Top Asian News 3:07 a.m. GMT

19 more die in Bangladesh clashes as student protesters try to impose a ‘complete shutdown’

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Police and government supporters clashed Thursday with student activists trying to shut down transportation across Bangladesh as part of dayslong protests over the allocation of government jobs, and media reports said 19 people died in the violence. The new casualties Thursday would bring the overall toll to 25 dead since Monday when violence erupted at the prestigious Dhaka University in the capital. Violence pitting protesters against pro-government student groups and police soon spread to other cities. Six people had been reported killed on Tuesday, and hundreds more have been injured. Authorities did not immediately confirm figures for the deaths.

Here’s what to know about the violent protests over government jobs roiling Bangladesh

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh has been gripped by violence this week after relentless clashes between student protesters, security officials and pro-government student activists over a quota system for government jobs. Protest organizers say they are imposing “a complete shutdown” across Bangladesh on Thursday, except for essential services. This comes after several major universities in the country agreed to shut their doors indefinitely until tensions ease. Here’s what we know: The protests, which have drawn tens of thousands out on the streets, began late last month but tensions escalated on Monday when student activists at Dhaka University, the country’s largest, clashed with police and counter-protesters backed by the ruling Awami League.

The winner in China’s panda diplomacy: the pandas themselves

WASHINGTON (AP) — China’s panda diplomacy may have one true winner: the pandas themselves. Decades after Beijing began working with zoos in the U.S. and Europe to protect the species, the number of giant pandas in the wild has risen to 1,900, up from about 1,100 in the 1980s, and they are no longer considered “at risk” of extinction but have been given the safer status of “vulnerable.” Americans can take some credit for this accomplishment, because conserving the species is not purely a Chinese undertaking but a global effort where U.S. scientists and researchers have played a critical role. “We carry out scientific and research cooperation with San Diego Zoo and the zoo in Washington in the U.S., as well as European countries.

China Communist Party policy meeting endorses leader Xi’s high-tech vision for economy

BEIJING (AP) — China’s ruling Communist Party wrapped up a top-level meeting on Thursday by endorsing policies aimed at advancing the country’s technological power and fortifying its national security. A statement released when the four-day meeting ended provided only a broad-brush summary. More details are likely to emerge in the coming days. “The current and future period is a critical time for comprehensively promoting the construction of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation using Chinese-style modernization,” the statement said. It said the tasks outlined in the meeting would be completed by 2029, the 80th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

6 bodies were found in a Bangkok hotel room with no signs of violence. Police think they know why

BANGKOK (AP) — Should visitors to Thailand be concerned about their safety after six people were found dead in a locked hotel room in Bangkok? Thai authorities were quick to stress they believed the incident involved a personal dispute and did not reflect any threat to foreign visitors. Thai police believe the six — four Vietnamese nationals, and two U.S. citizens of Vietnamese heritage — died of cyanide poisoning motivated by a dispute over an investment. Forensic evidence and police interviews with relatives of the dead are said to support their hypothesis. Here’s a look at what we know so far — and how.

Vietnam’s President To Lam becomes caretaker of Communist Party while chief Trong focuses on health

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnamese President To Lam on Thursday became the caretaker of the Communist Party because of party chief Nguyen Phu Trong’s poor health, the party said in a statement. Nguyen Phu Trong, who was elected to a third term as general secretary in 2021, has dominated Vietnamese politics since he became party chief in 2011. He is an ideologue who views corruption as the gravest threat facing the party. As Vietnam’s top security official, Lam led Trong’s sweeping anti-graft campaign until May, when he became president following the resignation of his predecessor, who stood down after being caught by the campaign.

In landmark verdict, South Korea’s top court recognizes some rights for same-sex couples

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s top court ruled Thursday that same-sex couples are eligible to receive the same health insurance benefits as heterosexual couples, a landmark verdict hailed by human rights groups. The Supreme Court said it ruled that the state health insurance agency’s refusal to provide spousal insurance coverage for gay couples was an act of discrimination that violates the constitutional principle of equality. Thursday’s ruling is final and cannot be appealed. “Today’s ruling is a historic victory for equality and human rights in South Korea,” Amnesty International said in a statement. “The court has taken a significant step towards dismantling systemic discrimination and ensuring inclusivity for all.” A legal battle between a gay couple, So Seong-wook and Kim Yong-min, and the National Health Insurance Service began after the insurance agency revoked So’s registration as a dependent of Kim, prompting So to file an administrative suit.

Passenger train derails in India, killing at least 2 passengers and injuring 20 others

LUCKNOW, India (AP) — A passenger train derailed on Thursday in northern India, killing at least two passengers and injuring 20 others, a railroad official said. The cause of the accident is being investigated. Naveen Kumar, a state relief commissioner, said dozens of rescuers, a 40-member team of doctors and paramedics, and 15 ambulances have reached the site of the accident. The injured have been moved to hospitals and government health centers in the area, he said. The train was on its way to Dibrugarh, a town in northeastern Assam state, from the northern city of Chandigarh when it derailed near the town of Gonda, causing six coaches to derail and two to overturn, Kumar said.

Pacific island leaders agree to enhance Japan’s role in the region amid growing China influence

TOKYO (AP) — Leaders of 18 Pacific island nations and areas agreed to an enhanced role of Japan in the region’s development while opposing any attempted coercive activity, in a joint declaration adopted at their summit Thursday, as Tokyo seeks greater engagement to counter China’s influence. The Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting, or PALM, launched under a Japanese initiative in 1997, has become Japan’s key diplomatic tool to deter China’s security and economic influence in the region by strengthening its ties with the Pacific Island Forum members, stressing its willingness to stand by them and maintaining unity as an equal partner.

Buses carrying Chinese tourists veer off New Zealand road in 2 crashes at the same spot. 15 hurt

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Two buses carrying Chinese tourists veered off the same stretch of road in perilous weather conditions on New Zealand’s South Island on Thursday, with 15 passengers taken to hospital, two of them seriously hurt. The buses were traveling in the same direction on a stretch of highway popular with tourists when they slid from the road and overturned, at about the same time and only 100 meters (109 yards) apart, New Zealand’s police said in an emailed statement. Temperatures in the area were freezing and others driving on the highway reported heavy fog and black ice on the road at the time.