Top Asian News 4:39 a.m. GMT

South Korea’s acting leader accepts resignation of presidential security chief

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s acting leader on Friday accepted the resignation of the chief of the presidential security service, Park Jong-joon, as he faced police questioning over how his forces blocked law enforcement efforts to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol last week. The acting leader, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, also expressed regret over the clashes between law enforcement officials and the presidential security service and called for lawmakers to reach a bipartisan agreement to launch an independent investigation. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials and police are planning a second attempt to bring Yoon into custody as they jointly investigate whether his brief martial law declaration on Dec.

Britain’s Treasury chief kicks off China visit

BEIJING (AP) — Britain’s Treasury chief kicked off a visit to China on Saturday aimed at boosting economic and financial cooperation between the countries, as the U.K.’s Labour government seeks to reset strained ties with Beijing. Rachel Reeves, who is traveling with a delegation of British business leaders, will meet top Chinese finance and economic officials including Vice Premier He Lifeng. “Growth is the number one mission of this Labour government. And to grow the economy, we need to help great British businesses export around the world,” Reeves said on Saturday as she visited a store of the British folding bike maker Brompton in Beijing.

An albatross couple shares egg duty in this captivating low-drama reality show

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — It’s a reality show about a loving couple waiting to welcome their new arrival, watched by thousands of ardent fans. But the stars of Royal Cam, now in its 10th season, aren’t socialites or hopefuls in love but northern royal albatrosses — majestic New Zealand seabirds with 10-foot (3-meter) wingspans. The 24-hour livestream of the birds’ breeding season at Taiaroa Head — a rugged headland on New Zealand’s South Island — was established to raise awareness of the vulnerable species, numbers of which have grown slowly over decades of painstaking conservation measures. Millions have watched the stream since it began in 2016.

Bodies found after gas explosion causes coal mine to collapse in southwest Pakistan

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — At least three miners have died after a methane gas explosion caused a coal mine to collapse in a remote area of southwest Pakistan, officials said Friday, as authorities launched an operation to rescue nine other missing workers. Abdul Ghani, a mines inspector, said the blast happened on Thursday night in Singidi, a town in Balochistan province. He said rescuers had retrieved the bodies of three peoples and were carefully removing debris from the mine as part of a rescue effort. Shahid Rind, a Balochistan government spokesman, said all available resources are being used in the rescue operation.

Japan slaps new sanctions on Russia and groups in other nations that allegedly helped it evade bans

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Cabinet on Friday approved additional sanctions against Russia over its war on Ukraine, including freezing the assets of dozens of individuals and groups and banning exports to dozens of organizations in Russia and several other countries that have allegedly helped it evade sanctions. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said Friday’s approval of the additional sanctions shows Japan’s commitment to efforts by the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations to strengthen sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Japan has imposed several previous rounds of sanctions, and the latest step comes after Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba reaffirmed the country’s policy at an online G7 summit in mid-December following Russia’s increased cooperation with North Korea and use of third countries in evading sanctions.

A Pakistani court suspends the deportation of Afghan singers and musicians

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A Pakistani court on Friday stopped the deportation of 150 Afghan musicians and singers for at least two months, ordering authorities not to expel or force them to return home until their asylum applications are decided, their defense lawyer said Friday. These Afghans were among an estimated half a million others who escaped Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in 2021. Like the rest of the world, Pakistan has so far not recognized Afghanistan’s Taliban government. The international community has been wary of the Taliban’s harsh measures, imposed since their takeover, especially in restricting the rights of women and minorities.

The Latest: Supreme Court seems likely to uphold a law that could ban TikTok in the US on Jan. 19

Australian woman who says she is the Philippine president’s half-sister appears in a Sydney court

SYDNEY (AP) — An Australian woman who says she is the half-sister of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appeared in a Sydney court on Friday on charges of causing a drunken disturbance on an airliner and pledged not to drink alcohol at airports or on planes while she is on bail. Analisa Josefa Corr is accused of assaulting a fellow passenger outside a plane’s toilet after she and her husband, James Alexander Corr, allegedly consumed alcohol they had brought onto the flight and became intoxicated. After the plane landed in Sydney, they were taken to a nearby police station and charged.

State-run Pakistan International Airlines resumes direct flights to Europe after EU lifts ban

ISLAMABAD (AP) — State-run Pakistan International Airlines resumed direct flights to Europe on Friday following a decision by the European Union’s aviation safety agency to lift a four-year ban over safety standards, officials said. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed the resumption, saying it would help improve the airline’s image. The flight from Islamabad to Paris was fully booked with more than 300 passengers, the airline said. Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif inaugurated the twice-a-week flights and vowed that PIA will expand its operations to other European countries soon. Asif said in a speech that the European Union Aviation Safety Agency had imposed the ban on PIA’s operations to Europe because of an “irresponsible statement” by a former aviation minister.

The Supreme Court might let the U.S. ban TikTok unless it’s sold. Here’s what to know.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court seemed likely Friday to uphold the law that could ban TikTok, with most of the justices appearing to take seriously the national security risks posed by the wildly popular app whose parent company is based in China. U.S. government says Chinese authorities could force the company to hand over sensitive data on its massive American user base or influence the spread of information on the platform through its proprietary algorithm. TikTok says those concerns are overblown and the law should be struck down because it violates the First Amendment. The law would ban TikTok in the U.S., unless it’s sold away from its Chinese parent company.