Top Asian News 2:54 a.m. GMT

The US national security adviser is holding talks with a top Chinese military official in Beijing

BEIJING (AP) — U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan was meeting Thursday morning with a top Chinese defense official as the two countries try to strengthen communication to prevent differences over Taiwan and the South China Sea from spiraling into conflict. The meeting came one day after the White House said that a phone conversation would be arranged between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden in the coming weeks. “Your request to meet with me shows the value you attach to military security and the relationship between our militaries,” Zhang Youxia, the vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, told Sullivan in opening remarks.

Hong Kong court will deliver verdict Thursday for 2 journalists accused of sedition

HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong court will hand down a verdict Thursday for two former editors of a shuttered news outlet in a case that is widely seen as a barometer for the future of media freedom in the city once hailed as a bastion of free press in Asia. The delivery of the verdict has been delayed several times for reasons including awaiting the appeal outcome of another landmark sedition case. Stand News former editor-in-chief Chung Pui-kuen and former acting editor-in-chief Patrick Lam were arrested in December 2021. They pleaded not guilty to the charge of conspiracy to publish and reproduce seditious publications.

Typhoon lashes Japan with torrential rain and strong winds on a slow crawl north

TOKYO (AP) — A typhoon lashed southern Japan with torrential rain and strong winds Thursday, causing at least three deaths as it started a crawl up the length of the archipelago and raised concerns of flooding, landslides and extensive damage. Typhoon Shanshan made landfall in the morning near Satsumasendai in southern Kyushu, where up to 60 centimeters (23.6 inches) of rain could fall in 24 hours, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. It also said the typhoon would bring strong winds, high waves and significant rainfall to most of the country, particularly the southern prefectures of Kyushu, and issued its highest-level warnings.

A military court has sentenced a Myanmar journalist to life in prison, outlet’s editor says

BANGKOK (AP) — A military court in Myanmar has given a life prison sentence to a local journalist and sentenced one of his colleagues to 20 years after convicting them under a counterterrorism law, their editor said Wednesday. The sentences for Myo Myint Oo and Aung San Oo of the independent online news service Dawei Watch appear to be the most severe dealt to any journalist since the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. The takeover triggered armed resistance and an ongoing civil war. Myanmar is one of the world’s biggest jailers of journalists, second only to China, according to the Paris-based press freedom group Reporters Without Borders, which ranks it near the bottom of its Press Freedom Index at 171st of 180 countries.

Church sex abuse scandals in East Timor met by silence, but Pope Francis’ visit brings new attention

DILI, East Timor (AP) — When the Vatican acknowledged in 2022 that the Nobel Peace Prize-winning, East Timorese independence hero Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo had sexually abused young boys, it appeared that the global clergy sexual abuse scandal that has compromised the Catholic Church’s credibility around the world had finally arrived in Asia’s newest country. And yet, the church in East Timor today is stronger than ever, with most downplaying, doubting or dismissing the claims against Belo and those against a popular American missionary who confessed to molesting young girls. Many instead focus on their roles saving lives during the country’s bloody struggle against Indonesia for independence.

Takeaways from AP’s report on clergy abuse scandal in East Timor ahead of Pope Francis’ visit

DILI, East Timor (AP) — When Pope Francis makes his trip to Asia’s newest country, East Timor, it will make him the second pope to visit after John Paul in 1989, and the first since the country gained independence from Indonesia in 2002. It also comes only two years after the Vatican acknowledged that the Nobel Peace Prize-winning, East Timorese independence hero Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo had sexually abused young boys, and three years after a popular American missionary was convicted of molesting young girls. The two clergymen still enjoy widespread support among the overwhelming Catholic people of East Timor, for their staunch support of the country during its bloody struggle for independence.

Bangladesh’s interim government led by Yunus lifts ban on the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh’s interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday lifted a ban on the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party that was imposed by the former prime minister who was ousted in nationwide protests against her rule. Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India on Aug. 5, had banned the party as a “militant and terrorist” organization and blamed its student wing and other associate bodies for inciting chaos over a quota system for government jobs. The weeks of violent protests and Hasina’s crackdown left more than 600 people dead, according to U.N. estimates. The Ministry of Home Affairs repealed the ban on Wednesday, paving the way for the party to resume its activities.

Traders observe a daylong strike across Pakistan to protest rising costs and new taxes

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Traders in Pakistan went on strike Wednesday, shutting down their businesses in all major cities and urban areas to protest a rise in electricity costs and new taxes imposed on shop owners. The government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has steadily raised electricity prices since Pakistan last month struck a deal with the International Monetary Fund for a new $7 billion loan. The higher cost of living and price hikes have triggered widespread discontent and drawn protests. Most of the public markets across Pakistan were closed on Wednesday, though pharmacies and grocery stores selling basic food items remained open.

K-pop singer Taeil leaves boyband NCT over accusation of an unspecified sexual crime, his label says

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean singer Taeil has left K-pop band NCT after being accused of an unspecified sexual crime, his label announced Wednesday. His agency, SM Entertainment, released a statement on X, saying the NCT member will depart from the boy band after learning he has been “accused in a criminal case related to a sexual crime.” The label did not specify the nature of the crime. “We recognized the seriousness of the issue, and we have decided that Taeil can no longer continue team activities,” the label said. “We have discussed this matter with Taeil, and it has been decided that he will leave the group.” The label added that he’s fully cooperating with the police investigation.

A proposed UN resolution on Myanmar condemns military attacks on civilians and urges peace efforts

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Britain circulated a wide-ranging United Nations resolution on Myanmar urging renewed peace efforts, condemning attacks on civilians — especially by the Myanmar military — and calling for a halt to illicit arms transfers. The draft resolution obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press expresses “alarm at the increased violence across Myanmar,” which is engulfed in civil war between the military-led regime and resistance forces. It calls for “safe, rapid, and unhindered humanitarian access at scale,” expressing “grave concern” at the deteriorating humanitarian situation and restrictions on humanitarian access in the country that led to rising food insecurity and hunger.