Top Asian News 4:00 p.m. GMT

Flash floods kill more than 300 people in northern Afghanistan after heavy rains, UN says

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Flash floods from unusually heavy seasonal rains in Afghanistan have killed more than 300 people and destroyed over 1,000 houses, the U.N. food agency said Saturday. The World Food Program said it was distributing fortified biscuits to the survivors of one of the many floods that hit Afghanistan over the last few weeks, mostly the northern province of Baghlan, which bore the brunt of the deluges Friday. In neighboring Takhar province, state-owned media outlets reported the floods killed at least 20 people. Videos posted on social media showed dozens of people gathered Saturday behind the hospital in Baghlan looking for their loved ones.

A top Cambodian opposition politician is charged with inciting disorder for criticizing government

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — The leader of a recently formed Cambodian opposition party has been charged with inciting social disorder, his lawyer said Saturday, in the third major legal action this month targeting critics of the government of Prime Minister Hun Manet, Sun Chanthy of the Nation Power Party, established late last year, was formally charged Friday by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court and sent to pre-trial detention in the northwestern province of Pursat, according to Choung Chou Ngy. He said his client could be sentenced to six months to two years in prison if convicted, and that on Monday he will seek his release on bail.

North Korean leader Kim supervises latest test of new multiple rocket launcher

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised another test firing of a new multiple rocket launch system the country plans to deploy to its forces starting this year, state media said Saturday, part of its move to bolster its lineup of weapons targeting South Korean population centers. North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said Friday’s test confirmed the “advantage and destructive power” of the 240-millimeter multiple rocket launcher and its guided shells. The agency said the system, which the North already tested twice this year, will be deployed to combat units from 2024 to 2026 to replace older weapons.

AP PHOTOS: Lotus Lantern Festival draws thousands in Seoul to celebrate upcoming Buddha’s birthday

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Holding umbrellas and pink paper lotus flowers, thousands of South Koreans joyously filled the wet streets of Seoul in an annual festival anticipating Buddha’s birthday the coming week. Despite the rain, organizers expected a turnout of around 50,000 people for Saturday’s Yeon Deung Hoe, or Lotus Lantern Festival, whose evening parade draws huge crowds out to see the featured floats, some carried and others rolled on wheels along the downtown area of the capital, Seoul. The festival — which began more than 1,000 years ago and was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2020 — aims to spread the enlightenment of the founder of Buddhism all over the world.

Japan defense chief urges higher security after drone video of warship posted on China social media

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s defense chief Friday called for the bolstering of its anti-drone capability after a drone footage posted on Chinese social media showed a Japanese aircraft carrier docked at a restricted navy port west of Tokyo. Defense Minister Minoru Kihara called it a serious security threat. Kihara’s acknowledgement of the vulnerability comes more than a month after a video filmed by a drone showed JS Izumo, one of two Japanese helicopter carriers, being retrofitted to carry stealth fighters to strengthen Japan’s counter-strike capability in the face of China’s assertive military actions in the Indo-Pacific. The footage, also showing plants, buildings and other facility at the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Yokosuka naval base was posted on a Chinese social media site in March, prompting investigation by ministry officials.

Top Indian opposition leader released on bail by court enabling him to campaign in elections

NEW DELHI (AP) — A top Indian opposition leader was freed from jail on interim bail by the Supreme Court on Friday nearly seven weeks after his arrest in a bribery case that opposition parties called a political move by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government against one of his rivals during a national election. Arvind Kejriwal, the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party, or Common Man’s Party, is the chief elected official in the city of New Delhi and one of the country’s most influential politicians of the past decade. The court order enables him to campaign in the country’s national election until the voting ends on June 1, Kejriwal’s attorney said.

Countries struggle to draft ‘pandemic treaty’ to avoid mistakes made during COVID

GENEVA (AP) — After the coronavirus pandemic triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions, leaders at the World Health Organization and worldwide vowed to do better in the future. Years later, countries are still struggling to come up with an agreed-upon plan for how the world might respond to the next global outbreak. A ninth and final round of talks involving governments, advocacy groups and others to finalize a “pandemic treaty” is scheduled to end Friday. The accord’s aim: guidelines for how the WHO’s 194 member countries might stop future pandemics and better share scarce resources. But experts warn there are virtually no consequences for countries that don’t comply.

China’s Xi leaves Hungary as he concludes a 5-day visit to Europe

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping left Hungary on Friday, concluding a tour of three European nations meant to meant to reinforce China’s growing influence on the continent. Xi’s plane took off from Budapest airport on Friday evening, after five days in Europe that began with a visit to France and then Serbia. Earlier on Friday, Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on the social platform X that Xi had concluded his three-day state visit to Hungary, the last stop on his Europe visit, hailing the development of the two nations’ “strategic partnership.” During the visit, Hungary and China signed a number of new agreements on deepening their economic and cultural cooperation.

PR executive reportedly departs China’s Baidu after comments glorifying overwork draw backlash

HONG KONG (AP) — A top Baidu public relations executive has reportedly departed the Chinese technology company after she drew public outcry over her comments that were seen as glorifying a culture of overwork. Baidu’s head of communications Qu Jing had implied in a series of videos that she was not concerned about her employees as she was “not their mom” and said she only cared about results. She also said that the relationship between her and her subordinates was purely an “employer-employee relationship.” The backlash was swift, with many on social media platforms like Weibo saying Qu lacked empathy. Chinese online media outlet 36Kr first reported late Thursday that Qu had left her position at Baidu, citing unnamed sources.

Australian judge extends ban on X sharing video of Sydney bishop’s stabbing

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — An Australian judge on Friday extended a ban on X allowing videos of the stabbing of a Sydney bishop in his church last month after government lawyers condemned the social media company’s free speech argument for keeping the graphic images circulating. Australian Federal Court Justice Geoffrey Kennett extended his order that X Corp., the company rebranded by billionaire Elon Musk when he bought Twitter last year, block users from sharing videos of the April 15 attack. The attack led to terrorism-related charges for the alleged attacker, a teenager, and triggered a riot outside the church. The order has existed since April 22 and Kennett will decide on Monday whether it will continue in its current form.