Top Asian News 4:14 a.m. GMT

South Korea’s impeached leader avoids investigators as court begins meeting to determine his fate

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol dodged requests by investigative agencies to appear for questioning over his short-lived martial law decree, as the Constitutional Court began its first meeting Monday on Yoon’s case to determine whether to formally unseat or reinstate him. A joint investigative team involving police, an anti-corruption agency and the Defense Ministry said it wants to question Yoon on charges of rebellion and abuse of power in connection with his ill-conceived power grab. The team on Monday tried to convey a request to officials at Yoon’s office or residence but they refused to accept it, according to the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials.

Magnitude 7.3 earthquake hits Pacific island nation of Vanuatu

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck Tuesday just off the coast of Vanuatu in the South Pacific Ocean, the USGS said. An earlier tsunami warning for the island nation was called off less than two hours after the quake. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 57 kilometers (35 miles) and was centered 30 kilometers (10 miles) west of Port Vila, the largest city in Vanuatu, a group of 80 islands that is home to about 330,000 people. The jolt was followed by a magnitude 5.5 aftershock near the same location. It was not immediately clear how much damage was caused, but a video posted on social media appeared to show crumpled buildings in Port Vila, including one that had collapsed onto cars.

Australian state proposes ban on protests at places of worship to fight rising antisemitism

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — An Australian state government on Tuesday proposed new restrictions on protesters in response to rising antisemitism, including a ban on demonstrations outside places of worship. Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan proposed the new laws after arsonists damaged a Melbourne synagogue this month and protestors kept fearful worshippers trapped inside a Sydney synagogue for three hours a week earlier. “That’s not peaceful protest. It’s menacing behavior,” Allan said. “Antisemitism is a cancer and we must leave no stone unturned to fight the evil of antisemitism, to fight the evil of this racism in all of its forms and also to continue to work to help heal our multicultural community, to help build on that social cohesion and continue to support our strong, united Victoria,” she added.

Sri Lanka’s president holds talks with Modi in India in first overseas visit

NEW DELHI (AP) — Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake was hosted Monday by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his first overseas visit since assuming office that focused on shoring up ties as concerns grew over China’s influence in the region. Modi said India and Sri Lanka will establish electricity grid connectivity and a multi-product petroleum pipeline that will further boost investment and commercial links between the nations. The Sri Lankan leader arrived in New Delhi on Sunday on his first overseas trip since becoming president in September. He held meetings with India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.

For the first time in 8 years, a US Navy ship makes a port call in Cambodia, a top Chinese ally

SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia (AP) — A U.S. Navy warship arrived Monday in Cambodia, the first such visit in eight years to a nation that is China’s close ally in Southeast Asia. Cambodia’s government has suggested the port call reflects an upgrade in often-strained relations. The USS Savannah docked at the port of Sihanoukville on the Gulf of Thailand for a five-day visit. The Savannah, classed as a Littoral Combat Ship, carries a crew of 103. “It’s great to be back, returning U.S. presence to here after eight years,” the ship’s commanding officer, Daniel A. Sledz, said in brief remarks to reporters. He was given a bouquet of flowers by a Cambodian officer and shook hands with a line of her colleagues.

Filipina who won a last-minute reprieve from Indonesian firing squad prepares to fly home

YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A Filipina who was on death row in Indonesia and was nearly executed by firing squad in 2015 will return home this week under an arrangement between the countries, officials said Monday. Mary Jane Veloso, who spent almost 15 years in an Indonesian prison for drug trafficking, won a last-minute reprieve that led to her testimony exposing how a criminal syndicate duped her into being an unwitting accomplice and drug courier. Veloso was moved late Sunday to a a female prison in Indonesia’s capital, from where she will be flown back to the Philippines early Wednesday, I Nyoman Gede Surya Mataram, an official at the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections, told a news conference.

How old are Saturn’s rings? Study suggests they could be 4.5 billion years old just like the planet

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — New research suggests that Saturn’s rings may be older than they look — possibly as old as the planet. Instead of being a youthful 400 million years old as commonly thought, the icy, shimmering rings could be around 4.5 billion years old just like Saturn, a Japanese-led team reported Monday. The scientists surmise Saturn’s rings may be pristine not because they are young but because they are dirt-resistant. Saturn’s rings are long thought to be between 100 million and 400 million years old based on more than a decade of observations by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft before its demise in 2017.

Man sentenced for helping pregnant Chinese women travel to give birth in the US

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A California man was sentenced Monday to nearly 3 1/2 years in prison for running an extensive business that helped pregnant Chinese women travel to the United States to deliver babies who would automatically have American citizenship. U.S. authorities had sought a more than five-year prison term for Michael Wei Yueh Liu, 59, who was convicted in September of conspiracy and money laundering for running a company known as USA Happy Baby. Phoebe Dong, Liu’s wife — though the couple have since separated — was also convicted in connection with the scheme and is expected to be sentenced early next year.

5 heroin traffickers return to Australia after almost 20 years in Indonesian prisons

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Five Australians who spent almost 20 years in Indonesian prisons for heroin trafficking returned to Australia on Sunday under a deal struck between the two governments, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. The governments confirmed weeks ago that negotiations were underway for Matthew Norman, Scott Rush, Martin Stephens, Si Yi Chen, and Michael Czugaj to be returned to Australia. Their return on Sunday was shrouded in secrecy. There was earlier uncertainty about whether they could potentially serve out their life sentences in Australian prisons. However, Albanese confirmed in a statement Sunday the men returned to Australia as free citizens.

7 foreign tourists hospitalized in Fiji after drinking cocktails at a resort bar

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Seven foreign tourists were hospitalized in Fiji after drinking cocktails at a resort bar, Fijian authorities said on Monday. The cause of their illness was not known and officials said it was too soon to know if tainted alcohol was involved. Those who became ill at the five-star Warwick resort near the town of Sigatoka on Saturday included Australians and an American, according to local news reports. They were hospitalized with nausea, vomiting and neurological symptoms, said Jemesa Tudravu, a Fiji Health Ministry spokesperson. Two people remained in the hospital, conscious and in stable condition, Fiji’s Tourism Minister Viliame R.