Top Asian News 4:51 a.m. GMT

Sri Lanka votes in a parliamentary election that’s key for its new Marxist-leaning president

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lankans are voting in a parliamentary election Thursday that is key for the country’s new, Marxist-leaning president to consolidate his party’s power and follow through on promises of economic recovery. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake won the presidential election on Sept. 21 in a victory that marked a rejection of the traditional political parties, which have governed the island nation since its independence from British rule in 1948. However, Dissanayake’s failure to secure more than 50% of the vote has fueled concerns over his party’s outlook in Thursday’s election. His National People’s Power party must increase its votes significantly — from the 42% it won in the presidential election — if it is to acquire a minimum of 113 seats to take control of the 225-member Parliament.

India’s Modi likely to find comfort in Trump’s return and a shared worldview

NEW DELHI (AP) — Donald Trump’s return to the White House has made many countries anxious and recalculating where they stand with the U.S., but India appears to be welcoming the change that may embolden nationalist leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “I know today a lot of countries are nervous about the U.S., let’s be honest about that,” India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said over the weekend. India was “not one of them.” A call from Modi “was among the first three calls, I think, that President (elect) Trump took,” he added. A second Trump presidency is likely to play out in New Delhi’s favor, experts say, especially as Modi seeks to reset India’s relationship with the West after recent frictions over his refusal to join sanctions against Russia or condemn its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Japan’s sake brewers hope UNESCO heritage listing can boost rice wine’s appeal

OME, Japan (AP) — Deep in a dark warehouse the sake sleeps, stored in rows of giant tanks, each holding more than 10,000 liters (2,640 gallons) of the Japanese rice wine that is the product of brewing techniques dating back more than 1,000 years. Junichiro Ozawa, the 18th-generation head of Ozawa Brewery, founded in 1702, hopes sake-brewing will win recognition as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, when the decision is made next month. “We always think about the people who’re enjoying our sake when we make it. I’m now so excited, imagining the faces of all the people around the world,” he told reporters Wednesday during a tour of his brewery on the pastoral outskirts of Tokyo.

Investigation into Chinese hacking reveals ‘broad and significant’ spying effort, FBI says

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal investigation into Chinese government efforts to hack into U.S. telecommunications networks has revealed a “broad and significant” cyberespionage campaign aimed at stealing information from Americans who work in government and politics, the FBI said Wednesday. Hackers affiliated with Beijing have compromised the networks of “multiple” telecommunications companies to obtain customer call records and gain access to the private communications of “a limited number of individuals,” according to a joint statement issued by the FBI and the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. The FBI did not identify any of the individuals targeted by the hackers but said most of them “are primarily involved in government or political activity.” The hackers also sought to copy “certain information that was subject to U.S.

Silence descends around China’s deadliest mass killing in years as flowers cleared away

ZHUHAI, China (AP) — Online discussion about China’s deadliest mass killing in years was being censored Wednesday as authorities in a southern city cleared candles and flowers from the memorial to the 35 people dead. Police have offered little information about the 62-year-old driver who rammed his vehicle into a sports complex in Zhuhai on Monday, mowing down people as they were exercising. They said the man, identified only by his surname of Fan, was upset about his divorce settlement. He was arrested as he tried to flee the scene. The attack, which also severely injured 43 people, took place on the eve of the Zhuhai Airshow, sponsored by the People’s Liberation Army and held every other year.

Philippines says it will cooperate if ICC seeks Duterte’s custody over drug killings

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine government said Wednesday its law enforcement agencies will be bound to cooperate if the International Criminal Court seeks the custody of former President Rodrigo Duterte as part of an investigation into thousands of deaths during his crackdown on illegal drugs. The Hague-based court has been investigating the widespread killings that took place while Duterte was mayor of the southern Philippine city of Davao and later as president from 2016 to 2020, as a possible crime against humanity. Human rights groups estimate the deaths could exceed 20,000 during Duterte’s presidency alone. The bloody campaign alarmed Western governments and led to complaints that sparked the investigation by the ICC, a court of last resort for crimes that countries are unwilling or unable to prosecute themselves.

Biden and Xi will meet in Peru as US-China relations tested again by Trump’s return

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will hold talks Saturday with China’s Xi Jinping on the sidelines of an international summit in Peru, a face-to-face meeting that comes as Beijing braces for Donald Trump’s return to the White House. White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the meeting will take place while the two leaders are in Lima for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. That will come just over two months before Trump’s inauguration. Sullivan was opaque about how Biden and administration officials will answer expected questions from Xi and his aides about the incoming Trump administration. “Transitions are uniquely consequential moments in geopolitics.

Indonesia’s volcanic eruption grounds international flights on tourist island of Bali

DENPASAR, Indonesia (AP) — Several international airlines canceled flights to and from Indonesia’s tourist island of Bali on Wednesday as an ongoing volcanic eruption left travelers stranded at airports. Tourists told The Associated Press that they have been stuck at Bali’s airport since Tuesday after their flights were suddenly canceled. “The airline did not provide accommodation, leaving us stranded at this airport,” said Charlie Austin from Perth, Australia, who was on vacation in Bali with his family. Another Australian tourist, Issabella Butler, opted to find another airline that could fly her home. “The important thing is that we have to be able to get out of here,” she said.

Japan’s nuclear watchdog disqualifies a reactor for the first time since Fukushima disaster

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s nuclear watchdog on Wednesday formally disqualified a reactor in the country’s north-central region from restarting, the first rejection under safety standards that were reinforced after the 2011 Fukushima disaster. The decision is a setback for Japan as it seeks to accelerate reactor restarts to maximize nuclear power. The Nuclear Regulation Authority said the Tsuruga No. 2 reactor is “unfit” as its operator failed to address safety risks stemming from the presence of possible active fault lines, which can potentially cause earthquakes, underneath it. Tsuruga No. 2, operated by the Japan Atomic Power Co., is the first reactor to be rejected under safety standards adopted in 2013 based on lessons from the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi meltdown disaster following a massive earthquake and tsunami.

Rights groups condemn Bangladesh for canceling accreditation of 167 journalists

NEW DELHI (AP) — An association of editors and rights groups has condemned a decision by Bangladesh’s interim government to cancel press accreditations for 167 journalists, calling it a threat to press freedom in the country. Between Oct. 29 and Nov. 7, the Press Information Department revoked the accreditations in three phases, drawing widespread criticism from press advocates and journalists. The move has added to concerns over press freedom and harassment of journalists following the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina August in a student-led revolt against her government. The Editors’ Council said the cancellation of accreditation by the interim government headed by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus risks “fostering a climate of exerting control, including censorship, over the media”.