Top Asian News 4:57 a.m. GMT

South Korea’s Yoon is in court for a hearing in his criminal trial

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol appeared in court Thursday for a hearing where his lawyers contested his arrest on a criminal charge alleging he was orchestrating a rebellion when he briefly imposed martial law in December. Security was heightened as the motorcade transporting Yoon arrived at the Seoul Central District Court and dozens of his supporters rallied nearby. The preliminary hearing will involve discussions of witnesses and other preparations for his criminal trial, and the court was also to review the request by Yoon’s lawyers to cancel his arrest and release him from custody. Such challenges are rarely successful.

As Melania Trump returns to the White House, she’s winning Chinese fans

WASHINGTON (AP) — Joyce Yip, a 39-year-old entrepreneur in southern China’s Guangzhou, has a new celebrity crush: Melania Trump. The two-time first lady has become an online celebrity in China, especially among women. That may be surprising, given her husband’s hostility toward China, but social media posts reflect an admiration for her independence, her taste in fashion and how she’s raising her teenage son. And, perhaps most importantly, her stoic allegiance to President Donald Trump despite his misogynistic comments, allegations that he’s had extramarital affairs and his being found liable for sexual abuse in a civil suit brought by a New York advice columnist.

The Australian and New Zealand militaries are monitoring 3 Chinese warships off Australia

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The Australian and New Zealand militaries were monitoring three Chinese warships moving unusually far south along Australia’s east coast on an unknown mission, officials said Thursday. The Australian government revealed a week ago that the warships had traveled through Southeast Asia and the Coral Sea and were approaching northeast Australia. Defense Minister Richard Marles said Thursday that the Chinese ships — the naval frigate Hengyang, cruiser Zunyi and replenishment vessel Weishanhu — were “off the east coast of Australia.” Defense officials did not respond to a request for comment on a Financial Times report that the task group from China’s military, the People’s Liberation Army, was 150 nautical miles (278 kilometers) east of Sydney.

A YouTuber in India is facing backlash over comments he made on a comedy show. Here’s what to know

NEW DELHI (AP) — A famous YouTuber in India is facing public outrage and a police investigation after he made an allegedly obscene remark on a YouTube show, raising questions about freedom of speech in a country where digital creators in the past have come under fire for their content. The controversy began last week when social media influencer and YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia made remarks to a participant on a comedy show about his parents’ personal relationship. The joke was quickly condemned by social media users, public figures and political leaders. Multiple police complaints were filed against Allahabadia and Samay Raina, who hosts the show “India’s Got Latent.” Both of them, along with some other participants on the show, were summoned by police for questioning and the issue was also raised in Parliament.

Malaysia is betting on data centers to boost its economy. But experts warn they come at a price.

JOHOR BAHRU, Malaysia (AP) — Winson Lau has always had contingency plans. But he wasn’t prepared for data centers. Lau relies on water and electricity to operate his thriving export business in Malaysia’s Johor province, where he raises a kaleidoscope of tropical fish in rows of aquariums, including albino fish with red spots that can fetch up to $10,000 from collectors. His contingency plans in the event of an outage involve an intricate system of purifying wastewater through friendly bacteria and an alarm system to quickly switch to backup power. But these measures can’t compete with the gigantic, power-guzzling and thirsty data centers being built in Johor.

Indian prime minister’s party names a woman as top government official in New Delhi state

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s ruling Hindu nationalist party on Wednesday named a woman as the top government official in the state of New Delhi, which includes the country’s capital, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi moves to consolidate his party’s hold there after winning the local election. Former party student leader Rekha Gupta, 50, was named New Delhi chief minister, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ravi Shankar Prasad announced. The party won the most seats in the high-stakes New Delhi polls earlier this month for the first time in 27 years. With 48 seats in the 70-member local assembly, Bharatiya Janata Party ousted the Aam Aadmi Party, which won 22 seats.

Pakistan steps up arrests of Afghans without papers. Kabul says it’s a move to expel all refugees

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Authorities have stepped up arrests of Afghan citizens in Pakistan’s capital and a nearby city in an effort that the Afghan Embassy in Islamabad described on Wednesday as a push to force the expulsion of all Afghan refugees from the country. Pakistan’s foreign ministry promptly dismissed the allegation, saying that the authorities were only trying to facilitate conditions for the swift return of Afghans to their home country. Pakistan has long threatened to deport Afghans living in the country illegally. Separately, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif last month approved a March 31 deadline to deport those awaiting relocation to third countries unless their cases are swiftly processed by the governments that have agreed to take them, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press.

Police in disputed Kashmir raid bookstores, seizing books related to Islamic group

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Police in Indian-controlled Kashmir raided bookstores and seized hundreds of books linked to a major Islamic organization in the disputed region, where strict controls on the press have escalated in recent years. The raids began on Friday in Srinagar, the region’s main city. Police said in a post on the social media platform X that they acted “based on credible intelligence regarding the clandestine sale and distribution of literature promoting the ideology of a banned organization” and seized 668 books. According to booksellers, the seized books were mostly published by New Delhi-based Markazi Maktaba Islami Publishers, which is affiliated with the Indian branch of one of the largest Islamic and political organizations in the Indian subcontinent, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind.

Philippine village battles dengue by offering bounties for mosquitos — dead or alive

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A village in the densely populated Philippine capital region launched a battle against dengue Wednesday by offering a token bounty to residents for captured mosquitos — dead or alive. The unusual strategy adopted by the Addition Hills village in Mandaluyong City reflects growing concern after the nearby city of Quezon declared an outbreak of the mosquito-borne illness over the weekend. Eight more areas reported an upsurge in cases of the potentially deadly viral infection. At least 28,234 dengue cases have been recorded in the Philippines this year up to Feb. 1, a 40% increase compared to the same period last year, according to health department statistics.

Man who attacked Japan’s ex-Prime Minister Kishida is convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison

TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese court on Wednesday convicted a man who threw a homemade pipe bomb at Japan’s former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at a 2023 campaign event, sentencing him to 10 years in prison, court officials said. Ryuji Kimura, 25, was found guilty of attempted murder in the April 15, 2023 attack on Kishida at a small fishing port in the western city of Wakayama, as well as four other crimes including violations of laws on explosives and other weapons. At stake was whether Kimura intended to commit murder. The Wakayama District Court said in the ruling that Kimura was aware of the potential for a fatality in his attack, according to the Kyodo News agency.