Top Asian News 2:35 a.m. GMT

Japan’s ruling party braces for a blow to its comfortable majority in the lower house in elections

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’ s conservative ruling party braced for a blow to its comfortable majority in the lower house of parliament in Sunday’s elections amid public rage over the party’s financial scandals and discontent over a stagnant economy. The results could weaken Ishiba’s grip on power, possibly leading Japan into political uncertainty, though a change of government was not expected. Ishiba took office on Oct. 1, replacing his predecessor Fumio Kishida who resigned after failing to pacify the public over widespread slush fund practices among Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers. Ishiba immediately ordered a snap election in hopes of shoring up support by using his outspoken, reformist image.

At least 126 dead and missing in massive flooding and landslides in Philippines

TALISAY, Philippines (AP) — The number of dead and missing in massive flooding and landslides wrought by Tropical Storm Trami in the Philippines has reached nearly 130 and the president said Saturday that many areas remained isolated with people in need of rescue. Trami blew away from the northwestern Philippines on Friday, leaving at least 85 people dead and 41 others missing in in one of the Southeast Asian archipelago’s deadliest and most destructive storms so far this year, the government’s disaster-response agency said. The death toll was expected to rise as reports come in from previously isolated areas. Dozens of police, firefighters and other emergency personnel, backed by three backhoes and sniffer dogs, dug up one of the last two missing villagers in the lakeside town of Talisay in Batangas province Saturday.

Commonwealth nations adopt their first ocean declaration

APIA, Samoa (AP) — Commonwealth countries adopted Saturday their first ocean declaration during their summit held for the first time in the Pacific island nation of Samoa as calls from some of Britain’s former colonies for reparatory justice for the trans-Atlantic slave trade grew louder. The Apia Ocean Declaration was announced during the closing session of the 27th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, or CHOGM, and calls on all 56 Commonwealth nations to protect the ocean in the face of severe climate, pollution and overexploitation. More than half the Commonwealth members are small countries like Samoa, many face significant, some even existential, threats from rising seas.

US approves $2 billion in arms sales to Taiwan including advanced missile defense system

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — The United States has approved $2 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, including the first-time delivery to the self-ruled island of an advanced surface-to-air missile defense system, in a move sure to anger China. Taiwan’s presidential office on Saturday thanked Washington for greenlighting the potential arms sales. Under the island’s new president, Lai Ching-te, Taiwan has been stepping up defense measures as China increased its military threats against the territory it claims as its own. Beijing last week held war games encircling Taiwan for the second time since Lai took office in May. The U.S. is Taiwan’s strongest unofficial ally and its laws bound it to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself.

A suicide attack kills 4 security personnel in northwest Pakistan

PESHWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A suicide attack at a checkpoint killed four Pakistani security personnel and injured five in the country’s northwest on Saturday, police said. The car bombing took place in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police officer Amjad Khanand said, adding that the injured were in critical condition. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, who operate out of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and target security personnel. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack and expressed his condolences to the families of the victims. In a separate incident, a remote-controlled bomb struck a military convoy in Tank district, also in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Thousands gather for colorful celebration at Taiwan Pride parade

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Thousands gathered on the streets of Taipei on Saturday for the Taiwan Pride parade, one of Asia’s largest annual celebrations of inclusivity. Attendees, many dressed in colorful costumes, walked waving flags and banners with messages of support for gender equality. Some hailed from across the region, from places like Vietnam, Hong Kong and Japan. Taiwan has built a reputation as one of Asia’s most gender-inclusive places. The island democracy in 2019 was the first in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage after a yearslong campaign by gay rights advocates. Saturday’s parade overlapped with Halloween celebrations, with some attendees’ costumes pulling double duty for both events.

Indonesian forests pay the price for the growing global biomass energy demand

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Enormous swathes of pristine forest are being cut down across Indonesia to supply the rapidly rising international demand for biomass material seen as critical to many countries’ transitions to cleaner forms of energy. Nearly all of the biomass from forests destroyed for wood pellet production since 2021 has been shipped to South Korea and Japan, The Associated Press found in an examination of satellite images, company records and Indonesian export data. Both countries have provided millions of dollars to support the development of biomass production and use in Indonesia. Indonesia’s state-run utility also has plans to dramatically increase the amount of biomass it burns to make electricity.

Indonesian coast guard drives away a Chinese vessel in disputed waters for the third time in a week

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian patrol ships drove a Chinese coast guard vessel away from a survey vessel in a disputed area of the South China Sea for the third time in a week, according to a statement from Indonesia’s Maritime Security Agency on Saturday. A video distributed by the agency showed the Indonesian ship following the Chinese one on Friday afternoon. China’s coast guard said it was patrolling within its own jurisdiction. However, Indonesia’s coast guard and navy insisted that the Indonesian Continental Shelf in the area has received international recognition and that Indonesia has sovereign rights to exploit and explore natural resources in that area without being disturbed by any country.

King Charles tells summit the past can’t be changed as leaders ask Britain to reckon with slavery

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — King Charles III told a summit of Commonwealth countries in Samoa on Friday that the past could not be changed as he indirectly acknowledged calls from some of Britain’s former colonies for a reckoning over its role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The British monarch told leaders in Apia that he understood “the most painful aspects of our past continue to resonate.” But Charles stopped short of mentioning financial reparations that some leaders at the event have urged, and instead exhorted them to find the “right language” and an understanding of history “to guide us towards making the right choices in future where inequality exists.”

3 dead after light planes collided in Australia

SYDNEY (AP) — Three men died after two light planes collided midair and crashed into a forested area southwest of Sydney on Saturday. Australian police, fire and ambulance crews reached the two wreckage sites, located in a semirural bushland area about 55 miles southwest of Sydney, on foot. One plane had burst into flames on impact. New South Wales Police Acting Superintendent Timothy Calman confirmed that a Cessna 182 carrying two people collided with an ultralight aircraft from a nearby airfield carrying one. Further details of the victims have not been disclosed. Witnesses saw “debris coming from the sky” and tried to help, but “there was probably not much that could’ve been done,” Calman said to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation .