Top Asian News 3:08 a.m. GMT

At least 148 are dead in floods and landslides in Nepal

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Rescuers in Nepal recovered dozens of bodies from buses and other vehicles that were buried in landslides near the capital Kathmandu, as the death toll from flooding rose to at least 148 with dozens missing, officials said Sunday. The weather improved on Sunday following three days of monsoon rains, and rescue and clean-up efforts were underway. Kathmandu remained cut off Sunday as three highways out of the city were blocked by landslides. Rescuers retrieved 14 bodies overnight from two buses that were headed to Kathmandu when a landslide buried them. Another 23 bodies were dug out from vehicles Sunday on the same spot, about 16 kilometers (10 miles) from Kathmandu, and workers searched for others who may have been buried.

A decade later, Hong Kong’s massive democracy protests remain an enduring memory

HONG KONG (AP) — Scores of red Chinese flags now flap near the Hong Kong government headquarters in preparation for China’s national day as police patrolled the area thousands of demonstrators occupied a decade ago to protest Beijing’s restrictions on candidates running for the city’s top job. In Sept. 2014, protesters fended off police’s pepper spray using their umbrellas in a 79-day face-off, and the largely peaceful Umbrella Movement saw more people join an encampment around the two nearby bridges. The movement, also known as Occupy Central, catalyzed a profound political awakening among many young Hong Kongers and shaped the huge anti-government protests in 2019, the biggest challenge to Beijing since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

In global game of influence, China turns to a cheap and effective tool: fake news

WASHINGTON (AP) — When veteran U.S. diplomat Kurt Campbell traveled to the Solomon Islands to counter Beijing’s influence in the South Pacific country, he quickly saw just how far China would go to spread its message. The Biden administration’s Asia czar woke up one morning in 2022 to a long article in the local press about the U.S. running chemical and biological labs in Ukraine, a claim that Washington calls an outright lie. Started by Russia, the false and incendiary claim was vigorously amplified by China’s vast overseas propaganda apparatus. It was another example of “clearly effective Russian and Chinese disinformation,” Campbell told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in July.

China, at UN, warns against ‘expansion of the battlefield’ in the Ukraine war

NEW YORK (AP) — Three days before his communist government turns 75, China’s foreign minister warned fellow leaders Saturday against an “expansion of the battlefield” in Russia’s war with Ukraine and said the Beijing government remains committed to shuttle diplomacy and efforts to push the conflict toward its end. “The top priority is to commit to no expansion of the battlefield. ... China is committed to playing a constructive role,” Wang Yi said. He warned against other nations “throwing oil on the fire or exploiting the situation for selfish gains,” a likely reference to the United States. Wang’s speech appeared to break no new ground, as is generally China’s recent practice at the U.N.

The sole candidate for Macao’s leader pledges to diversify the casino city’s economy

HONG KONG (AP) — The sole candidate in the election for Macao’s next leader has pledged to diversify the economy of the Chinese casino city, a goal previously laid out by Beijing. Sam Hou-fai, the city’s former top judge, said at a news conference Saturday that the diversification is a key issue he must address. At a separate event, he told election committee members who will vote on Oct. 13 that the city has learned a lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic. Macao’s tourism and gaming industries suffered a big slump because of the virus controls before China rolled back its “zero-COVID” strategy in late 2022.

A powerful typhoon is lashing northern Philippine islands

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A powerful typhoon was lashing the northernmost islands of the Philippines Monday, prompting officials to evacuate villagers, shut down schools and inter-island ferries and warn of “potentially very destructive” damage to coastal villages. Typhoon Krathon was last tracked over the coastal waters of Balintang island off the provinces of Cagayan and Batanes with sustained winds of up to 175 kph (109 mph) and gusts of up to 215 kph (133 mph), according to government forecasters. The slow-moving Krathon was blowing westward and could strengthen into a super typhoon when it veers northeastward Tuesday toward Taiwan, they said.

Gunmen storm a camp in Pakistan’s southwest and kidnap 20 laborers

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Gunmen stormed a camp in Pakistan’s southwest and kidnapped 20 laborers, police said Sunday. It’s the second assault in as many days in restive Balochistan province, where separatist and militants are stepping up their insurgency against the central government. The assistant commissioner of Musa Khel district, Dilraj Kalara, said the armed men entered the camp on Sunday morning, torching bulldozers and other machinery and seizing the men. The workers were staying in a camp set up by a private energy company, Kalara said. Separatists accuse Islamabad of unfairly exploiting oil- and mineral-rich Balochistan at the expense of locals.

Japan’s soon-to-be prime minister faces big challenge as he tries to move past ruling party scandals

TOKYO (AP) — The person chosen Friday to lead Japan’s governing party, and become prime minister next week, is a veteran politician with deep policy experience, a taste for curry and anime — and big challenges ahead of him as he tries to unite a fractious party and hold off an opposition eager to capitalize on recent corruption scandals. Shigeru Ishiba has long been popular with voters but has often struggled to win over his conservative fellow Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers. A vocal critic of the hawkish politics of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, he was long seen as a troublesome outsider by some party members.

At the UN, young people push to make sure the generational shift is faster — and more substantial

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — They were sharing the world stage to discuss a plan to give young people more input in decisions that shape lives. And 26-year-old Daphne Frias, talking to the head of the United Nations, had thoughts. “Truly, it’s time for the people who do so much of the talking to do less of the talking,” the disability and climate activist told Secretary-General António Guterres. “And to have the voices of my generation ... lead.” Their exchange this month, at a leadup event to the U.N. General Assembly’s meeting of nations’ leaders, was a measure of diplomacy’s generation gap.

Japanese fans bid farewell to beloved panda pair before their return to China

TOKYO (AP) — Thousands of Japanese fans bid tearful farewell to their beloved panda couple that made their final public appearance at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo on Saturday before returning to China for medical treatment. The pair, Ri Ri and Shin Shin, are the parents of Xiang Xiang, the park-born idol that had returned home last year. More than 2,000 visitors, many wearing T-shirts and carrying items decorated by panda motifs, queued outside the zoo hours before the opening. Some said they camped out overnight to secure their chance. The pandas, both 19 years old, arrived at the Ueno Zoo in 2011.