Top Asian News 4:34 a.m. GMT

Nippon Steel stands firm on a US Steel takeover and denies risks cited by Biden

TOKYO (AP) — Nippon Steel was standing firm on its proposed $15 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel, Chief Executive Eiji Hashimoto said Tuesday after President Joe Biden’s blocked the top Japanese steelmaker’s move. “There is no reason or need to give up,” he told reporters at company headquarters in Tokyo. “We are convinced it’s clearly beneficial for both nations.” While acknowledging the effort may take time, he stressed the companies’ latest legal action in the U.S. was a key development. Nippon Steel Corp. and U.S. Steel filed federal lawsuits Monday challenging the Biden administration’s decision as ignoring “the rule of law.” In separate lawsuits in the U.S.

Strong earthquake kills at least 32 people in western China

BEIJING (AP) — A strong earthquake shook a mountainous region in western China near Nepal on Tuesday morning, killing at least 32 people. The official Xinhua News Agency said that 38 others have been injured, citing the regional disaster relief headquarters. The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 7.1 earthquake was centered in the Tibet region at a depth of about 10 kilometers (6 miles). China recorded the magnitude as 6.8. The epicenter was located where the India and Eurasia plates clash and cause uplifts in the Himalayan mountains strong enough to change the heights of some of the world’s tallest peaks.

North Korea says it tested hypersonic intermediate range missile aimed at remote Pacific targets

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said Tuesday its latest weapons test was a new hypersonic intermediate-range missile designed to strike remote targets in the Pacific as leader Kim Jong Un vowed to further expand his collection of nuclear-capable weapons to counter rival nations. The North Korean state media report came a day after South Korea’s military said it detected North Korea launching a missile that flew 1,100 kilometers (685 miles) before landing in waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. The launch, conducted weeks before Donald Trump returns as U.S. president, came off a torrid year in weapons testing.

Indonesia is admitted to the BRICS bloc of developing nations

SAO PAULO (AP) — Indonesia has been admitted as a full member of the BRICS bloc of developing economies, the group’s presiding country Brazil announced Monday. Indonesia’s candidacy was endorsed by BRICS leaders in August 2023, according to the foreign ministry of Brazil, which holds the group’s presidency for 2025. However, the world’s fourth-most populous nation opted to formally join the bloc only after the formation of its newly elected government last year. “The Brazilian government welcomes Indonesia’s entry into the BRICS,” the government said in a statement. “With the largest population and economy in Southeast Asia, Indonesia shares with other members a commitment to reforming global governance institutions and contributes positively to deepening South-South cooperation.” BRICS was formed by Brazil, Russia, India and China in 2009, and South Africa was added in 2010.

What to know about the siege outside South Korea’s presidential compound

TOKYO (AP) — A standoff between rival government forces outside the presidential compound in South Korea has been startling even for those used to the country’s famously rough and tumble politics. For weeks, impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol has remained inside and refused to respond to detention and search warrants. Scuffles broke out late last week as dozens of investigators were stopped from entering the compound by hundreds of presidential security guards and a barricade. The spectacle followed Yoon’s astonishing decision last month to impose martial law during a seemingly routine impasse with the opposition, which dominates parliament. Here’s a closer view of recent events as well as South Korea’s tempestuous political history, which has seen presidents toppled, arrested, jailed and shamed as millions have taken to the streets in protest.

South Korean anti-corruption agency and police debate tougher measures to detain impeached president

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s anti-corruption agency and police debated on Monday more forceful measures to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol after their previous attempt was blocked by the presidential security service last week. The discussions highlighted the obstacles facing the criminal investigation into Yoon’s Dec. 3 martial law decree, which led to his impeachment on Dec. 14. The one-week detention warrant was set to expire at midnight, but the agency requested a new court warrant to extend the timeframe for taking Yoon into custody. The Seoul Western District Court last week issued a warrant to detain Yoon and a separate warrant to search his residence after he defied authorities by refusing to appear for questioning over his brief power grab.

Afghans arrive in the Philippines to complete visa processing for resettlement in US

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A group of Afghan nationals arrived in the Philippines ⁠on Monday to process special immigrant visas for their resettlement in the United States, as part of an agreement between Manila and Washington. The Philippines agreed last July to temporarily host a U.S. immigrant visa processing center for a limited number of Afghan nationals aspiring to resettle in America. Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Teresita Daza said the Afghan nationals who landed in the Philippines on Monday were provided entry visas. She said they had completed extensive security vetting and undergone full medical screenings prior to their arrival.

Malaysia’s ex-leader Najib wins appeal to pursue bid to serve corruption sentence at home

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia’s imprisoned former Prime Minister Najib Razak on Monday won an appeal to pursue his bid to serve his remaining corruption sentence under house arrest. In an application in April last year, Najib said he had clear information that then-King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah issued an addendum order allowing him to finish his sentence under house arrest. Najib claimed the addendum was issued during a pardons board meeting on Jan. 29 last year chaired by Sultan Abdullah that also cut his 12-year jail sentence by half and sharply reduced a fine. But the High Court threw out his bid three months later.

Two boats with more than 260 Rohingya refugees arrives in Indonesia’s coast

LHOKSEUMAWE, Indonesia (AP) — More than 260 weak and hungry Rohingya refugees, mostly women and children, have landed in Indonesia in two boats, officials said Monday. Police and military officers are working with the U.N. refugee agency and the local government in West Pereulak in East Aceh to gather more information about the refugees, who arrived Sunday evening, and keep them safe, East Aceh police chief Nova Suryandaru said. “We will follow up their presence by coordinating with the UNHCR for further action,” Suryandaru said. More than 300 Rohingya refugees have landed in East Aceh since last February. About 1 million Rohingya, who are predominantly Muslim, are living in camps in Bangladesh after leaving Myanmar.

Shigemi Fukahori, who survived Nagasaki bombing and spent his life advocating for peace, dies at 93

TOKYO (AP) — Shigemi Fukahori, a survivor of the 1945 Nagasaki atomic bombing, who devoted his life to advocating for peace and campaigning against nuclear weapons, has died. He was 93. Fukahori died at a hospital in Nagasaki, southwestern Japan, on Jan. 3, the Urakami Catholic Church, where he prayed almost daily until last year, said on Sunday. Local media reported he died of old age. The church, located about 500 meters from ground zero and near the Nagasaki Peace Park, is widely seen as a symbol of hope and peace, as its bell tower and some statues and survived the nuclear bombing.