Top Asian News 2:50 a.m. GMT

US and South Korea begin joint military drills as North Korea accuses them of invasion rehearsal

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — U.S. and South Korean troops kicked off a large-scale exercise Monday aimed at strengthening their combined defense capabilities against nuclear-armed North Korea, which again accused the allies of practicing an invasion. The annual summertime exercise comes amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula as the pace of both North Korea’s weapons demonstrations and the U.S.-South Korea combined military exercises have intensified in a cycle of tit-for-tat. The exercise began hours after North Korea’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement repeating the North’s contention that such exercises are “provocative war drills for aggression.” It said the North’s nuclear ambitions are thus justified, adding that it is crucial to “constantly maintain the balance of power for preventing a war by stockpiling the greatest deterrence.” The United States and South Korea described their joint drills as defensive in nature and have been expanding and upgrading their training in recent years to cope with the North’s evolving threats.

China accuses the Philippines of deliberately crashing one of its ships into a Chinese vessel

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China’s coast guard accused the Philippines of deliberately crashing one of its ships into a Chinese vessel early Monday near Sabina Shoal, a new flashpoint in the increasingly alarming territorial disputes between the countries in the South China Sea. Two Philippine coast guard ships entered waters near the shoal, ignored the Chinese coast guard’s warning and “deliberately collided” with one of China’s boats at 3:24 a.m., a spokesperson said in a statement on the Chinese coast guard’s website. Philippine authorities did not immediately comment on the encounter near the disputed atoll in the Spratly Islands, where overlapping claims are also made by Vietnam and Taiwan.

Paetongtarn Shinawatra becomes Thai prime minister after royal signoff

BANGKOK (AP) — Paetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter of the divisive former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, became Thailand’s prime minister after receiving a royal letter of endorsement Sunday, two days after she was chosen by Parliament following a court order that removed her predecessor. She replaces another leader from the same Pheu Thai Party, at the head of a coalition that includes military parties associated with the coup that deposed the party’s last government. Paetongtarn is the third Shinawatra to hold the job, after her billionaire father and her aunt Yingluck Shinawatra. Both were removed from office and forced into exile in coups, although Thaksin returned to Thailand last year as Pheu Thai formed a government.

Visit by Vietnam’s new leader to China reflects key relationship, even as it builds ties with US

BEIJING (AP) — Vietnam’s new leader To Lam is making China the destination for his first overseas visit, signaling the continuing importance the Southeast Asian country places on its giant neighbor even as it strengthens ties with the United States and others. Lam stepped off a Vietnam Airlines plane on an overcast Sunday morning in Guangzhou, a major manufacturing and export hub near Hong Kong, China’s state media reported. He later flew to Beijing, where he will meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping. His three-day visit comes about two weeks after Lam was confirmed as general secretary of Vietnam’s Communist Party, the country’s top political position.

What to know as India’s medics and women protest the rape and killing of a doctor

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s medical workers began a countrywide strike Saturday to protest the rape and killing of a trainee doctor at a state-run hospital in the eastern West Bengal state. Saturday’s strike was called by the country’s largest group of doctors, the Indian Medical Association, saying all non-essential services at hospitals would be shut down across the country for 24 hours. The suspension of work has affected thousands of patients across India. The protests — mostly led by women — have intensified in recent days, demanding a safer working environment. Here’s what to know. On Aug. 9, police discovered the bloodied body of the 31-year-old trainee doctor at the state-run R.G.

Indonesia’s new capital isn’t ready yet. The president is celebrating Independence Day there anyway

PENAJAM PASER UTARA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia marked 79 years of independence on Saturday with a ceremony in the unfinished future capital of Nusantara, which was planned to relieve pressure on Jakarta but whose construction has lagged behind schedule. Hundreds of officials and invited guests wearing the traditional clothes of Indonesian tribes gathered on a stretch of grass amid the ongoing construction of government buildings and and view of construction cranes in the center of the Nusantara city. President Joko Widodo and his Cabinet ministers attended the Independence Day ceremony at the new Presidential Palace, built in the shape of the mythical eagle-winged protector figure called Garuda.

Jailed Chinese activist faces another birthday alone in a cell, his wife says

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ding Jiaxi knew he would spend his 57th birthday alone in a Chinese prison cell, without a phone call from family or a chance to stretch in the sunlight. It was the activist’s fifth year in those conditions. Despite letters assuring his family in the United States that he was healthy, his wife, Sophie Luo, was not convinced. “I’m really worried about his health, because he was tortured before,” Luo told The Associated Press from Washington. Luo shared details about her husband’s plight before his birthday Saturday, casting light on the harsh treatment endured by the country’s jailed political prisoners, who are often deprived of rights such as outdoor exercise and contact with loved ones, according to families and human rights groups.

Uzbek prime minister is in Afghanistan in highest-level visit since the Taliban took power

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov arrived in Afghanistan on Saturday in the highest-level visit by a foreign official since the Taliban returned to power three years ago. Aripov, heading a delegation, was welcomed at the Kabul airport by Abdul Salam Hanafi, the Taliban’s deputy prime minister, and other senior members of the government, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. During his visit, he met with Taliban leaders and discussed bilateral relations and strengthening trade and business between the two countries, the statement said. Five trade and investement agreements were signed. They are also to inaugurate an exhibition of Uzbek products, the statement said.

Volcano erupts after powerful earthquake in Russia’s Far East and scientists warn of a stronger one

PETROPAVOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, Russia (AP) — One of Russia’s most active volcanoes has erupted, spewing plumes of ash 5 kilometers (3 miles) into the sky over the far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula and briefly triggering a “code red” warning for aircraft. The Shiveluch volcano began sputtering shortly after a powerful 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck off Kamchatka’s east coast early Sunday, according to volcanologists from the Russian Academy of Sciences. They warned that another, even more potent earthquake may be on the way. The academy’s Institute of Volcanology and Seismology released a video showing the ash cloud over Shiveluch. It stretched over 490 kilometers (304 miles) east and southeast of the volcano.

India to hold first assembly elections in disputed Kashmir in 10 years

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — India on Friday announced three-phased assembly elections in disputed Kashmir, the first in a decade and in a new political environment after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government in 2019 stripped the Muslim-majority region of its semi-autonomy and downgraded it to a federally controlled territory. Since those changes the region has remained on edge, governed by a New Delhi appointed administrator and run by bureaucrats with no democratic credentials. The new polls will be held between Sept.18 and Oct. 1, India’s Election Commission said at a news conference in the capital, New Delhi. The vote will take place in a staggered process that allows the government to deploy tens of thousands of troops to prevent any outbreak of violence.