Top Asian News 3:38 a.m. GMT

North Korea says deal between Putin and Kim requires immediate military assistance in event of war

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The new agreement between Russia and North Korea reached by their leaders at a Pyongyang summit requires both countries to use all available means to provide immediate military assistance in the event of war, North Korean state media said Thursday. Both North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and Russia’s Vladimir Putin had described the deal reached Wednesday as a major upgrade of bilateral relations, covering security, trade, investment, cultural and humanitarian ties. Outside observers said it could mark the strongest connection between Moscow and Pyongyang since the end of the Cold War. The North’s official Korean Central News Agency on Thursday reported the language of the comprehensive strategic partnership agreement.

Putin in Vietnam, seeking to strengthen ties in Southeast Asia while Russia’s isolation deepens

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin is seeking to strengthen ties with longtime partner Vietnam on a state visit Thursday that comes as Moscow faces growing international isolation because of its military actions in Ukraine. Putin was greeted by dignitaries upon his arrival in the Southeast Asian country as soldiers in white dress uniforms stood at attention. He arrived from North Korea, where he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed an agreement that pledges mutual aid in the event of war. The strategic pact that could mark the strongest connection between Moscow and Pyongyang since the end of the Cold War comes as both face escalating standoffs with the West.

How did North Korean soldiers wander across the world’s most heavily guarded border?

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Don’t believe the name: The Demilitarized Zone between the two rival Koreas might be the most heavily armed place on earth. Two million mines, barbed wire fences, tank traps and tens of thousands of troops from both countries patrol a divided swath of land 248 kilometers (154 miles) long and 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) wide. So how, on the eve of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s summit Wednesday with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, did as many as 30 North Korean soldiers wander over the line separating North from South, causing South Korea to fire warning shots before the North Koreans withdrew?

Philippines demands China return rifles and pay for boat damage after hostilities in disputed sea

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine military chief demanded Wednesday that China return several rifles and equipment seized by the Chinese coast guard in a disputed shoal and pay for damages in an assault he likened to an act of piracy in the South China Sea. Chinese personnel on board more than eight motorboats repeatedly rammed then boarded the two Philippine navy inflatable boats Monday to prevent Filipino navy personnel from transferring food and other supplies including firearms to a Philippine territorial outpost in Second Thomas Shoal, which is also claimed by Beijing, according to Philippine officials. After a scuffle and repeated collisions, the Chinese seized the boats and damaged them with machetes, knives and hammers.

Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte resigning from posts in Marcos’ Cabinet as alliance flounders

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte is resigning from her posts of education secretary and head of an anti-insurgency body, as her whirlwind alliance with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. unraveled over key differences, including efforts to arrest a religious leader accused of child abuses and Manila’s handling of escalating territorial disputes with Beijing. Duterte will remain the vice president. Her resignation from the other posts she had in Marcos’ Cabinet was accepted by the president and takes effect July 19, Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil said in a statement Wednesday. Duterte, 46, did not cite any reason for her resignation, Garafil said, but there have been open political hostilities between her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, and Marcos.

New Caledonia police detain independence leader and 10 others in wake of revolt against French rule

PARIS (AP) — Police in the restive French Pacific territory of New Caledonia rounded up 11 people Wednesday, including an independence leader, who are suspected of having a role in the deadly violence that wracked the archipelago where Indigenous Kanak people have long sought to break free from France. The detentions were part of an ongoing police investigation launched May 17, just days after unrest first erupted, into a wave of armed clashes, looting, blazes and other violence that turned parts of the capital, Nouméa, and its suburbs into no-go zones. New Caledonia’s prosecutor, Yves Dupas, said in a statement that the police round-up started in the early morning, with others detained later in the day, including some who reported to police stations of their own accord.

Supporters of Myanmar’s jailed leader Suu Kyi mark her 79th birthday with a flower-themed protest

BANGKOK (AP) — Supporters of Myanmar’s imprisoned ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi carried out peaceful flower-themed protests marking her 79th birthday on Wednesday, some taking to the streets in defiance of the military government’s repression. Suu Kyi, a Nobel peace prize winner who led a decades-long struggle against military rule, was detained on Feb. 1, 2021, when the army seized power from her elected government. She is serving a 27-year prison term on what are widely regarded as charges that were contrived to keep her from political activity. She is one of more than 20,600 people currently detaine d for opposing military rule, according to the independent Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which documents arrests.

Norway tightens controls over adoptions from abroad but won’t ban practice as investigation unfolds

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norway has tightened controls over adoptions from abroad but will allow them to continue as it conducts an investigation into the legality and ethics of past adoptions, the government said Wednesday. The move to keep allowing international adoptions for now contradicted Norway’s top regulatory body, the Norwegian Child Welfare Services, a government agency known as Bufdir, which in January recommended a pause while the investigation takes place. “As the situation is now, I do not see the need for a general interim suspension while the investigation committee works,” Minister for Children and Families Kjersti Toppe said. “The overall goal is to get answers to whether — and possibly to what extent — there have been illegal or unethical situations in connection with foreign adoptions to Norway,” Toppe said.

Japan’s emperor says he looks forward to deepening ties with Britain’s royals during UK visit

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Emperor Naruhito said Wednesday he is “delighted” to finally be able to visit Britain after the trip was delayed by several years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The royal said he looks forward to rekindling his friendship with the British royal family and exploring Oxford, where he studied about 40 years ago. Naruhito and his wife, Empress Masako, will make a weeklong visit to Britain starting Saturday. The trip was originally planned for 2020 at the invitation of the late Queen Elizabeth II as a first of his overseas visits after his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne in 2019.

US approves new $360 million arms sale to Taiwan for drones, related equipment

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration on Tuesday approved a new $360 million weapons sale to Taiwan, sending the island hundreds of armed drones, missile equipment and related support material, the State Department said in a statement that is sure to draw condemnation from China. The announcement was not unexpected but it comes at a time of high tension between Washington and Beijing, which regards Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to consolidate by force if necessary. The sale includes 291 Altius-600M systems, which are unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, with warheads. It also includes 720 Switchblade drones known as “extended-range loitering munitions,” the State Department said.