Top Asian News 4:57 a.m. GMT

MH370 disappeared a decade ago. Here’s what we know about one of aviation’s biggest mysteries

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — A decade ago on March 8, a Malaysia Airlines flight vanished without a trace, becoming one of aviation’s biggest mysteries. Investigators still do not know exactly what happened to the plane and its 239 passengers. But Malaysia’s government said Sunday it may renew the hunt for MH370 after an American marine robotics company that tried to find the plane in 2018 proposed a fresh search. A massive multinational search in the southern Indian Ocean, where the jet is believed to have crashed, found nothing. Apart from some small fragments that later washed ashore, no bodies or wreckage have ever been found.

Economic plans, Taiwan and other things to know from the opening of China’s legislature

BEIJING (AP) — China’s Premier Li Qiang promoted an image of confidence as he announced modest economic growth goals for the world’s second largest economy, at one of the country’s most important political gatherings. Li addressed a few thousand delegates of the country’s rubber-stamp legislature, the National People’s Congress, which met in Beijing. It’s a time when the government reviews the work of the past year, and crucially reveals targets and goals for the coming year, especially in its approach to its economy, military budget and Chinese society. Here are some key takeaways from Li’s address Tuesday. The government’s overall approach to the economy will not change, as the goals by the government for 2024 signal that they want to stabilize growth.

Australia and Laos elevate bilateral relations at Southeast Asian summit

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Leaders of Australia and Laos signed an agreement that deepens bilateral ties on Wednesday on the final day of a Southeast Asian summit. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Laos counterpart Sonexay Siphandone are co-chairing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ special summit being held in Melbourne to mark 50 years since Australia became the 10-nation bloc’s first external partner. The agreement elevates the relationship to a comprehensive partnership which will become the foundation for collaboration on defense, environment, climate, clean energy, agriculture and education. Laos, the bloc’s poorest nation, took over ASEAN’s rotating leadership from Indonesia this year and is pursuing a theme of enhancing connectivity and resilience.

US destroyer shoots down missile and drones launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A U.S. destroyer shot down drones and a missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels toward it in the Red Sea, officials said early Wednesday, as the Indian navy released images of it fighting a fire aboard a container ship earlier targeted by the Houthis. The assault Tuesday apparently targeted the USS Carney, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer that has been involved in the American campaign against the rebels who have launched attacks over Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The Houthi attack involved bomb-carrying drones and one anti-ship ballistic missile, the U.S. military’s Central Command said.

Gang rape of a tourist in India highlights its struggle to curb sexual violence against women

NEW DELHI (AP) — The woman in the Instagram video appeared shaken. Her face was swollen and bruised. Sitting beside her husband, she began recounting her ordeal. “Something happened to us that we wouldn’t wish on anyone,” she said in Spanish, with captions in English. Her husband then said: “We were assaulted in the tent. We were beaten. They put a knife to our necks and she was raped by seven guys.” In the video that has since been deleted, the woman said the assault on her and her Spanish partner — both travel bloggers — took place in a forest late Friday in eastern Jharkhand state’s Dumka district where they were camping on their way to neighboring Nepal.

Former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos is in hospital with pneumonia

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos, the mother of the incumbent president and widow of an ousted dictator, has been hospitalized with pneumonia. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Tuesday that his mother, who is 94, was suffering from a slight pneumonia and was put on antibiotics by her doctors. Marcos, in a statement from Melbourne, Australia, where he is attending an Asian summit, said that his mother was “in good spirits” and has “no difficulty in breathing and is resting well.” Marcos’ sister Senator Imee Marcos told reporters that her mother has had bouts of fever and coughing and was taken to the hospital for closer monitoring.

Pritzker Prize goes to Japanese architect who values community in spaces both public and private

The Pritzker Architecture Prize has been awarded to Japan’s Riken Yamamoto, who earns the field’s highest honor for what organizers called a long career focused on “multiplying opportunities for people to meet spontaneously, through precise, rational design strategies.” Yamamoto, 78, has spent a five-decade career designing both private and public buildings — from residences to museums to schools, from a bustling airport center to a glass-walled fire station — and prizing a spirit of community in all spaces. “By the strong, consistent quality of his buildings, he aims to dignify, enhance and enrich the lives of individuals — from children to elders — and their social connections,” the jury said, in part, in a citation released Tuesday.

Who is Jason Palmer? A previously unknown Democrat beats Biden in American Samoa’s Democratic caucus

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden was sweeping every Democratic contest on Super Tuesday — except for American Samoa. He fell short there to a previously unknown candidate named Jason Palmer. Out of 91 ballots cast in the territory’s caucus, Palmer won 51 and Biden won 40, according to the local party. “I found out that I had won because my phone started blowing up with friends and campaign staffers texting me,” Palmer said in an interview late Tuesday. Palmer, 52, said he never visited the territory before the caucus. “I have been campaigning remotely, doing Zoom town halls, talking to people, listening to them about their concerns and what matters to them,” he said.

Congressional leaders invite prime minister of Japan to address Congress in April

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional leaders have invited the prime minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, to address a joint meeting of Congress on April 11, saying the relationship between the U.S. and Japan has proven to be a force for good and a catalyst for prosperity. Leaders said global threats are endangering the peace and prosperity the U.S. and Japan have worked to establish, making the relationship between the two nations as important as ever. “It is our belief that our shared commitment to defense and democracy can lead to a future marked by stability and security,” the invitation read. “Together our leadership can be instrumental in strengthening our partnership, and we believe a Joint Address would pave the way for increased collaboration in the years to come, both in the Indo-Pacific and around the world.” “We would be honored to host you at this historic event, which celebrates the friendship between Japan and the United States, and to hear your vision for the future of our two countries,” it added.

Montenegro appeals court overturns a decision to extradite Terraform Labs founder to the US

PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — An appeals court in Montenegro has overturned a recent ruling that a cryptocurrency mogul, Terraform Labs founder Do Kwon, should be extradited to the United States to face fraud charges rather than to his native South Korea, the court said Tuesday. Kwon, 32, was arrested nearly a year ago in Montenegro on an international arrest warrant in connection with a $40 billion crash of Terraform Labs’ cryptocurrency, which devastated retail investors around the world. Both South Korea and the U.S. have requested Kwon’s extradition from Montenegro. Last month, the High Court in Montenegro decided to hand over Kwon to the U.S.