Top Asian News 3:49 a.m. GMT

Indonesia swears in Prabowo Subianto as the country’s eighth president

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Prabowo Subianto was inaugurated Sunday as the eighth president of the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, completing his journey from an ex-general accused of rights abuses during the dark days of Indonesia’s military dictatorship to the presidential palace. The former defense minister, who turned 73 on Thursday, was cheered through the streets by thousands of waving supporters after taking his oath on the Quran, the Muslim holy book, in front of lawmakers and foreign dignitaries. Leaders and senior officials from more than 40 countries flew in to attend the ceremony in the capital, Jakarta, including from the United Kingdom, France, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Russia, South Korea, China, Australia and fellow Southeast Asian nations.

Children greet King Charles III and Queen Camilla outside a Sydney church

SYDNEY (AP) — King Charles III and Queen Camilla were greeted by children Sunday outside a Sydney church in their first public appearance of their Australian visit. Charles’ arrival Friday marked the first reigning British monarch visit to Australia since his late mother Queen Elizabeth II made her 16th journey to the distant nation in 2011. Charles, 75, is being treated for cancer, which has led to a scaled-down itinerary. The couple spent a rest day on Saturday at Admiralty House, the official Sydney residence of the monarch’s representative in Australia, Governor-General Sam Mostyn. The royals’ first public engagement was at a service at St.

A small blast in Myanmar’s second-biggest city damages Chinese Consulate

BANGKOK (AP) — The Chinese Consulate in Myanmar’s second-largest city has been slightly damaged by an explosive device, but there were no casualties, the military, independent media and a city resident said Saturday. No public claims of responsibility were made for the attack on Friday in Mandalay. China is a major ally of Myanmar’s military, which came to power after ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021 but is now fighting fiercely against resistance forces challenging its rule. The military said in a statement sent to journalists on Saturday evening that roof tiles on the two-story Chinese Consulate were damaged by a explosion Friday afternoon.

North Korea says it discovered the remains of a South Korean drone in Pyongyang

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said Saturday that authorities found the remains of a South Korean drone during a search in the capital, Pyongyang, and that the drone proved that the South’s military was behind the alleged drone infiltrations over the city’s skies earlier in the month. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff in a statement described the North Korean claim as “unilateral” and “unworthy of responding.” The North’s official Korean Central News Agency released photos showing a seemingly damaged aircraft with wide, V-shaped wings and winglets. It said a joint investigation by North Korea’s military and state security agencies concluded that the aircraft, which it said was found on Oct.

Video published by Ukraine allegedly shows North Korean soldiers in Russia

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A video purporting to show dozens of North Korean recruits lining up to collect Russian military fatigues has been released by Ukrainian officials, who say it shows the introduction of troops sent by Pyongyang into the conflict. The video, published by Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security, which operates under the Culture and Information Ministry, allegedly shows North Korean soldiers standing in line to pick up bags, clothes and other apparel from Russian servicemen. The Associated Press couldn’t verify the video independently. “We received this video from our own sources. We cannot provide additional verification from the sources who provided it to us due to security concerns,” said Ihor Solovey, the head of the center.

Train hits and kills 2 wild elephants in Sri Lanka as 2 of its fuel-carrying tankers derail

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — A train carrying thousands of gallons of fuel hit a herd of wild elephants in northeast Sri Lanka, killing two of the giant mammals and injuring one other as two of its tankers got derailed, authorities said. The collision happened in the town of Minneriya — about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the capital, Colombo — renowned for its nature park and wildlife. The train driver told The Associated Press that the herd of nearly 20 elephants suddenly tried to cross over the railway track Friday. “There was about 10 meters (32 feet) between us. So, we couldn’t do anything.

Australian authorities respond to a reported bomb scare on a New Zealand flight

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australian authorities responded on Saturday to a reported bomb scare on flight from New Zealand to Sydney. Police said there was no threat. Air New Zealand flight 247 remained on the Sydney Airport tarmac with its passengers aboard for hours due to a bomb threat, news media reported. Australian Federal Police said they had responded to an incident on board an aircraft that was en route to the airport. “Investigations are continuing. There is no threat to the community,” a police statement said. Air New Zealand said in a statement there was a “security incident” on the flight.

‘This is the beginning': 91-year-old sister of longest death row inmate sees hope in his acquittal

HAMAMATSU, Japan (AP) — Hideko Hakamada, 91, spent much of her life working to free her brother from nearly a half-century on death row. Now that he has been acquitted she feels that the siblings are beginning a new chapter of their lives. She backed her brother, Iwao Hakamada, the world’s longest-serving death row inmate, through decades of frustrating, at times apparently hopeless, legal wrangling as his mental condition worsened. “No matter what people said about me, I lived my own life and appreciated my freedom. I did not belittle myself as the sister of a death row inmate. I lived without shame,” she told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview at her home in the central Japanese city of Hamamatsu.

Demonstrators beat effigy of India’s prime minister outside courthouse after hearing

NEW YORK (AP) — Demonstrators who blame the Indian government for a murder-for-hire scheme targeting a prominent Sikh separatist leader living in New York City beat an effigy of the country’s prime minister outside a Manhattan courthouse on Friday after a hearing for an man charged in the plot. The demonstration by more than a dozen Sikhs came one day after a rewritten indictment in the case charged an Indian government employee in connection with the foiled plan. The India-based employee, Vikash Yadav, remains at large. Across the street from the courthouse, the demonstrators put a shackled effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi inside a makeshift jail cell.

South Korean intelligence says North has sent troops to aid Russia’s war in Ukraine

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s spy agency said Friday that North Korea has dispatched troops to support Russia’s war against Ukraine. If confirmed, the move would bring a third country into the war and intensify a standoff between North Korea and the West. The South Korean announcement came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his government has intelligence that 10,000 troops from North Korea are being prepared to join Russian forces fighting against his country. The National Intelligence Service said in a statement that Russian navy ships transferred 1,500 North Korean special operation forces to the Russian port city of Vladivostok from Oct.