Top Asian News 3:50 a.m. GMT

Chinese premier flies to Australia after New Zealand visit

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Chinese Premier Li Qiang is due to arrive in Australia on Saturday on a relations-mending mission with panda diplomacy, rock lobsters and China’s global dominance in the critical minerals sector high on the agenda. China’s most powerful politician after President Xi Jinping is expected to visit Adelaide Zoo and a Chinese-controlled lithium processing plant in the Kwinana Beach industrial estate, as well as Australia’s Parliament House, during a visit that will end on Tuesday. Li’s visit is the first by a Chinese premier in seven years and is expected to pave the way for Xi’s first journey to Australia since 2014.

Myanmar’s embattled military government cracks down on free flow of news by blocking VPNs

BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s military government has launched a major effort to block free communication on the Internet, shutting off access to virtual private networks, or VPNs, which can be used to circumvent blockages of banned websites and services. The attempt to restrict access to information began at the end of May, according to mobile phone operators, internet service providers, a major opposition group and media reports. The military government that took power in February 2021 after ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi has made several previous fitful attempts to throttle traffic on the internet, especially in the months immediately after their takeover.

Rare twin elephants in Thailand receive monks’ blessings a week after their tumultuous birth

BANGKOK (AP) — Buddhist monks in Thailand on Friday blessed twin baby elephants, one male and the other female, a week after their rare birth came close to being a tragedy. Their mother, Chamchuri, gave birth to the pair on the night of June 7 at a camp in Thailand’s ancient capital Ayutthaya, a popular tourist destination 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Bangkok. Twin elephant births are rare and male-female twins even more so. The Ayutthaya Elephant Palace & Royal Kraal, home to the newborns, says that it was a first for the province, while a statement from the Thai government said they were the third such pair in the world.

AP PHOTOS: Myriad people flock to Indian city to swallow live fish with ‘miracle cure’ to asthma

HYDERABAD, India (AP) — A mother encourages her daughter to fully open her mouth to swallow a live fish holding “the medicine” she believes will help cure her child’s asthma, as scores clamor about, gulping down their own fish and hoping for the best. Each summer, on a day deemed auspicious by astrological calculations, people suffering from asthma and other respiratory ailments flock to the southern Indian city of Hyderabad to swallow a small live fish with its mouth stuffed with a secret herbal treatment that only one family can craft. Legend has it that in 1845 a wandering saint presented a secret formula of miracle herbs to Veeranna Goud, a man living in the old city of Hyderabad, and instructed him to give it to asthma patients for free.

Boy accused of terrorist act in Sydney church faces new charges of stabbing bishop and priest

SYDNEY (AP) — A 16-year-old boy accused of committing a terrorist act by stabbing a bishop in a Sydney church in April faces two additional charges, a court was told on Friday. The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested at the scene of the stabbing on April 15 in an Assyrian Orthodox church as a service was being streamed online. The earlier charge of committing a terrorist act carries a possible life sentence, while the new charges carry maximum sentences of 25 years each. A prosecutor told the Parramatta Children’s Court on Friday that the boy had also been charged with wounding with intent to murder Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm a priest, Rev.

Chinese journalist who promoted #MeToo movement sentenced to 5 years in prison

BEIJING (AP) — Supporters say a Chinese journalist who promoted women’s rights as part of the country’s nascent #MeToo movement has been sentenced to five years in prison on charges of incitement to subvert state authority, almost three years after she and an activist were detained. The verdict provided to The Associated Press stated that Huang Xueqin would also face a fine of 100,000 yuan ($14,000), underscoring the ruling Communist Party’s intolerance of any activism outside its control in a system whose upper echelons are dominated by men. China’s #MeToo movement flourished briefly before being snuffed out by the government. China often silences activists by holding them incommunicado for a long time and then sentencing them to prison.

A Chinese military buff inadvertently bought 4 books of military secrets for under $1

BEIJING (AP) — A military history buff in China appears to have made an alarming discovery after picking up four discarded books for less than $1 at a neighborhood recycling station: They were confidential military documents. The country’s Ministry of State Security told the story in a social media post on Thursday, praising the retired man for calling a hotline to report the incident. It identified him only by his family name, Zhang, and did not say what the documents were about. “Mr. Zhang thought to himself that he had ‘bought’ the country’s military secrets and brought them home,” the post reads, “but if someone with ulterior motives were to buy them, the consequences would be unimaginable!” The post, which was reposted on at least two popular Chinese news websites, was the latest in a series by the powerful state security agency that appears to be trying to draw in new audiences with dramatic stories.

Rights groups urge Thailand not to extradite Vietnamese activist, saying he’s at risk if sent home

BANGKOK (AP) — Human rights groups urged Thailand on Thursday not to extradite a Vietnamese activist detained in Bangkok, saying he could be at risk if handed back to Vietnam. Y Quynh Bdap, who had United Nations refugee status in Thailand, was picked up by local police on Tuesday, the day after he had met with Canadian Embassy officials as he pursued asylum there, according to the Peace Rights Foundation, a Thai organization that had been in contact with him. The co-founder of the Montagnards Stand for Justice group was convicted in absentia in Vietnam in January on allegations that he was involved in organizing anti-government riots in Vietnam’s central highland province of Dak Lak last June.

Chinese soccer fans are pouring money into a food stall run by Singapore’s goalkeeper. Here’s why

Chinese soccer fans have poured their love — and money — into a Singaporean goalkeeper’s food stall after his performance in a game this week indirectly helped China advance to the third qualifying round for the World Cup in 2026. Hassan Sunny, a 40-year-old goalkeeper on the national team, became an overnight celebrity on Chinese social media after Singapore’s 3-1 loss to Thailand on Tuesday. China would have been eliminated if Thailand had won by three goals. Sunny made enough saves to prevent that from happening. Chinese fans have been lining up and buying out all the food at the stand run by Hassan and his wife in Singapore.

Japan has no plans to seek a suspension of Osprey flights despite restrictions in US

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s defense chief said Friday that Japanese and American V-22 Ospreys are being safely operated in his country, and that he has no plans to request a flight suspension despite restrictions in the U.S. where ongoing safety and performance assessments will continue until next year. Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said that Japanese and U.S. military officials have closely communicated over technical issues involving the safety of Ospreys following a fatal November crash off Japan’s southern coast. “Japanese and U.S. Ospreys have been operated safely and I believe there is no safety issue involved,” Kihara said. “We have no intention to seek a suspension of the operation.” Aircraft that had completed necessary maintenance, in addition to further training of pilots, have returned to flight service, and they are operated with upgraded safety checks, maintenance, flight plans, emergency measures and other steps, he said.