Top Asian News 2:43 a.m. GMT

Flooding and landslides in Nepal kill at least 66 people, with as many again still missing

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Flooding and landslides caused by continuous rainfall has killed at least 66 people in Nepal, and a further 69 are missing, officials said Saturday. Rain has been pouring down since Friday night and is expected to continue over the weekend. Home Ministry spokesperson Rishiram Tiwari told reporters there were 66 people reported dead across the country, of whom 34 were in the capital, Kathmandu. Sixty people were injured and 3,010 rescued across the Himalayan nation, he added. He said all divisions of security forces in the country including the army have been ordered to help in the rescue efforts.

Landslide triggered by rain leaves 12 dead and 2 missing at an illegal gold mine in Indonesia

SUNGAI ABU, Indonesia (AP) — Mud, rugged terrain and lack of telecommunications hampered rescue efforts Saturday after a landslide set off by torrential rains smashed down into an unauthorized gold mining operation on Indonesia’s Sumatra Island, killing at least 12 people. Villagers had been digging for grains of gold in the remote village in the Solok district of West Sumatra province when mud plunged down the surrounding hills and buried them on Thursday. Several people managed to escape and some were pulled out by rescuers, said local search and rescue agency chief Abdul Malik. Eleven people were injured. Malik said rescuers recovered 12 bodies, revising an earlier death toll of 15 after officials discovered that lack of communications and the remoteness of the village had affected the counting of the victims.

China, at UN, warns against ‘expansion of the battlefield’ in the Ukraine war

NEW YORK (AP) — Three days before his communist government turns 75, China’s foreign minister warned fellow leaders Saturday against an “expansion of the battlefield” in Russia’s war with Ukraine and said the Beijing government remains committed to shuttle diplomacy and efforts to push the conflict toward its end. “The top priority is to commit to no expansion of the battlefield. ... China is committed to playing a constructive role,” Wang Yi said. He warned against other nations “throwing oil on the fire or exploiting the situation for selfish gains,” a likely reference to the United States. Wang’s speech appeared to break no new ground, as is generally China’s recent practice at the U.N.

The sole candidate for Macao’s leader pledges to diversify the casino city’s economy

HONG KONG (AP) — The sole candidate in the election for Macao’s next leader on Saturday pledged to diversify the economy of the Chinese casino city, a goal previously laid out by Beijing. Sam Hou-fai, the city’s former top judge, said at a news conference that the diversification is a key issue he must address. At a separate event, he told election committee members who will vote on Oct. 13 that the city has learned a lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic. Macao’s tourism and gaming industries suffered a big slump because of the virus controls before China rolled back its “zero-COVID” strategy in late 2022.

Japanese fans bid farewell to beloved panda pair before their return to China

TOKYO (AP) — Thousands of Japanese fans bid tearful farewell to their beloved panda couple that made their final public appearance at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo on Saturday before returning to China for medical treatment. The pair, Ri Ri and Shin Shin, are the parents of Xiang Xiang, the park-born idol that had returned home last year. More than 2,000 visitors, many wearing T-shirts and carrying items decorated by panda motifs, queued outside the zoo hours before the opening. Some said they camped out overnight to secure their chance. The pandas, both 19 years old, arrived at the Ueno Zoo in 2011.

A helicopter crash due to engine failure kills 6 in northwest Pakistan

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A helicopter crash due to engine failure has killed six people and injured eight others in Pakistan’s northwest, a local police officer said Saturday. The chartered flight was transporting employees of Mari Petroleum when it crashed in North Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to police officer Ahmed Khan. A security official earlier put the death toll at seven and said that three Russians — two pilots and a crew member — were on board. He didn’t say if they were among the dead. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

What to know from the UN: China, Russia have their say, and a frog metaphor makes a cameo

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — China and Russia got their turns at the U.N. General Assembly podium on Saturday, but — per usual — their top leaders didn’t speak. Instead, they turned to their foreign ministers, WANG YI and SERGEY LAVROV. Wang’s speech, per usual for China at the U.N., didn’t break much new ground. He weighed in on the importance of national sovereignty — a frequent talking point for Beijing — and insisted, as he usually does, that Taiwan incontrovertibly belongs to China. Wang warned fellow leaders against an “expansion of the battlefield” in Russia’s war with Ukraine and said the Beijing government remains committed to shuttle diplomacy and efforts to push the conflict toward its end.

Gunmen storm a house and kill 7 workers in Pakistan’s southwest

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Gunmen stormed a house and killed seven laborers and wounded an eighth in Pakistan’s southwest Balochistan province, a police official said Saturday. The workers were all from the same town in Punjab, which is in Pakistan’s east. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but separatists in Balochistan have often killed workers and others from Punjab to force them to leave the southwest, which for years has been rocked by an insurgency from groups demanding independence from the central government in Islamabad. Police officer Zaheer Ahmed said that armed men entered the rented house where the laborers were staying and opened fire.

Ex-Defense Minister Ishiba chosen to lead Japan’s ruling party and become prime minister

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s governing party on Friday picked former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba as its leader, setting him up to become prime minister next week. The party leadership is a ticket to the top job because the Liberal Democratic Party’s governing coalition controls parliament. Considered a defense policy expert, Ishiba secured a come-from-behind win against Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi, a staunch conservative who hoped to become the country’s first female prime minister. The LDP, which has enjoyed nearly unbroken rule since World War II, may have seen Ishiba’s more centrist views as crucial in pushing back challenges by the liberal-leaning opposition and winning voter support as the party reels from corruption scandals that drove down outgoing Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s popularity.

A decade later, Hong Kong’s massive democracy protests remain an enduring memory

HONG KONG (AP) — Scores of red Chinese flags now flap near the Hong Kong government headquarters in preparation for China’s national day as police patrolled the area thousands of demonstrators occupied a decade ago to protest Beijing’s restrictions on candidates running for the city’s top job. In Sept. 2014, protesters fended off police’s pepper spray using their umbrellas in a 79-day face-off, and the largely peaceful Umbrella Movement saw more people join an encampment around the two nearby bridges. The movement, also known as Occupy Central, catalyzed a profound political awakening among many young Hong Kongers and shaped the huge anti-government protests in 2019, the biggest challenge to Beijing since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.