Top Asian News 3:31 a.m. GMT

Buses carrying Chinese tourists veer off New Zealand road in 2 crashes at the same spot. 15 hurt

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Two buses carrying Chinese tourists veered off the same stretch of road in perilous weather conditions on New Zealand’s South Island on Thursday, with 15 passengers taken to hospital, two of them seriously hurt. The buses were traveling in the same direction on a stretch of highway popular with tourists when they slid from the road and overturned, at about the same time and only 100 meters (yards) apart, New Zealand’s police said in an emailed statement. Temperatures in the area were freezing and others driving on the highway reported heavy fog and black ice on the road at the time.

Japan hosts Pacific Island leaders summit to firm cooperation amid growing China influence in region

TOKYO (AP) — Japan is hosting a summit Thursday with leaders from more than a dozen Pacific island nations, seeking to deepen cooperation and increased support for a rules-based free and open Indo-Pacific amid China’s growing influence in the region. The Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting, or PALM, launched under Japanese initiative in 1997, has become Japan’s key diplomatic tool to deter China’s security and economic influence in the region by strengthening its ties with the Pacific Island Forum members, stressing its willingness to stand by them and maintaining unity. In his opening remarks, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he hoped to elevate Japan’s ties with the Pacific islands to a higher stage and renew its commitment to “walk together toward the future.” He stressed the importance to join hands to quickly tackle mutual issues such as the climate change.

A fire kills 16 people at a shopping mall in southwestern China

BEIJING (AP) — A fire at a shopping mall killed 16 people Wednesday in the southwestern Chinese city of Zigong, state media reported. Firefighters and rescuers responded to a fire call shortly after 6 p.m. at the 14-story commercial building, and pulled 75 people to safety, according to the official news agency Xinhua. Rescue efforts were ongoing. It was not immediately known what caused the fire or how many people were in the building when the fire broke out. The building houses a department store, offices, restaurants and a movie theater. Social media video posts showed clouds of thick black smoke coming out of windows from the building’s lower levels and engulfing the entire 14-story structure as they rose into the sky.

Trump says Taiwan should pay more for defense and dodges questions if he would defend the island

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump demanded the self-governed island of Taiwan pay for U.S. protection, dodged the question of whether he would defend the island from Beijing’s military action and accused the island of taking the computer chip industry away from the United States. “Taiwan should pay us for defense,” the Republican presidential candidate said in an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek. “You know, we’re no different than an insurance company.” Trump’s remarks, made public Tuesday, add uncertainty to Trump’s approach to Taiwan at a time his running mate, JD Vance, has called China the “biggest threat” to the United States.

Traces of cyanide are found in the blood of Vietnamese and Americans found dead in a Bangkok hotel

BANGKOK (AP) — Initial autopsy results showed traces of cyanide in the blood of six Vietnamese and American guests at a luxury hotel in central Bangkok and one of them is believed to have poisoned the others over a bad investment, Thai authorities said Wednesday. The bodies were found Tuesday in the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok, a landmark at a central intersection in the capital busy with malls, government buildings and public transit. The six had last been seen alive when food was delivered to the room Monday afternoon. The staff saw one woman receive the food, and security video showed the rest arriving one by one shortly after.

Violent clashes erupt between police and protesters in Dhaka even after 6 die during campus protests

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Several major universities in Bangladesh agreed to shut their doors Wednesday after at least six people died in violent campus protests, while protest organizers announced they would shut down all but essential services and relentless clashes between demonstrators and police stretched into the night. After two days of demonstrations and unrest over the allocation of civil service jobs, the University Grants Commission urged all public and private universities to close until further notice. About a dozen major public universities said they would, according to officials and media reports. Wednesday was a public holiday in Bangladesh, so the number of universities that closed was expected to become clearer on Thursday.

The head of Hong Kong’s leading journalist group says she lost WSJ job after refusing to drop role

HONG KONG (AP) — The new chair of Hong Kong’s leading media professional group on Wednesday said she lost her job at The Wall Street Journal after she refused her supervisor’s request to withdraw from the election for the leadership post. Reporter Selina Cheng told a press briefing that a senior editor told her that her job was eliminated due to restructuring. But Cheng said she believed the real reason was linked to her supervisor’s request about three weeks ago to withdraw from the election for chair of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, a trade union for journalists also advocating for press freedom.

9 rescued, search still on for other crew members after oil tanker capsizes in Arabian Sea off Oman

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Search teams rescued nine crew members, mostly Indians, and recovered the body of another as they searched the Arabian Sea waters for others after an oil tanker capsized this week off the coast of Oman, Omani state media said Wednesday. The tanker, the MT Prestige Falcon, capsized late Monday about 25 nautical miles (29 miles) southeast of Oman’s Ras Madrakah area, according to Oman’s Maritime Security Agency. The cause of the capsizing and the condition of the tanker and its cargo were not immediately known. But the Indian Navy, which sent a warship to help in the search operations, said the rescue teams were dealing with rough seas and strong winds.

Relatives of those killed when MH17 was shot down mark 10 years since tragedy that claimed 298 lives

VIJFHUIZEN, Netherlands (AP) — Grieving families recited the names and ages Wednesday of all 298 passengers and crew killed when Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down over Ukraine 10 years ago, as they marked the anniversary of the tragedy at a solemn ceremony near Amsterdam. The relatives, some weeping or choking back tears, named brothers, sisters, parents, grandchildren, grandparents nieces and nephews in a litany of lost lives that lasted 30 minutes. “It’s a black day,” said Evert van Zijtveld, who lost his daughter and son, Frederique, 19, and Robert-Jan, 18, along with their grandparents. “What’s very important is that we mentioned the name of the loved ones ...

China’s Communist Party charts technology- and security-focused development for reviving the economy

BANGKOK (AP) — In a year of major elections that will determine the destinies of many countries, China’s ruling Communist Party is holding closed, top-level meetings in Beijing to set strategies for reviving its slowing economy. State media likened the meetings that end Thursday to reforms started in the late 1970s that opened China’s economy to foreign investment and private enterprise. State broadcaster CCTV said the agenda for this year’s meetings is to study and endorse “all-around deepening reforms.” Nearly a half-century after the late leader Deng Xiaoping launched China’s ascent as a manufacturing powerhouse, the party is doubling down on leader Xi Jinping’s blueprint for technology- and national security-focused development.