Top Asian News 3:18 a.m. GMT

ICC takes custody of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in crimes against humanity case

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The International Criminal Court took custody of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday on a warrant accusing him of crimes against humanity for deadly anti-drugs crackdowns he oversaw while in office. Rights groups and families of victims hailed Duterte’s arrest, and the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, called it “a crucial step in our continuous work to ensure accountability for the victims of the most serious crimes under ICC jurisdiction.” Supporters of Duterte criticized the administration of current Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Duterte’s political rival, for arresting and surrendering the former leader to a court whose jurisdiction his supporters dispute.

What is the International Criminal Court, which had former Philippine President Duterte arrested?

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The International Criminal Court where detained former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will face justice after his arrest in the Philippines is a court of last resort for the most serious international offenses, such as genocide and crimes against humanity. The 79-year-old former president has become the first former Asian leader to be arrested by the global court. Duterte arrived Wednesday in the Netherlands after his arrest the previous morning on an ICC warrant accusing him of crimes against humanity over deadly anti-drug crackdowns he oversaw while in office. Supporters of Duterte argue that the court does not have jurisdiction to put the former president on trial, in part because Duterte withdrew the Philippines from the court in 2019.

Pakistan says insurgents who attacked a passenger train killed 21 hostages while all others freed

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Insurgents who attacked a passenger train carrying 440 passengers in restive southwestern Pakistan killed 21 hostages before security forces killed all 33 of the assailants, and all other passengers were rescued, officials said Wednesday. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the separatist Baloch Liberation Army group was behind the attack, and the military operation “has successfully reached its logical conclusion.” He said no passengers died because of the operation, and praised the military for “averting a potential catastrophe.” The province’s chief minister, Sarfraz Bugti, told a provincial assembly that troops killed all insurgents involved. Three soldiers who had been guarding the railroad track were also killed in the attack that began Tuesday in restive Balochistan province, the military spokesman, Lt.

What’s behind the surge in attacks and train hijacking in Pakistan’s restive southwest?

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s neglected southwestern province of Balochistan has been the scene of a yearslong insurgency, with a dramatic uptick in attacks in recent years underscoring the struggles the government in Islamabad faces in dealing with myriad security threats. The seizure Tuesday of a passenger train by the outlawed Baluch Liberation Army, or BLA, took the insurgency to a new level with the first such large-scale operation by the militant group. The militants took hundreds of passengers aboard the Jafer Express hostage before Pakistani forces said Wednesday that they had killed all 50 of the attackers. The military said the assailants killed 21 passengers, and that all the remaining passengers were rescued.

Indonesian fishermen sue Bumble Bee and say the canned tuna giant knew of abuse in its supply chain

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Lawyers representing four Indonesian fishermen who say they were beaten and trapped on vessels that were part of the global supply chain that provided tuna to Bumble Bee Seafoods filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the canned seafood giant. It is believed to be the first such case of forced labor at sea brought against a U.S. seafood company, the men’s lawyer, Agnieszka Fryszman, said. U.S. companies that benefit from forced labor and undercut other businesses need to be held accountable, Fryszman said. “What you see is really devastating,” she said. The lawsuit accuses the company headquartered in San Diego of violating the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.

Musk’s Starlink could help remote parts of India get online under deals with telecoms players

NEW DELHI (AP) — Elon Musk’s Starlink signed an agreement with India’s top telecom operator on Wednesday to bring the U.S. satellite internet giant’s services to the world’s most populous country, a day after announcing a similar agreement with the country’s second-largest provider. The deals with Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, which together control more than 70% of India’s telecom market, could help bring internet connections to millions of people who live in remote areas. But they depend on Starlink obtaining government approval to enter India. The partnership announcements come weeks after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Musk in Washington.

Son of Hong Kong ex-publisher Jimmy Lai says 77-year-old could die in jail and calls for his release

WASHINGTON (AP) — The son of prominent Hong Kong former publisher Jimmy Lai, who is facing possible life imprisonment in the Chinese city, called Tuesday for his father’s release in a high-profile national security case. Sebastien Lai, in a meeting with reporters in Washington, said the prison conditions where his 77-year-old diabetic father is being held in solitary confinement are “inhumane for anybody, any age.” “There is a real fear that he might pass away at any time,” said the son, who is leading an international campaign to free his father. “This year will be the fifth year for him to be in prison.” The case has drawn widespread international condemnation and is seen as evidence of the erosion of press freedom and judicial independence in Hong Kong.

The torso of a Buddha statue has been found at Cambodia’s Angkor temple complex

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Archaeologists in Cambodia are celebrating an unexpected find at the country’s centuries-old Angkor temple complex: the torso of a statue of Buddha that matches a head found nearly a century ago at the same site. The torso, believed to be from the 12th or 13th century, was discovered during a dig by a team of Cambodian and Indian experts last month at Angkor’s Ta Prohm temple. It was found along with 29 fragments that appeared to be part of the same statue, archaeologist Neth Simon said this week. It stands at 1.16 meters (3 3/4 feet) tall and is in the Bayon art style, associated with Angkor’s Bayon temple.

Japanese media say police have arrested several men for alleged sexual assault of their daughters

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese media reported this week that police have arrested several men accused of sexual assault of their underaged daughters and sharing their abuse videos online. Police have so far refused to confirm the reports. The Kyodo News agency, NHK television and other outlets say police in the Aichi prefecture, a region in central Japan, took into custody several men, who are in their 30s, 40s and 50s. They are accused of repeatedly raping their daughters or stepdaughters, aged 6-14, filming the scenes of the assaults and sharing the videos on social media. They are also accused of child prostitution and child pornography, the reports said.

‘Nervous and rushed': Massive Fukushima plant cleanup work involves high radiation and stress

OKUMA, Japan (AP) — The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant’s radiation levels have significantly dropped since the cataclysmic meltdown in Japan 14 years ago. Workers walk around in many areas wearing only surgical masks and regular clothes. It’s a different story for those who enter the reactor buildings, including the three damaged in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. They must use maximum protection — full facemasks with filters, multi-layered gloves and socks, shoe covers, hooded hazmat coveralls and a waterproof jacket, and a helmet. As workers remove melted fuel debris from the reactors in a monumental nuclear cleanup effort that could take more than a century, they are facing both huge amounts of psychological stress and dangerous levels of radiation.