Top Asian News 3:11 p.m. GMT

Millions of Muslims in Indonesia mark the start of the holy month of Ramadan

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Muslims in Indonesia are shopping for sweets and new clothes and taking part in traditional festivities as millions observe the holy month of Ramadan, which started on Saturday. Celebrations in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country range from colorful nighttime parades and cleaning family graves to preparing food for predawn breakfasts and elaborate post-sundown meals known as “iftars.” Each region in the vast archipelago nation of 17,000 islands has its own way to mark the start of Ramadan, when Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sexual intercourse from sunrise until sunset for the whole month. Even a tiny sip of water or a puff of smoke is enough to invalidate the fast.

Boats collide on river in southern China, killing at least 11 people

BEIJING (AP) — A small ferry was hit by an oil spill cleaning vessel on a river in southern China, state media said on Friday night, killing 11 people while five more are missing. Nineteen people fell overboard during the crash on the Yuanshui River in Hunan province on Tuesday morning, and three were rescued the same day, according to the country’s official news agency Xinhua. The accident happened at a point where the river is more than 60 meters (200 feet) deep, on average, and 500 meters (1,600 feet) wide. Rescue teams salvaged the ferry on Friday night, according to Xinhua, and are continuing the search.

Thousands of mourners attend funeral of Taliban-linked cleric killed in Pakistan suicide blast

AKORA KHATTAK, Pakistan (AP) — Thousands of mourners attended a funeral on Saturday for a Taliban-linked cleric slain in a suicide bomb attack on a seminary in Pakistan’s northwest. Hamidul Haq, the head of Jamia Haqqania seminary, was one of seven people killed in a suicide bombing on Friday at a mosque inside the compound. Police said Haq was the target of the attack. Haq was the son of the late Maulana Samiul Haq, who is considered a founding figure for the Afghan and Pakistani branches of the Taliban. Many Afghan Taliban have studied at Jamia Haqqania in the past few decades.

At least 4 construction workers are killed in an avalanche in northern India

LUCKNOW, India (AP) — At least four workers have died after an avalanche swept away a large construction crew working on a highway near India’s mountainous border with Tibet, Indian army said Saturday. The incident took place near the Mana Pass in northern Uttarakhand state on Friday, and 55 construction workers were initially trapped under snow. Rescuers pulled out 50 workers, of whom four later died, the Indian army said in a statement. It said the search for the five remaining missing workers was continuing, with multiple teams of rescuers and military helicopters scanning the incident site. The statement did not specify the number of injured but said they were “being prioritized for evacuation.” Chandrashekhar Vashistha, a senior administrative official, said some of the workers had sustained serious injures and were hospitalized.

AP PHOTOS: Wrathful deities are invoked in a Tibetan Buddhist dance in a monastery in north India

BAIJNATH, India (AP) — Wearing colorful robes and fearsome masks, the monks high stepped and spun around around the sandstone courtyard to the sound of drums, cymbals and long horns. Behind them towered the wrathful Buddhist diety Mahakala with his crown of skulls, carrying a bowl of blood and the legendary weapon Vajra. The cham dance is performed in this monastery in the Himalayas the day before the Tibetan New Year, known as Losar, evoking Mahakala to remove obstacles and cleanse the place of negative energy. Palpung Sherabling is a branch of a monastery founded in the 18th century in eastern Tibet.

84 Indonesians freed from scam centers in Myanmar arrive home

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Eighty-four Indonesians freed from scam centers in Myanmar arrived in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, late Friday, part of a massive repatriation movement that is straining regional resources. They were among more than 7,000 people being held in the Myanmar border town Myawaddy following a crackdown on the scam centers by Thailand, Myanmar and China. Two buses carrying the Indonesians arrived Thursday in the Thai border city of Mae Sot, where the passengers had health checks, and their identities were verified. The 84 Indonesians, which included 69 men and 15 women, were brought home on three commercial flights Friday.

A Myanmar online news site says its jailed journalist is tortured for revealing abuses of prisoners

BANGKOK (AP) — An independent online news agency in Myanmar said Friday that one of its journalists arrested two years ago has been subjected to daily physical and mental abuse after exposing human rights violations in the country’s main prison where he’s being held. The actions taken against photojournalist Sai Zaw Thaike were also to punish him for leaking information from the prison to media outlets, and because the ruling military government holds a grudge against him for his reporting about them before his arrest, said his employer, Swe Win, editor-in-chief of Myanmar Now. The military government has cracked down heavily on media freedom since the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.

Japan’s PM admits to being ‘extremely nervous’ as he swaps functionality for style at fashion show

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who is usually known for his geeky image, wowed a fashion show audience on Saturday during a surprise appearance in which he ditched his usual suit in favor of a more stylish look in a show of his support for “cool” Japan. Ishiba arrived at the Tokyo Girls Collection in a double-breasted blazer, denim trousers, white sneakers and stylish black-rimmed glasses. The surprise change of attire received a big cheer of approval from other guests, performers and the audience. The fashion show, which was held at Tokyo’s National Yoyogi Stadium First Gymnasium, is billed as one of Japan’s most prestigious fashion events.

84 Indonesians freed from scam centers in Myanmar are set to go home

MAE SOT, Thailand (AP) — Eighty-four Indonesians freed from scam centers in Myanmar were set to return home Friday as the repatriation of thousands of such workers after a crackdown strains regional resources. The Indonesians were among more than 7,000 people being held in the Myanmar border town Myawaddy following a crackdown on the scam centers by Thailand, Myanmar and China. Two buses carrying the Indonesians arrived Thursday in the Thai border city of Mae Sot, where the passengers had health checks and their identities were verified. Hundreds of thousands of people are believed to have been lured to work in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos to commit global scams through false romances, bogus investment pitches and illegal gambling schemes.

Suicide bomber kills senior cleric at pro-Taliban seminary in northwest Pakistan on eve of Ramadan

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A senior cleric and five other worshippers were killed Friday in a suicide bomb attack at a pro-Taliban seminary in northwestern Pakistan ahead of the fasting month of Ramadan, police said. It was one of at least four attacks throughout Pakistan, two of them at mosques, which were unusual both in their number and timing just before the holy period marked by daily fasting in the Muslim-majority country. Many people also were wounded during the attack at the mosque inside the Jamia Haqqania seminary, in the Akora Khattak district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the suicide blast, which happened after an attacker gained entry despite tight security.