Top Asian News 3:55 a.m. GMT

India’s Bengaluru is fast running out of water, and a long, scorching summer still looms

BENGALURU, India (AP) — Bhavani Mani Muthuvel and her family of nine have around five 20-liter (5-gallon) buckets worth of water for the week for cooking, cleaning and household chores. “From taking showers to using toilets and washing clothes, we are taking turns to do everything,” she said. It’s the only water they can afford. A resident of Ambedkar Nagar, a low-income settlement in the shadows of the lavish headquarters of multiple global software companies in Bengaluru’s Whitefield neighborhood, Muthuvel is normally reliant on piped water, sourced from groundwater. But it’s drying up. She said it’s the worst water crisis she has experienced in her 40 years in the neighborhood.

India announces 6-week general elections starting April 19 with Modi’s BJP topping surveys

NEW DELHI (AP) — India on Saturday announced its 6-week-long general elections will start on April 19, with most surveys predicting a victory for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. Voting in the world’s largest democracy will stretch over seven phases, with different states voting at different times and results will be announced on June 4. Over 970 million voters — more than 10% of the world’s population — will elect 543 members for the lower house of Parliament for a term of five years. Modi, who is seeking a third consecutive term, faces little challenge as the main opposition alliance of over two dozen regional parties led by the Indian National Congress party appears to be cracking, riven by rivalries, political defections and ideological clashes.

North Korea’s Kim enjoys a Russian luxury limousine gifted by Putin as the two nations expand ties

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un used a Russian luxury limousine gifted by President Vladimir Putin, Kim’s sister said Saturday, praising the car’s “special function” and the two countries’ deepening bilateral ties. In February, Putin sent Kim a high-end Aurus Senat limousine, which he had shown to the North Korean leader when they met for a summit in Russia in September. Observers said the shipment violated a United Nations resolution aimed at pressuring the North to give up its nuclear weapons program by banning the supply of luxury items to North Korea. In a statement carried by state media, Kim’s sister and senior official, Kim Yo Jong, said that her brother used that limousine for the first time during an open event Friday.

Hong Kong jails 12 people over the storming of the legislature in 2019 protests

HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong court sentenced 12 people Saturday to prison over the storming of the city’s legislative council building at the height of the anti-government protests in 2019. Hundreds of protesters swarmed into the legislature the night of July 1, 2019 — the 22nd anniversary of the former British colony’s return to China — defacing pictures and smashing furniture. Some spray-painted slogans in the chamber and painted over the territory’s emblem on a wall before vacating the site as riot police cleared surrounding streets with tear gas before moving inside. The 12 defendants, including former student leader Althea Suen, actor Gregory Wong, and activists Ventus Lau and Owen Chow, were previously convicted for rioting.

India’s navy takes control of bulk carrier hijacked by Somali pirates and evacuates crew

NEW DELHI (AP) — The Indian navy said late Saturday that it had taken control of a bulk carrier hijacked by Somali pirates and evacuated the 17 crew members on the vessel. In a statement on X, the navy said all 35 pirates on board the Maltese-flagged MV Ruen had surrendered and the vessel was checked for illegal arms, ammunition and contraband. The whole operation took about 40 hours and involved drones, navy vessels and marine commandos. The development came after men on the bulk carrier fired at an Indian warship in international waters Friday, triggering the navy to intercept the vessel some 2,600 kilometers (1,615 miles) off the Indian coast.

7 soldiers killed in a suicide truck bombing and shootout in northwest Pakistan

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden truck into a sprawling military post in northwest Pakistan on Saturday, the military and security officials said. At least seven soldiers were killed in the bombing and ensuing shootout. Troops responding to the attack in North Waziristan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan, killed six more attackers, some of whom were wearing suicide vests, the military said. A newly formed militant group, Jaish-e-Fursan-e-Muhammad, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement. The military said a portion of a military post collapsed. It said five soldiers died in the truck bombing and two officers in the shootout that followed.

AP PHOTOS: Collecting sap to make palm sugar is an arduous, and less appealing, job for Cambodians

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Chin Choeun spends nearly 12 hours a day collecting sap from palm trees that he and his wife turn into palm sugar. The 54-year-old boasts of being one of Cambodia’s most skilful palm tree climbers, having learned the skill from his father. But after 36 years scaling tree after tree, Choeun plans to retire in the next couple of years, because of age-related safety concerns. “It was a job that I took over from my father. It was his legacy, and I don’t want it to end because of me. but I know that it will be over after me,” Choeun said.

Japan lawyers’ group urges Tokyo to halt park development, calling its impact review unscientific

TOKYO (AP) — The Japanese bar association is urging Tokyo’s metropolitan government to suspend a disputed redevelopment of the city’s beloved park area, saying that its environmental assessment by developers lacked objective and scientific grounds. The metropolitan government approved the Jingu Gaien redevelopment project in February of 2023 based on the environmental assessment submitted by the developers, allowing the start of construction. The plan involves razing a famous baseball stadium and rebuilding it, as part of a vast construction project that critics say would threaten thousands of trees in a city of meager green space. Hundreds of outside experts, including architects, environmentalists and academics, have demanded the suspension of the project in open letters and petition campaigns.

Australia resumes funding for UNRWA and pledges more Gaza aid

SYDNEY (AP) — Australia will restore funding to the United Nations relief agency for Palestinians, weeks after the agency lost hundreds of millions of dollars in support following Israeli allegations that some of its Gaza-based staff participated in the Oct. 7 attack. The Australian government also pledged Friday to increase aid for the besieged enclave, with Foreign Minister Penny Wong expressing horror at the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza. Australia’s move follows Sweden, the European Commission and Canada in reinstating funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, which had seen its international funding frozen while the allegations were investigated.

Japanese table tennis star reaches an agreement with ex as parliament considers a joint custody bill

TOKYO (AP) — A once-beloved Japanese table tennis star said Friday she has reached a settlement with her ex-husband, a Taiwanese star in the sport, ending a high-profile battle over custody of their 4-year-old son. The move comes at a time when Japan’s parliament is discussing legislation to introduce a dual custody system following similar high-profile custody cases brought by foreign husbands against Japanese women. “From now on, I will cooperate with Mr. Chiang in raising our children,” Ai Fukuhara said at a news conference announcing that she and former husband Chiang Hung-chieh had reached an agreement on their son’s custody.