Top Asian News 3:53 a.m. GMT

Billboard collapses onto people in Mumbai, India, killing at least 14 but others may be trapped

NEW DELHI (AP) — A large billboard collapsed onto people during heavy rain and thunderstorms in India’s western city of Mumbai, killing at least 14 and injuring 74 others, reports said. A rescue operation was ongoing Tuesday morning, and it was unclear how many people may still be trapped. The rains, accompanied by high winds, caused the 30-meters-tall (100-foot-tall) billboard to fall over a gas station in the suburb of Ghatkopar on Monday evening. At least 47 people were rescued late into the night. Police are investigating the incident and say the billboard was illegally installed, officials told the Press Trust of India news agency.

Reports of army killing of villagers in Myanmar supported by photos and harrowing tale of a survivor

BANGKOK (AP) — Reports that soldiers of Myanmar’s military government last week carried out a massacre of more than 30 civilians in a village in central Myanmar were supported Monday in interviews with a local administrator and a man who says he survived the killings. The bloodshed on Saturday morning in Let Htoke Taw village in Sagaing region’s Myinmu township, reported by independent media, was the latest of three mass killings in the past few days in Myanmar’s brutal civil war. The Associated Press couldn’t independently verify details of what happened, and the military government didn’t immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

Small, well-built Chinese EV called the Seagull poses a big threat to the US auto industry

LIVONIA, Mich. (AP) — A tiny, low-priced electric car called the Seagull has American automakers and politicians trembling. The car, launched last year by Chinese automaker BYD, sells for around $12,000 in China, but drives well and is put together with craftsmanship that rivals U.S.-made electric vehicles that cost three times as much. A shorter-range version costs under $10,000. Tariffs on imported Chinese vehicles probably will keep the Seagull away from America’s shores for now, and it likely would sell for more than 12 grand if imported. But the rapid emergence of low-priced EVs from China could shake up the global auto industry in ways not seen since Japanese makers exploded on the scene during the oil crises of the 1970s.

Families still looking for missing loved ones after devastating Afghanistan floods killed scores

ISLAMABAD (AP) — When he heard that devastating floods hit his village in northern Afghanistan last week, farmer Abdul Ghani rushed home from neighboring Kunduz province where he was visiting relatives. When he got home, he found out that his wife and three children had perished in the deluge. Two of his sons survived but another son, who is 11, is still missing. “I couldn’t even find the road to my village,” he said, describing how he turned back and went another way to reach his district of Nahrin in Baghlan province. Across Baghlan, others like Ghani and survivors of the disaster were still searching for their missing loved ones and burying their dead on Monday.

India’s mammoth election is more than halfway done as millions begin voting in fourth round

SAMASTIPUR, India (AP) — Millions of Indians across 96 constituencies began casting their ballots on Monday as the country’s gigantic, six-week-long election edges past its halfway mark. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third straight term with an eye on winning a supermajority in Parliament. Monday’s polling in the fourth round of multi-phase national elections across nine states and one union territory will be pivotal for Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, as it includes some of its strongholds in states like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Crucial seats in Maharashtra and Bihar states, where the BJP governs in alliances with regional parties, are also up for grabs in this phase.

Biden blocks Chinese-backed crypto mining firm from land ownership near Wyoming missile base

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday issued an order blocking a Chinese-backed cryptocurrency mining firm from owning land near a Wyoming nuclear missile base, calling its proximity to the base a “national security risk.” The order forces the divestment of property operated as a crypto mining facility near the Francis E. Warren Air Force Base. MineOne Partners Ltd., a firm partly backed by Chinese nationals, and its affiliates are also required to remove certain equipment on the site. This comes as the U.S. is slated on Tuesday to issue major new tariffs on electric vehicles, semiconductors, solar equipment and medical supplies imported from China, according to a U.S.

K-pop fans around globe rally for climate and environment goals

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Fans of Korean pop bands around the world are increasingly channeling their millions-strong online community into climate and environmental activism, protesting business deals linked to coal power, urging K-pop entertainers to cut waste and raising awareness about climate-related issues. Other climate activist groups have begun joining forces with Kpop4Climate, an environmental group founded in 2021 by K-pop fans Nurul Sarifah and Dayeon Lee. After Kpop4Climate petitioned South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co., it recently scrapped a deal linked to coal power plants in Indonesia. The ability to quickly organize a large, dedicated group has made K-pop fans an increasingly influential lobby online as they participate in protests and promote causes that have included the Black Lives Matter movement.

Sleepy far-flung towns in the Philippines will host US forces returning to counter China threats

SANTA ANA, Philippines (AP) — The far-flung coastal town of Santa Ana in the northeastern tip of the Philippine mainland has long been known by tourists mostly for its beaches, waterfalls, fireflies and a few casinos. But that’s changing after the laid-back town of about 35,000 people, which still has no traffic light, became strategically important to America. The United States and the Philippines, which are longtime treaty allies, have identified Santa Ana in northern Cagayan province as one of nine mostly rural areas where rotating batches of American forces could encamp indefinitely and store their weapons and equipment on local military bases under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement.

3 men charged in the UK with assisting the Hong Kong intelligence service

LONDON (AP) — The office manager of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London and two other men appeared in court Monday on charges that they helped Hong Kong’s intelligence service gather information in Britain, amid growing concern hostile states are trying to interfere with democracy and economic activity in the U.K. Chi Leung (Peter) Wai, 38, Matthew Trickett, 37, and Chung Biu Yuen, 63, were granted bail during a brief hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court. The men, who sat side-by-side in the glass-fronted dock, spoke only to confirm their identities. The Hong Kong government said one of the suspects was the office manager of the trade office, but he wasn’t identified by name.

Harris utters a profanity in advice to young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris used a profanity on Monday while offering advice to young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders about how to break through barriers. Harris was participating in a conversation moderated by actor and comedian Jimmy O. Yang when he asked her what it means to be the first vice president of Asian descent and how that heritage has informed her views and roles as a leader. Harris’ mother was from India and her father was from Jamaica, and she’s the first woman elected vice president. Harris gave a lengthy response in which she told the young people to keep their chins up when they go into spaces where no one else looks like them.