Top Asian News 3:28 a.m. GMT

Lai Ching-te inaugurated as Taiwan’s president in a transition likely to bolster island’s US ties

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Lai Ching-te was sworn in as Taiwan’s new president Monday, beginning a term in which he is expected to continue the self-governing island’s policy of de facto independence from China while seeking to bolster its defenses against Beijing. Thousands of people gathered in front of the Presidential Office Building in Taipei for the ceremony. Donning white bucket hats, the attendees watched on large screens the ceremony’s emcees narrating Lai’s swearing-in ceremony, followed by a military march and colorful artistic performances featuring folk dancers, opera performers and rappers. Military helicopters flew in formation, carrying Taiwan’s flag. Lai accepted congratulations from fellow politicians and delegations from the 12 nations that maintain official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, as well as politicians from the U.S., Japan and various European states.

Climate change impacts millions in India. But as the country votes, some politicians skirt the issue

BEED, India (AP) — Almost 970 million Indians are voting in general elections amid sweltering heat and unpredictable weather extremes exacerbated by human-caused climate change, leading to loss of livelihood, forced migration and increasingly difficult living conditions for millions across the country. Voters are looking for politicians who promise relief, stability and resilience to the wide-ranging and damaging effects of a warming climate. In their election manifestos, India’s top political parties, including the governing Bharatiya Janata Party and the main opposition, the Congress party, have made multiple promises to act on climate damage and reduce emissions of planet-heating gases. But there has been little talk about climate change on the campaign trail.

Chinese ambassador promises ‘friendship’ and ‘cooperation’ as 2 Chinese warships dock in Cambodia

SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia (AP) — Two Chinese warships docked Sunday at a commercial port in Cambodia, in preparation for joint naval exercises between the two countries. The Jingangshan amphibious warfare ship and Qijiguang training ship sailed in to the Sihanoukville Port as onlookers waved Cambodian and Chinese flags from the piers. The port is north of the Ream Naval Base, where China has funded a broad expansion project that has been carefully watched by the United States and others over concerns it could become a new outpost for the Chinese navy on the Gulf of Thailand. The Gulf is adjacent to the South China Sea, which China claims virtually in its entirety, and would give easy access to the Malacca Strait, one of the most important shipping lanes in the world.

French security forces work to regain control of airport highway in violence-scorched New Caledonia

Using armored vehicles and backhoes to shove aside charred barricades, French security forces worked Sunday to retake control of the highway to the international airport in violence-scorched New Caledonia, shuttered because of deadly unrest wracking the French Pacific archipelago where indigenous people have long sought independence from France. An eventual reopening of the Nouméa-La Tontouta airport to commercial flights could allow stranded tourists to escape the island where armed clashes, arson, looting and other mayhem have prompted France to impose a state of emergency. The airport, with routes to Australia, Singapore, New Zealand and other destinations, closed Tuesday as protests against voting reforms opposed by pro-independence supporters degenerated into widespread violence, leaving a vast trail of destruction.

China sanctions Boeing, two U.S. defense contractors for Taiwan arms sales

BEIJING (AP) — China’s Ministry of Commerce announced sanctions against Boeing and two other defense companies Monday for arms sales to Taiwan, on the day of Taiwan’s presidential inauguration. The move is the latest in a series of sanctions Beijing has announced in recent years against defense companies for weapons sales to Taiwan, a self-ruled island that China considers as part of its own territory. China’s Ministry of Commerce placed Boeing’s Defense, Space & Security unit, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, and General Dynamics Land Systems, on what is called an “unreliable entities” list, forbidding their further investment in China, in addition to travel bans on senior management for the companies.

As ethnic armed group claims to have captured a town in western Myanmar, Muslim Rohingyas flee again

BANGKOK (AP) — A powerful ethnic armed group fighting Myanmar’s military government in the country’s western state of Rakhine claimed Saturday to have seized a town near the border with Bangladesh, marking the latest in a series of victories for foes of the country’s military government. Members of the state’s Muslim Rohingya ethnic minority, targets of deadly army-directed violence in 2017, appear to have been the main victims of fighting in the town of Buthidaung, where the Arakan Army claims to have chased out forces of the military government. There are contradictory accounts of who is to blame for the reported burning of the town, compelling its Rohingya residents to flee.

Heavy rains set off flash floods in northern Afghanistan, killing at least 84 people

ISLAMABAD (AP) — More heavy rains in Afghanistan have triggered flash floods, raising the death toll to 84 in the country’s north following weeks of devastating torrents that had already left hundreds dead and missing, a Taliban spokesman said Sunday. The new round of heavy rains and floods hit four districts in Faryab province Saturday night, leaving 66 dead, five injured and eight missing. Another 18 people had died in floods on Friday, said Esmatullah Moradi, spokesman for the provincial governor in Faryab. Moradi said that around 1,500 houses were either completely or partially destroyed while hundreds of hectares (acres) of farmlands were washed away and more than 300 animals killed.

Japanese authorities urge caution after wild bears attack several people in the northeast

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese authorities have warned residents to be aware of wild bears in the country’s northeast after several people were attacked, including police officers. A bear about 1 meter (3 feet) in size was captured in Fukushima prefecture Sunday by officials in charge of wildlife damage, according to a Japanese news report that included video of the bear wandering around in a residential area. An official in Inawashiromachi city in Fukushima, who answered the phone, was not able to provide further information. The bears were also seen in surrounding areas, including Akita prefecture. Two police officers were attacked Saturday in the city of Kazuno in Akita while recovering the body of a missing man, Japanese media reported.

Vietnam nominates its public security minister as new president

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam has nominated its Public Security Minister To Lam as its new president, state media said on Saturday, after his predecessor resigned in the ongoing anti-corruption campaign that has shaken up the country’s political establishment. The Communist Party’s Central Committee had agreed to the nomination of To Lam, a Politburo member, as president, state-run Vietnam News Agency reported. The nomination will likely be approved by Vietnam’s rubber-stamp National Assembly during its next session on Monday. Former President Vo Van Thuong resigned in March after a little over a year in the position. His predecessor had also resigned in 2023 while taking “political responsibility” for corruption scandals during the pandemic.

Elon Musk launches Starlink satellite internet service in Indonesia, world’s largest archipelago

DENPASAR, Indonesia (AP) — Elon Musk traveled to Indonesia’s resort island of Bali on Sunday to launch Starlink satellite internet service in the world’s largest archipelago nation. Wearing a green Batik shirt, Musk was greeted with a garland of flower petals at a community health clinic in Denpasar, the provincial capital of Bali, where he launched the Starlink service alongside Indonesian ministers. Indonesia, a vast archipelago of 17,000 islands sprawled across three time zones with a population of more than 270 million, has been trying for years to secure deals with Musk’s Tesla on battery investment and for Musk’s SpaceX to provide fast internet for the country’s remote regions.