Top Asian News 3:31 a.m. GMT

Chinese premier promises more pandas and urges Australia to put aside differences

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s visit to Australia on Sunday focused on positive aspects of the bilateral relationship including shared giant pandas and a rebounding wine trade as he promised a new breeding pair of the rare bears and urged both countries to put aside their differences. China’s most powerful leader after President Xi Jinping arrived late Saturday in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia state, which has produced most of the Australian wine entering China since crippling tariffs were lifted in March that had effectively ended a 1.2 billion Australian dollar ($790 million) a year trade since 2020.

Philippines seeks UN confirmation of its vast continental seabed in the disputed South China Sea

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippines has asked a United Nations body to formally recognize the extent of its undersea continental seabed in the South China Sea, where it would have the exclusive right to exploit resources, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Saturday, in a move that rejects China’s vast territorial claims to the region. The Philippine government submitted information to the U.N. Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf on the extent of its undersea shelf in the South China Sea, off western Palawan province, after more than a decade and a half of scientific research, the department said.

A Japanese climber dies while trying to scale a mountain in northern Pakistan and another is missing

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A Japanese climber has died while trying to scale one of the highest mountains in northern Pakistan and a search is still underway to find his missing colleague, officials said Saturday. Karrar Haidri, who is the secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, said that rescuers retrieved the body of one of the two missing Japanese climbers after a dayslong search operation on the Spantik Peak, which is also known as Golden Peak. The climbers were scaling the mountain when they went missing on Wednesday. The Golden Peak is renowned for its distinct golden hue at sunrise and sunset, making it a popular destination.

Toyota shareholders demand vote against chairman Toyoda as automaker embroiled in testing scandal

TOKYO (AP) — Toyota’s chairman Akio Toyoda will be facing some disgruntled shareholders this week, as two major proxy groups demand a vote against keeping the grandson of the founder on its board. The vote expected at the June 18 annual shareholders meeting comes after Toyota apologized recently over fraudulent certification tests for vehicles, a major embarrassment for a company that prides itself on a reputation for excellent quality. The raft of problems at Japanese automakers including Toyota are said not to involve any safety problems and no recalls were announced. But Toyota suspended production of three models produced by group companies in Japan.

Myanmar’s embattled military government cracks down on free flow of news by blocking VPNs

BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s military government has launched a major effort to block free communication on the Internet, shutting off access to virtual private networks, or VPNs, which can be used to circumvent blockages of banned websites and services. The attempt to restrict access to information began at the end of May, according to mobile phone operators, internet service providers, a major opposition group and media reports. The military government that took power in February 2021 after ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi has made several previous fitful attempts to throttle traffic on the internet, especially in the months immediately after their takeover.

Singapore rushes to clean-up oil slick after boat hits stationary fuel supply ship

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — An oil spill caused by a dredger boat hitting a stationary cargo tanker has blackened part of Singapore’s southern coastline, including the popular resort island of Sentosa, and sparked concerns it may threaten marine wildlife as a clean-up operation was underway Sunday. The Netherlands-flagged dredger Vox Maxima struck the Singaporean fuel supply ship Marine Honor on Friday. It damaged the cargo tank on Marine Honor, which leaked oil into the sea. Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority said in a statement late Saturday the oil leak from the vessel had been contained, and that the oil that escaped from the damaged tanker had been treated with dispersants.

Rare twin elephants in Thailand receive monks’ blessings a week after their tumultuous birth

BANGKOK (AP) — Buddhist monks in Thailand on Friday blessed twin baby elephants, one male and the other female, a week after their rare birth came close to being a tragedy. Their mother, Chamchuri, gave birth to the pair on the night of June 7 at a camp in Thailand’s ancient capital Ayutthaya, a popular tourist destination 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Bangkok. Twin elephant births are rare and male-female twins even more so. The Ayutthaya Elephant Palace & Royal Kraal, home to the newborns, says that it was a first for the province, while a statement from the Thai government said they were the third such pair in the world.

AP PHOTOS: Myriad people flock to Indian city to swallow live fish with ‘miracle cure’ to asthma

HYDERABAD, India (AP) — A mother encourages her daughter to fully open her mouth to swallow a live fish holding “the medicine” she believes will help cure her child’s asthma, as scores clamor about, gulping down their own fish and hoping for the best. Each summer, on a day deemed auspicious by astrological calculations, people suffering from asthma and other respiratory ailments flock to the southern Indian city of Hyderabad to swallow a small live fish with its mouth stuffed with a secret herbal treatment that only one family can craft. Legend has it that in 1845 a wandering saint presented a secret formula of miracle herbs to Veeranna Goud, a man living in the old city of Hyderabad, and instructed him to give it to asthma patients for free.

Boy accused of terrorist act in Sydney church faces new charges of stabbing bishop and priest

SYDNEY (AP) — A 16-year-old boy accused of committing a terrorist act by stabbing a bishop in a Sydney church in April faces two additional charges, a court was told on Friday. The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested at the scene of the stabbing on April 15 in an Assyrian Orthodox church as a service was being streamed online. The earlier charge of committing a terrorist act carries a possible life sentence, while the new charges carry maximum sentences of 25 years each. A prosecutor told the Parramatta Children’s Court on Friday that the boy had also been charged with wounding with intent to murder Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm a priest, Rev.

Chinese journalist who promoted #MeToo movement sentenced to 5 years in prison

BEIJING (AP) — Supporters say a Chinese journalist who promoted women’s rights as part of the country’s nascent #MeToo movement has been sentenced to five years in prison on charges of incitement to subvert state authority, almost three years after she and an activist were detained. The verdict provided to The Associated Press stated that Huang Xueqin would also face a fine of 100,000 yuan ($14,000), underscoring the ruling Communist Party’s intolerance of any activism outside its control in a system whose upper echelons are dominated by men. China’s #MeToo movement flourished briefly before being snuffed out by the government. China often silences activists by holding them incommunicado for a long time and then sentencing them to prison.