Top Asian News 4:41 a.m. GMT

Crew mistakes caused the sinking of a New Zealand navy ship off Samoan coast, inquiry finds

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Mistakes by members of the crew caused a New Zealand navy ship to plow into a reef off the coast of Samoa, where it caught fire and sank, according to the preliminary findings of a military Court of Inquiry released Friday. The ship’s crew did not realize autopilot was engaged, believed something else had gone wrong with the ship, and did not check the HMNZS Manawanui was under manual control as it maintained course toward land, a summary of the inquiry’s first report said. The full report has not been made public. All 75 people on board the vessel evacuated safely as the boat foundered about 1.6 kilometers (a mile) off the coast of Upolu, Samoa, in October.

Australian Parliament bans social media for under-16s with world-first law

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A social media ban for children under 16 passed the Australian Parliament on Friday in a world-first law. The law will make platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram liable for fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) for systemic failures to prevent children younger than 16 from holding accounts. The Senate passed the bill on Thursday 34 votes to 19. The House of Representatives on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved the legislation by 102 votes to 13. The House on Friday endorsed opposition amendments made in the Senate, making the bill law. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the law supported parents concerned by online harms to their children.

China’s aging population fuels ‘silver economy’ boom, but profits can prove elusive

HONG KONG (AP) — Every Wednesday, retiree Zhang Zhili travels an hour by bus to an education center, drawn by the pulsing rhythms of the African drum she plays there in a classroom filled with fellow retirees whose hands move in unison, every beat lifting her spirits. Zhang, 71, has found joy and new friends at the “elderly university” in Beijing. Besides African drums, the former primary school teacher joins social dance classes, paying about 2,000 yuan ($280) for two courses this semester. Seeing herself standing tall in dance class boosts her confidence. After class, she hangs out with her friends.

Customers at this Starbucks can sip coffee and observe a quiet North Korean mountain village

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Coffee drinkers can sip their beverages and view a quiet North Korean mountain village from a new Starbucks at a South Korean border observatory. Customers have to pass a military checkpoint before entering the observatory at Aegibong Peace Ecopark, which is less than a mile from North Korean territory and overlooks North Korea’s Songaksan mountain and a nearby village in Kaephung county. The tables and windows face North Korea at the Starbucks, where about 40 people, a few of them foreigners, came to the opening Friday. The South Korean city of Gimpo said hosting Starbucks was part of efforts to develop its border facilities as a tourist destination and said the shop symbolizes “robust security on the Korean Peninsula through the presence of this iconic capitalist brand.” The observatory is the key facility at Aegibong park, which was built on a hill that was a fierce battle site during the 1950-53 Korean War.

AP PHOTOS: Jakarta TNR effort aims to help stray cats like lively Hitam and feisty Aing Maung

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Hitam, a lively black-and-white stray cat has been spayed and returned to the loving arms of Alvin, a parking attendant in a bustling street in Indonesia’s capital. “I feed her rice and fish every day,” Alvin said. The nimble feline is part of an estimated whopping 700,000 stray cats that roam Jakarta. Trap-neuter-return programs, or TNR, have been spearheaded by community-based groups including Let’s Adopt Indonesia that advocate humane methods to control the cat population. Every weekend, volunteers like 28-year-old Vanya Afreenzha work tirelessly to trap as many stray cats as possible. Armed with cat food, long pole nets and plastic carriers, they roam parks, train stations and public areas where cats can be easily spotted.

High-ranking military official in China suspended and placed under investigation

BEIJING (AP) — A member of China’s powerful Central Military Commission has been suspended and put under investigation, the country’s Defense Ministry said Thursday. Miao Hua was director of the political work department on the commission, which oversees the People’s Liberation Army, the world’s largest standing military. He was one of five members of the commission in addition to its leader, Chinese President Xi Jinping. Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian said Miao is under investigation for “serious violations of discipline,” which usually alludes to corruption. It is the third recent major shakeup for China’s defense establishment. In June, China announced that former Defense Minister Li Shangfu and his predecessor Wei Fenghe were expelled from the ruling Communist Party and accused of corruption.

Adani fraud allegations rock Indian Parliament as opposition demands probe into billionaire’s firms

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s Parliament was disrupted for a third day Thursday by opposition parties protesting the government’s silence over allegations against billionaire Gautam Adani, who was recently indicted in the U.S. for alleged fraud and a scheme to pay bribes. As Speaker Om Birla convened the powerful lower house of Parliament, opposition members shot up from their seats and crowded the aisles, shouting anti-government slogans. The Congress and other opposition parties have accused the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of protecting Adani, an Indian coal magnate. “I don’t appreciate the manner of protest,” Birla said, adjourning the session over the opposition disruptions.

Sweden asks for China’s cooperation over Baltic Sea cables cut while a Chinese ship was nearby

HARPSUND, Sweden (AP) — Sweden has formally asked China to cooperate in explaining the recent rupture of two data cables on the Baltic Sea bed in an area where a China-flagged vessel had been sighted, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Thursday. The two cables, one running from Finland to Germany and the other from Lithuania to Sweden, were both damaged in Swedish waters last week, in an area where the Yi Peng 3, a China-flagged bulk carrier, was seen. The Yi Peng 3 has been moored in international waters between Sweden and Denmark. Kristersson told a news conference in the town of Harpsund that Sweden would like the vessel to move to its own waters to allow for an inspection within the ongoing international investigation.

Thailand deports 6 Cambodian activists facing treason charges over critical Facebook comments

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Six Cambodian activists charged with treason over Facebook comments criticizing their government have been deported from Thailand to stand trial, a pro-democracy group said Thursday. The Khmer Movement for Democracy, a movement formed by opposition leaders in exile, criticized the decision to return the four women and two men Nov. 24, saying they will face “inhuman and degrading treatment” in Cambodia’s overcrowded prison system. Thailand and Cambodia are accused by rights groups of having a de facto agreement to return political dissidents wanted by their home country. The activists — Pen Chan Sangkream, Hong An, Mean Chanthon, Yin Chanthou, Soeung Khunthea and Vorn Chanratana — are associated with the opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party, which was dissolved ahead of the 2018 general election as part of a crackdown on the opposition.

Pakistani police issues charges against Imran Khan and his wife for inciting violence

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani police have levelled multiple charges against imprisoned former premier Imran Khan, his wife and others for inciting people to violence, officials said Thursday, following days of protests and clashes in which at least six people were killed and scores more were injured. Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi led thousands of people from the country’s northwest to march on the capital Islamabad to demand the release of Khan, who has been behind bars since August 2023. Khan already has more than 150 cases against him but supporters say they are politically motivated. Bibi, a spiritual healer, fled when police launched a midnight raid Tuesday to disperse thousands of demonstrators.