Top Asian News 4:20 a.m. GMT

Peace prospects look bleak in Myanmar as a civil war rages

BANGKOK (AP) — Peace prospects look bleak in Myanmar as a civil war rages despite international pressure on the military four years after it seized power from an elected civilian government. The political situation remains tense with no negotiation space in sight between the military government and the major opposition groups fighting against it. The four years after the army’s takeover on Feb. 1, 2021, have created a profound situation of multiple, overlapping crises with nearly half the population in poverty and the economy in disarray, the U.N. Development Program said. The U.N. Human Rights Office said the military ramped up violence against civilians last year to unprecedented levels, inflicting the heaviest civilian death toll since the army takeover as its grip on power eroded.

The Taliban take over Afghanistan’s only luxury hotel, more than a decade after attacking it

The Taliban are taking over the operations of Afghanistan’s only luxury hotel in Kabul, more than a decade after they launched a deadly attack there that killed nine people. The Serena Hotel said Friday it was closing its operations in the Afghan capital on Feb. 1, with the Hotel State Owned Corporation taking over. The corporation is overseen by the finance ministry. The finance ministry wasn’t immediately available for comment. Neither the Serena nor the government clarified the terms under which the hotel was changing hands. The Taliban first targeted the Serena in 2008 and again in 2014. Acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani acknowledged planning the 2008 attack, which killed eight, including U.S.

Sacred strokes of color on foreheads are a major display of Hinduism at India’s Maha Kumbh festival

PRAYAGRAJ, India (AP) — The pilgrims come and go as strangers. They march like a sea of people, walking toward the spot where they take holy baths, drawn by the hope that the bathing would bring them salvation. But when they leave — believing their sins have been cleansed by the redemptive bath — they leave with one thing in common: their foreheads display a sacred stroke of color. This sacred stroke, called tilak, is ubiquitous to the millions of Hindu pilgrims attending the Maha Kumbh festival in India’s northern Prayagraj city, where faithful gather at the spot where the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers converge.

Pakistan’s favorable trade status depends on progress in human rights, media freedom, EU says

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The European Union on Friday warned Pakistan that its status as a duty-free exporter to the bloc will continue to depend on the progress it makes in addressing concerns over civil and labor rights, and freedom of speech. The warning came at the end of a visit to Islamabad by Olof Skoog, the EU’s special representative for human rights, which the EU said was aimed at engaging Pakistan on “the most pressing human rights and labor rights issues and discussing Pakistan’s plans to address them.” It said that trade benefits provided to Pakistan under the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) depend on the “progress made on addressing a list of issues, including on human rights,” adding that “tangible reforms remain essential.” Pakistan’s exports to Europe have doubled since 2014 when it was awarded the status of duty-free exporter under GSP+.

Tens of thousands of Muslims attend annual Biswa Ijtema event in Bangladesh

TONGI, Bangladesh (AP) — Tens of thousands of people gathered on a riverbank near Bangladesh’s capital on Friday to listen to sermons by Islamic scholars at the Biswa Ijtema, or global congregation of Muslim devotees. The three-day annual event will end Sunday when hundreds of thousands of Muslims are expected to join final prayers like every year. This is the first phase of Biswa Ijtema, while the second phase will be held Feb. 3-5. The third phase will be held Feb. 14-16. Biswa Ijtema is one of the largest gatherings of Muslim devotees, held on the sandy banks of the Turag River in Tongi, just north of Dhaka, the capital.

Swiss criminal court convicts commodities firm Trafigura in Angola bribery case

GENEVA (AP) — Switzerland’s top criminal court on Friday convicted a multinational company for the first time, ruling against commodities trader Trafigura in a case of bribery linked to lucrative oil industry contracts in Angola. The federal court in the southern city of Bellinzona gave Trafigura a fine of 3 million Swiss francs (about $3.3 million) over payments totaling nearly $5 million to a foreign public official. The court didn’t impose the maximum $5 million penalty, ruling that the firm did have compliance measures in place at the time — over a decade ago. The court also ordered Trafigura to set aside $145 million for possible compensation claims.

Israeli doctors say five released Thai hostages in ‘fair’ health after 15 months of captivity

BEER YAAKOV, Israel (AP) — When the mother of one of the Thai hostages held in the Gaza Strip for over a year caught sight of her son on a Facebook livestream after his release Thursday, he had changed so much that she didn’t recognize him at first. Surasak Rumnao, 32, who was kidnapped from the southern Israeli town of Yesha on Oct. 7, 2023, looked pale and puffy, said his mother, Khammee Lamnao. “I was so happy that I could not eat anything. His father brought some food to me but I did not want to eat at all,” Khammee said on a video call with The Associated Press after the release of her son.

How did so many Thai farmers end up held hostage by Hamas?

BANGKOK (AP) — Five Thai nationals held hostage by Hamas since its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel were released Thursday. They were among 31 Thais taken by the militant group, of whom 23 have already been released. Another two have been confirmed dead, and the status of one remaining person is not clear. According to Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 46 Thais have been killed during the conflict, including the two who died in Hamas captivity. They were among tens of thousands of Thai workers in Israel. Here’s a look at what they were doing there. Israel once relied heavily on Palestinian workers, but it started bringing in large numbers of migrant workers after the 1987-93 Palestinian revolt known as the first Intifada.

Who are the hostages released as part of the Hamas-Israel ceasefire in Gaza?

JERUSALEM (AP) — Hamas-led militants released eight hostages on Thursday after more than 15 months in captivity, including an Israeli soldier, bringing to 15 the number of captives freed since the start of a ceasefire in Gaza more than a week ago. Agam Berger, 20, was among five young, female soldiers abducted when militants overran the Nahal Oz military base during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war, killing over 60 soldiers there. The other four were released Saturday. Also freed Thursday were a 29-year-old Israeli woman and an 80-year-old Israeli man. Five Thai nationals who were in Israel doing farm work when they were taken captive were also released.

Myanmar’s military government extends its mandate to rule another 6 months

BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s military government on Friday announced another six-month extension of its mandate to rule in preparation for elections it has said will be held this year, as the country enters its fifth year of crisis. However, it did not announce an exact date for the polls. The military declared a state of emergency on Feb. 1, 2021, when it arrested the country’s leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and top officials from her government in an army takeover which reversed years of progress toward democracy after five decades of earlier military rule. The takeover sparked an armed resistance movement, with powerful ethnic minority militias and people’s defense forces that support Myanmar’s main opposition now controlling large parts of the country.