Top Asian News 4:35 a.m. GMT

Putin gave Kim Jong Un a Russian-made car in a show of their special ties, North Korea says

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has gifted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a Russian-made car for his personal use in a demonstration of their special relationship, North Korea’s state media reported Tuesday. The report didn’t say what kind of vehicle it was or how it was shipped. But observers said it could violate a U.N. resolution that bans supplying luxury items to North Korea in an attempt to pressure the country to abandon its nuclear weapons. Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, and another North Korean official accepted the gift Sunday and she conveyed her brother’s thanks to Putin, the Korean Central News Agency said.

Indian farmers reject government offer and say they will carry on marching to New Delhi

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian farmers who have been protesting for a week to demand guaranteed crop prices have rejected a proposal from the government, and say they will continue their march to the capital New Delhi. The protesting farmers began their march last week, but their efforts to reach the city have been blocked by authorities, who have used tear gas and heavily barricaded entry points into the capital to avoid a repeat of 2021 farmer protests when they camped on the outskirts for over a year. Late Monday night, farm leaders said they refused the government’s offer of a five-year contract for guaranteed prices for a set of crops, including pulses, maize and cotton.

Tribal bloodshed shines spotlight on instability in strategically vital Papua New Guinea

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A tribal clash in Papua New Guinea’s remote highlands in which at least 26 people were killed has put a growing internal security problem under the microscope in the strategically vital South Pacific island nation that has garnered closer military attention from the United States and China. The rival powers are increasingly keen to strike security pacts with the developing nation whose international significance has grown in tandem with China’s increased regional influence. Here’s a look at some key issues surrounding Papua New Guinea’s internal security concerns: Papua New Guinea is the most populous South Pacific island nation after Australia and was a colony of that near neighbor until independence in 1975.

Singapore Airshow to feature aerial displays and the international debut of China’s C919

SINGAPORE (AP) — The Singapore Airshow – Asia’s largest – kicks off Tuesday with an array of aerial displays including some by China’s COMAC C919 narrow-body airliner. It’s the first time Singapore has opened the event to the public since 2020, when a scaled-down version went ahead as the COVID-19 pandemic was just starting. The biennial show comes as Asia’s aviation sector is taking off following the hard years of the pandemic, when many countries in the region closed their borders to most international travel. Subhas Menon, director general of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines, said that this year’s show was “back in full swing” with over 1,000 exhibitors.

Former Bank of China chairman indicted for bribery in nation’s long-running anticorruption drive

BEIJING (AP) — The former chairman of the Bank of China has been indicted on bribery charges, prosecutors said Monday, adding to a long list of business and government officials who have been brought down by Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s yearslong anticorruption drive. Liu Liange is accused of taking advantage of his positions at the Bank of China and previously as president of the Export-Import Bank of China, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate said in a statement posted on social media. He has been charged with helping others with loans and personnel appointments in return for property and cash and with making loans in violation of regulations, causing significant losses, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

After fallout in China, Messi insists politics had nothing to do with missing game in Hong Kong

HONG KONG (AP) — Lionel Messi made another conciliatory gesture to fans in Hong Kong and mainland China on Monday by releasing a video on social media to explain why he didn’t play in an exhibition match this month, and insisted that there were no political reasons behind his decision. Messi disappointed fans in Hong Kong and the city’s government after he remained on the bench during a match between Inter Miami and a local team on Feb. 4. Messi and Inter Miami said he had a groin injury, but the grievances have spread to mainland China after he played for 30 minutes in Tokyo against Vissel Kobe days later.

How Thailand’s Thaksin Shinawatra went from prime minister to fugitive abroad and back home again

BANGKOK (AP) — Thaksin Shinawatra, the billionaire former prime minister of Thailand, made a dramatic return home after more than a decade of self-imposed exile. He was detained in a hospital for six months and on Sunday, Thaksin was released on parole for corruption-related offenses. Here’s a look at what may lie ahead for one of Southeast Asian most controversial politicians: Thaksin Shinawatra, 74 , was twice elected prime minister, only to see his second term cut short by a military coup in 2006. A former police official, Thaksin made fortune in telecommunications and used it to found his own Thai Rak Thai party in 1998.

Thai ex-Prime Minister Thaksin, just freed from detention, may still face a royal defamation charge

BANGKOK (AP) — Thai prosecutors said Monday that further investigation is needed to decide whether to bring former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to trial for defaming the monarchy, just a day after he was freed from a prison sentence on other charges he was serving in a hospital. Thaksin was released on parole Sunday from the hospital in Bangkok where he spent six months serving time for corruption-related offenses. He had been in self-imposed exile since 2008, but returned to Thailand in August last year to begin serving an eight-year sentence. On his return, he was moved almost immediately from prison to the hospital on grounds of ill health, and about a week after that King Maha Vajiralongkorn reduced his sentence to a single year.

Landslide in eastern Afghanistan leaves at least 5 people dead and 25 missing, Taliban official says

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A landslide triggered by heavy rain and snowfall buried more than two dozen houses in eastern Afghanistan, killing at least five people and leaving more than 20 others missing, a provincial official said Monday. The landslide Sunday night destroyed or damaged more than two dozen houses in Noorgram district, according to Samiulhaq Haqbayan, the Taliban-appointed director of information and culture in Nuristan province. Rescuers have recovered five bodies and were searching for at least 25 others trapped under the destroyed houses, Haqbayan said. The heavy rains and snowfall were continuing, he added. Nuristan province, which borders Pakistan, is mostly covered by mountainous forests.

Why is Japan hosting a conference for Ukraine reconstruction when it’s still at war? AP explains.

TOKYO (AP) — Japan is hosting a conference for Japanese and Ukrainian officials to discuss reconstruction of Ukraine just ahead of the two-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion, while the U.S. and other Western countries are still focusing on military aid for the battlefield. Hundreds of senior officials and executives are attending the Japan-Ukraine Conference for Promotion of Economic Growth and Reconstruction in Tokyo. AP explains the event, its purpose, who’s attending and the projects being discussed. WHO’S ATTENDING? The conference is co-organized by the Japanese and Ukrainian governments, Japan’s powerful business organization Keidanren, and the Japan External Trade Organization, or JETRO.