Top Asian News 3:04 a.m. GMT

Rescuers search through mud and debris as deaths rise to 151 in landslides in southern India

NEW DELHI (AP) — Hundreds of rescue workers searched through mud and debris Wednesday from multiple landslides that have killed at least 151 people in southern India, police said. The multiple landslides occurred after torrential rains triggered torrents of mud and water that swept through tea estates and villages. Another 186 people were injured by the landslides that hit hilly areas in Kerala state’s Wayanad district early Tuesday, flattening houses, uprooting trees and destroying bridge, said police officer Aijaz, who uses one name. More than a dozen bodies were found overnight, Aijaz said, as over 300 rescuers worked to pull out people stuck under mud and debris, but their efforts were hampered by blocked roads and unstable terrain.

Recent rains in North Korea flooded thousands of houses and vast farmland, state media says

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The recent heavy rains in northwestern North Korea flooded thousands of houses and a vast extent of farmland and left many residents homeless and living in makeshift tents, North Korea’s state media reported Wednesday. North Korea earlier said more than 5,000 people stranded in Sinuiju city and Uiju town were rescued by airlift and other evacuation work after Saturday’s rains caused a river on the Chinese border to swell. But it hadn’t mentioned any specific damage, or said if there were any casualties. North Korea is prone to flooding from heavy summer rains because of poor drainage, deforestation and dilapidated infrastructure.

China’s manufacturing activity contracted in July, the monthly Purchasing Managers’ Index says

BEIJING (AP) — A closely watched measure of Chinese manufacturing activity remained negative in July as concern persists about the state of the world’s second largest economy. The Purchasing Managers’ Index, based on a survey of factory managers, slipped 0.1 points to 49.4, the National Bureau of Statistics said Wednesday. It was the third straight monthly reading below 50, a level that indicates a contraction of manufacturing activity. A parallel purchasing managers’ index for the service sector also fell 0.3 points, though it remained in positive territory at 50.2. The Politburo, a top body of China’s ruling Communist Party, warned Tuesday that the coming months would be tough and promised unspecified measures to restore confidence in financial markets and boost government spending.

Kamala Harris energizes South Asian voters, a growing force in key swing states

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. (AP) — A drive out to Atlanta’s sprawling suburbs passes the cultural centers, schools and houses of worship that opened as this became the nation’s sixth-largest metropolitan area. Displaying the diversity within the growth, shops and brightly lit billboards advertise in Chinese, Korean, Spanish and Hindi. The changes have been stark even for residents who experienced them. “There were a handful of Indians around when I was growing up,” said Hemant Ramachandran, an Atlanta attorney who grew up in Gwinnett County, a short drive from Atlanta and the heart of Georgia’s fast-growing Asian American community. In some parts of Gwinnett, as well as neighboring Forsyth and Fulton counties, most of the census tracts and schools are now majority Asian American, according to county and Census Bureau data.

William Calley, who led the My Lai massacre that shamed US military in Vietnam, has died

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — William Laws Calley Jr., who as an Army lieutenant led the U.S. soldiers who killed hundreds of Vietnamese civilians in the My Lai massacre, the most notorious war crime in modern American military history, has died. He was 80. Calley died on April 28, according to his Florida death record, which said he had been living in an apartment in Gainesville. His death was first reported by The Washington Post on Monday, citing his death certificate. Calley had lived in obscurity in the decades since he was court-martialed and convicted in 1971, the only one of 25 men originally charged to be found guilty in the massacre that helped turn American opinion against the war in Vietnam.

A centuries-old secret script called nüshu is empowering young Chinese women

BEIJING (AP) — Chen Yulu never thought her home province of Hunan had any culture that she would be proud of, much less become an ambassador of. But these days, the 23-year-old is a self-proclaimed ambassador of nüshu, a script once known only to a small number of women in the south China. It started as a writing practiced in secrecy by women who were barred from formal education in Chinese. Now, young people like Chen are spreading nüshu beyond the women’s quarters of houses in Hunan’s rural Jiangyong, the county whose distinct dialect serves as the script’s verbal component. Today, nüshu can be found in independent bookstores across the country, subway ads, craft fair booths, tattoos, art and even everyday items like hair clips.

US boosts alliance with the Philippines with $500 million funding and pact amid concern over China

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Washington’s top diplomat and defense chief announced $500 million in new military funding Tuesday to boost the Philippines’ external defense and progress on a proposed military intelligence-sharing pact as both allies renewed their concerns over China’s continuing aggressive actions in the region. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has fortified Manila’s decades-old treaty alliance with Washington as hostilities between Philippine and Chinese forces flared since last year in the disputed South China Sea. Marcos hailed “very open” communication lines between Washington and Manila, adding that the two countries’ treaty alliance and key issues in the South China Sea and the Indo-Pacific region “are continuously examined and reexamined so we are agile in terms of our responses.” Marcos has underscored the need for a U.S.

The Taliban say they no longer recognize Afghan diplomatic missions set up by the former government

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Taliban said Tuesday they no longer recognize Afghanistan’s diplomatic missions set up by the former, Western-backed government and that they will not honor passports, visas and other documents issued by diplomats associated with the previous administration. It’s the latest attempt by the Taliban to take control of Afghanistan’s embassies and consulates since returning to power in 2021. Many Taliban leaders are under sanctions, and no country recognizes them as Afghanistan’s legitimate rulers. The country’s seat at the United Nations is still held by the former government, which was led by Ashraf Ghani, though the Taliban administration is seeking to claim that seat as well.

Taiwan president urges democracies to unite at largest-ever gathering of foreign lawmakers in Taipei

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te welcomed what he called the “largest-ever” delegation of foreign lawmakers to Taiwan and said Tuesday it showed the importance of democracies uniting, even as Beijing pressured members of the delegation not to visit. “This demonstrates the support and the value various other countries place on Taiwan,” Lai said. “It also sends an important message to democratic countries around the world. Maintaining democracy requires unity, and we must protect democracy together.” Lai made his remarks at a conference in Taipei held by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, a group of hundreds of lawmakers from dozens of countries concerned about how democracies approach Beijing.

Japanese automaker Nissan aims for sustainability, worker inclusivity

YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) — Nissan has outlined a “sustainability plan” to become a greener and more inclusive company, promising to recycle batteries, empower its workers and create safer cars. Nissan Motor Co. won’t be trying to beat rivals in the effort but hopes to work with various partners, Joji Tagawa, chief sustainability officer, told reporters this week at the company’s Yokohama headquarters. Nissan is aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, which means net zero carbon emissions across all operations. The governments of Japan, the U.S. and Europe have all set the same goal, as have Japanese rivals Toyota Motor Corp.