Top Asian News 4:07 a.m. GMT

Court orders China Evergrande property developer to liquidate after it failed to reach debt deal

HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong court on Monday ordered property developer China Evergrande Group to liquidate after it was unable to reach a restructuring deal with creditors. Judge Linda Chan said it was appropriate for the court to order Evergrande to wind up its business given a “lack of progress on the part of the company putting forward a viable restructuring proposal” as well as Evergrande’s insolvency. The liquidation order is likely to impact China’s financial system, even as authorities try to prevent a selloff in the Chinese stock market. Evergrande’s liquidation will likely also lessen confidence in the property sector, which has been slumping as developers struggle to meet their obligations following a crackdown on excessive borrowing in the sector.

South China Sea tensions and Myanmar violence top agenda for Southeast Asian envoys meeting in Laos

LUANG PRABANG, Laos (AP) — China’s growingly assertive posture in the South China Sea and escalating violence in Myanmar topped the agenda for Southeast Asian diplomats meeting in Laos on Monday. The gathering is the first high-level meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations since Laos took over the rotating chairmanship. The diplomats for the 10 nations with a combined population of nearly 650 million and GDP of more than $3 trillion will work to strategize on issues of regional peace, security and stability. They were also discussing economic cooperation and other issues under the year’s theme “enhancing connectivity and resilience.” Of the ASEAN member nations, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Brunei and Laos, several have competing maritime claims in the South China Sea with China.

North Korea says leader Kim supervised tests of cruise missiles designed to be fired from submarines

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised test firings of new cruise missiles designed to be launched from submarines and also reviewed efforts to build a nuclear-powered submarine while reiterating his goal of building a nuclear-armed navy to counter what he portrays as growing external threats, state media said Monday. The report came a day after South Korea’s military said it detected North Korea firing multiple cruise missiles over waters near the eastern port of Sinpo, where the North has a major shipyard developing submarines. It was the latest in a streak of weapons demonstrations by North Korea amid increasing tensions with the United States, South Korea and Japan.

Pakistani police use tear gas to disperse pre-election rally by supporters of former leader Khan

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani police fired tear gas to disperse supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in the southern city of Karachi on Sunday, less than two weeks before a national parliamentary election that Khan was blocked from running in because of a criminal conviction. An Associated Press reporter at the scene saw between 20 and 30 people getting arrested at the rally. A dozen workers from Khan’s political party were arrested for attacking officers and blocking the road, police said. Although Khan will not be on the ballot for the Feb. 8 election, he remains a potent political force because of his grassroots following and anti-establishment rhetoric.

Bangladesh appeals court grants bail to Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus in labor case

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — An appeals court in Bangladesh on Sunday granted bail to Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who had been sentenced earlier to six months in prison for violating the country’s labor laws. The court also agreed to hear an appeal against his sentencing. Yunus who pioneered the use of microcredit to help impoverished people, especially women, filed the appeal seeking bail on Sunday morning before it was granted. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in 2006. The 83-year-old economist and three other officials of the telecommunications company were sentenced to six months in prison on Jan.

Tuvalu’s prime minister reportedly loses his seat in crucial elections on the Pacific island nation

SYDNEY (AP) — Prime Minister Kausea Natano reportedly lost his seat in parliament in elections on the tiny Pacific island nation of Tuvalu. The election for the 16-seat parliament, which could have implications for China, Taiwan and Australia, saw eight newcomers win seats, according to Radio New Zealand. The report couldn’t be independently confirmed. Tuvalu, with just over 11,500 people, is one of the smallest nations in the world. But the election has gained international attention because Tuvalu, a British colony until 1978, is one of only 12 countries that have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, the self-governing democratic island that China claims as its territory.

How Taiwan beat back disinformation and preserved the integrity of its election

WASHINGTON (AP) — The rumors about vote fraud started swirling as the ballots in Taiwan’s closely watched presidential election were tallied on Jan. 13. There were baseless claims that people had fabricated votes and that officials had miscounted and skewed the results. In a widely shared video, a woman recording votes mistakenly enters one in the column for the wrong candidate. The message was clear: The election could not be trusted. The results were faked. It could have been Taiwan’s Jan. 6 moment. But it wasn’t. Worries that China would use disinformation to undermine the integrity of Taiwan’s vote dogged the recent election, a key moment in the young democracy’s development that highlighted tensions with its much larger neighbor.

33 people have been killed in separate traffic crashes in eastern Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Separate traffic crashes in eastern Afghanistan have left at least 33 people dead and 16 others injured, authorities said Sunday. Ten collisions occurred in the Sorabi district of Kabul province, on the main highway linking the Afghan capital, Kabul and the eastern Nangarhar province, killing 17 people, including two children and four women, said Khalid Zadran, spokesman for the Kabul police chief. Ten others were injured in the crashes and they were hospitalized for treatment, Zadran said. Meanwhile, four additional collisions happened in the eastern Laghman province near the end of the same highway between Kabul and Nangarhar, killing 15 people, according to a statement from the Laghman police chief.

Beijing steps up military pressure on Taiwan after the US and China announce talks

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China sent more than 30 warplanes and a group of navy ships toward Taiwan, the island’s defense ministry said Saturday. The military pressure comes on the heels of an announcement that senior American and Chinese representatives were expected to meet in the Thai capital as the two countries seek to cool tensions. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army sent 33 aircraft, including SU-30 fighters, and six navy vessels around Taiwan, between 6 a.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday. Of these, 13 warplanes crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait — an unofficial boundary that’s considered a buffer between the island and mainland.

Philippine troops kill 9 suspected Muslim militants, including 2 involved in Sunday Mass bombing

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine troops killed nine suspected Muslim militants in the volatile south, including two key suspects in a bomb attack last month that left four Christian worshippers dead, the army said Saturday. Four army scout rangers were slightly wounded in Thursday’s operation against the Dawlah Islamiyah, a small outfit aligned with the Islamic State group, in the hinterland village of Taporug near Piagapo town in Lanao del Sur province, army spokesman Col. Louie Dema-ala said. Army forces clashed with about 15 militants in a series of shootouts from Thursday to Friday after some villagers tipped off the military of their presence, Dema-ala, adding that the surviving militants escaped and were being pursued.