcomed by China’s government

BEIJING (AP) — The recent move by U.S. President Donald Trump to make cuts at Voice of America and other U.S. government-run media may be welcome news for China’s ruling Communist Party. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson refrained from commenting on Trump’s decision Tuesday but took the opportunity to criticize the outlets. “I do not comment on U.S. domestic policy changes,” Mao Ning said when asked about it. “But as for the media you mentioned, their bad records in reporting on China are not a secret.” The Trump’s administration put almost the entire staff of Voice of America on leave last weekend and ended grants to Radio Free Asia and other media with similar news programming.

Strange foam and dead fish wash ashore at 2 Australian beaches as surfers fall sick

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — An Australian state closed two beaches after dead fish and an unusual off-white foam washed ashore while surfers reported feeling unwell, officials said on Tuesday. A microalgal bloom created by unusual weather conditions was suspected to have sickened humans and marine life as well as creating the foam that has covered hundreds of meters (yards) of coastline, South Australian Environment Protection Authority principal scientific officer Sam Gaylard said. “It is very concerning,” Gaylard told Australian Broadcasting Corp. “It is unusual at this scale. At this time of year, when the weather conditions allow, we do occasionally get isolated blooms, but something of this scale is definitely a little bit unusual,” Gaylard added.

Pakistani leader calls for unity to combat militants after a surge in attacks

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s prime minister called Tuesday on the country’s political leadership to unite in its resolve to combat militants with “the full force of the state” following a surge in deadly violence. Separatists in Balochistan last week hijacked a train and killed 26 hostages before security forces shot dead all 33 attackers in one of the worst bloodshed in recent months that drew nationwide condemnation. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he convened a meeting of parliament’s National Security Committee that was also attended by army Chief Gen. Asim Munir. He said he regretted that the opposition party of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan boycotted the meeting, which unanimously condemned the recent attacks and paid tribute to security forces.

Gabbard says Trump is committed to ensuring peace and security through ‘realism and pragmatism’

NEW DELHI (AP) — U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said President Donald Trump is committed to ensuring peace and security through “realism and pragmatism,” in remarks Tuesday before the U.S. leader speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Gabbard did not refer to a particular country or conflict, but said securing peace required “commitment to fostering cultural and economic ties that reduce the likelihood of an escalation to conflict” and “courage to engage directly with both friends and adversaries alike.” Gabbard spoke at the Raisina Dialogue conference in New Delhi on a visit to India that holds special significance: She was the first Hindu elected to Congress when she served as a representative from Hawaii.