Top Asian News 4:00 a.m. GMT

South Korean protesters brave cold to demand Yoon’s ouster as detention deadline looms

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Hundreds of South Koreans, bundled up against freezing temperatures and snow, rallied overnight into Sunday near the residence of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, calling for his ouster and arrest, as authorities prepared to renew their efforts to detain him over his short-lived martial law decree. Dozens of anti-corruption agency investigators and police attempted to execute a detainment warrant against Yoon on Friday but retreated from his residence in Seoul after a tense standoff with the presidential security service that lasted more than five hours. The one-week warrant for his detention is valid through Monday. There were no immediate indications that anti-corruption authorities were ready to send investigators back to the residence as of Sunday afternoon.

Myanmar releases thousands of prisoners to mark Independence Day

BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s military government has released more than 6,000 prisoners and has reduced other inmates’ sentences as part of a mass amnesty marking the 77th anniversary of independence from Britain on Saturday. They included just a small proportion of hundreds of political detainees jailed for opposing army rule since the military seized power in February 2021 from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. That takeover was met with massive nonviolent resistance, which has since become a widespread armed struggle. State-run MRTV television reported that Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the military government, granted amnesties covering 5,864 prisoners from Myanmar, as well as 180 foreigners who will be deported.

Malaysia turns away 2 boats with nearly 300 Rohingya refugees after dozens landed on island

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian authorities said Saturday that they have turned away two boats carrying nearly 300 people believed to be Muslim Rohingya refugees who were found to have entered the country illegally. The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency said that it had information that two more boats were attempting to enter the country after a boatload of 196 Rohingya landed early Friday on a beach on the northeastern resort island of Langkawi. They were all detained by authorities. The agency said authorities had detected the other two boats later Friday off Langkawi. It said the people on the two boats, also believed to be Rohingya, were reported to be exhausted and lacked sufficient food and water supplies.

A fire at a food market in northern China kills at least 8 and injures 15

BEIJING (AP) — A fire at a food market Saturday in northern China killed at least eight people and injured 15 others, state media said. The fire at the Liguang market in the city of Zhangjiakou broke out midday Saturday and was mostly extinguished by 2:00 p.m. (0600 GMT), Xinhua News Agency reported, citing a government official in Qiaoxi District where the market is located. The cause of the fire is under investigation, the report said. Such traditional markets are often tightly packed with shoppers seeking prices lower than at supermarket chains. Fire sources can range from gas bottles to charcoal used to roast meat and discarded cigarettes while aging infrastructure, such as underground gas lines, has also been blamed for fires and explosions.

Blast in southwestern Pakistan kills 1 person and wounds 35

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — A blast from an improvised explosive device killed one person and wounded 35 others on Saturday in Pakistan’s southwestern city of Turbat, a police official said. Footage from the scene showed vehicles moving through the city before an explosion and flames engulfed one of them. Police officer Roshan Baloch said that eight of the wounded were in critical condition, and that the rest were stable. Most of the casualties are soldiers. The device was in a car parked on the side of the road and was detonated remotely, Baloch added. The chief minister for Balochistan province, Sarfraz Bugti, condemned the attack.

Asian singers and actors who relocated to Asia see global crossover opportunity

Twenty years after he was a young, struggling actor in Toronto, Thomas Lo is now the one giving young Asian actors their big breaks. He just had to go to Hong Kong to do it. The Chinese Canadian has been the creative director of one of the island city’s biggest TV broadcasting companies for only a few years, but is already making original English-language content to reach viewers around the world. “It was a bit of a full-circle moment for me,” Lo told The Associated Press. “You see more Asians but you’re still seeing the same Asians on screen, right? We’re looking for more opportunities on a grander scale and it’s not just in front of the camera.

Taiwan says China is redoubling efforts to undermine democracy with disinformation

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan ’s government says China is redoubling efforts to undermine confidence in the self-governing island’s democracy and close ties with the United States through the spread of disinformation, especially online. The National Security Bureau said the number of pieces of false or biased information distributed by China increased 60% last year, to 2.16 million from 1.33 million in 2023. The brief report issued Friday tallied “pieces of controversial information,” but did not further define the term. Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter, were the main conduits for disinformation, along with platforms that explicitly target young people such as TikTok, the report said.

Blinken heads to Asia, Europe on last expected trip as top US diplomat

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken will embark on what is expected to be his final overseas trip in office this weekend, traveling to South Korea, Japan and France. The State Department announced Friday that Blinken would visit Seoul, Tokyo and Paris beginning Sunday. In South Korea, which is in the midst of political turmoil following the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol, and Japan, Blinken intends to highlight the expansion of U.S. cooperation with both nations as part of the Biden administration’s Indo-Pacific strategy. That strategy is primarily intended to blunt Chinese ambitions in the region but also to deter the nuclear threat from North Korea.

Japanese woman who was the world’s oldest person at 116 has died

TOKYO (AP) — Tomiko Itooka, a Japanese woman who was the world’s oldest person according to Guinness World Records, has died, an Ashiya city official said Saturday. She was 116. Yoshitsugu Nagata, an official in charge of elderly policies, said Itooka died on Dec. 29 at a care home in Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture, central Japan. Itooka, who loved bananas and a yogurt-flavored Japanese drink called Calpis, was born on May 23, 1908. She became the oldest person last year following the death of 117-year-old Maria Branyas, according to the Gerontology Research Group. When she was told she was at the top of the World Supercentenarian Rankings List, she simply replied, “Thank you.” When Itooka celebrated her birthday last year, she received flowers, a cake and a card from the mayor.

Authorities suspect gang members killed 7 workers at a California marijuana farm in 2020

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — More than four years after the shooting deaths of seven Laotian workers at an illegal marijuana farm in Southern California, authorities revealed Friday that they believe the killings were carried out by gang members and pleaded with people to come forward with any information. Investigators believe the suspects were gang members of Laotian descent from the San Diego area. Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said the agency faces a “major obstacle” obtaining information because at least some witnesses and victims entered the U.S. illegally and may have been victims of human trafficking. Migrants who were working at the farm may fear retribution and distrust law enforcement, Bianco said.