Top Asian News 4:59 a.m. GMT

Imran Khan supporters breach lockdown in Pakistani capital as government threatens to open fire

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Supporters seeking the release of imprisoned Pakistani former premier Imran Khan on Tuesday broke through a ring of shipping containers locking down the capital Islamabad, battled police, and ignored a government threat to respond with gunfire. Police used tear gas to disperse the crowds and at least one person has died in clashes. Scores more have been injured, including journalists who were attacked by Khan supporters. Dozens of Khan supporters beat a videographer covering the protest for The Associated Press and broke his camera. He sustained head injuries and was being treated in a hospital. Shortly after midnight, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had threatened protesters that police would respond with live fire if protesters fired weapons at them.

Philippine showdown: President says he’ll fight vice president’s plot to have him killed

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday described a public threat by the vice president to have him killed by an assassin as a criminal plot and vowed to fight it, in a looming showdown between the country’s two top leaders. Vice President Sara Duterte said Saturday in an online news conference that she has contracted an assassin to kill the president, his wife and the speaker of the House of Representatives if she herself is killed, in a threat she warned was not a joke. The national police and military immediately boosted the security of the president, and the justice department said it would summon the vice president for an investigation.

South Korean man convicted for deliberately gaining weight to evade military service

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean man has been sentenced to a suspended prison term for deliberately gaining more than 20 kilograms (44 pounds) to evade a tougher role in the country’s military conscription system, a Seoul court said Tuesday. In South Korea, all able-bodied men must serve in the military for 18-21 months, but individuals with health issues can instead carry out their duties at non-military facilities such as welfare centers and community service centers. If their problems are serious, they are exempted from their military duties. The Seoul Eastern District Court said it sentenced the man to one year in prison, suspended for two years, for violating the country’s military service act.

South Korea holds memorial for forced laborers in Japan after boycotting Japanese event

SADO, Japan (AP) — South Korea commemorated wartime Korean forced laborers at Japan’s Sado gold mines in a ceremony Monday, a day after boycotting a similar event organized by Japan, as tensions over historical atrocities continue to strain relations between the two sides. Monday’s ceremony at a former dormitory near the mines on Sado Island, which date to the 16th century and were listed this year as a UNESCO World Heritage site, was organized by South Korea’s Foreign Ministry and attended by nine family members of Korean wartime laborers, the country’s ambassador to Japan and other officials. Japan on Sunday held a memorial service for all workers at the Sado mines, including Koreans.

Social media sites call for Australia to delay its ban on children younger than 16

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — An advocate for major social media platforms told an Australian Senate committee Monday that laws to ban children younger than 16 from the sites should be delayed until next year at least instead of being rushed through the Parliament this week. Sunita Bose, managing director of Digital Industry Group Inc., an advocate for the digital industry in Australia including X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, was answering questions at a single-day Senate committee hearing into world-first legislation that was introduced into the Parliament last week. Bose said the Parliament should wait until the government-commissioned evaluation of age assurance technologies is completed in June.

Internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom has suffered a serious stroke, a post on his X account says

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Kim Dotcom, the internet entrepreneur fighting deportation from New Zealand to the United States on charges relating to his file-sharing website Megaupload, has suffered a “serious stroke,” a post on his X account said Monday. “I have the best health professionals helping me to make a recovery. I will be back as soon as I can. Please be patient and pray for my family and I,” the post said. Dotcom’s U.S.-based lawyer, Ira Rothken, confirmed to The Associated Press that the contents of the statement were accurate. Rothken would not say whether Dotcom or someone else wrote the post and did not provide further details.

Hong Kong’s top court rules in favor of equal inheritance and housing benefits for same-sex couples

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s top court on Tuesday upheld earlier rulings that favored subsidized housing benefits and equal inheritance rights for same-sex married couples, in a landmark victory for the city’s LGBTQ+ community. The Court of Final Appeal’s dismissal of the government’s appeals ended some yearslong legal battles over the differential treatment facing same-sex couples married overseas under Hong Kong’s Housing Authority policies and two inheritance laws. The unanimous decisions are expected to have a far-reaching impact on the lives of same-sex couples, who have traditionally had fewer rights compared to their heterosexual counterparts in the global financial hub.

Small Japanese rocket engine explodes during a test but no injuries are reported

TOKYO (AP) — An engine for a new small Japanese rocket reportedly burst into flames Tuesday during a combustion test. The fire, which was followed by an explosion and plumes of white smoke, followed an explosion last year by the same Epsilon S engine during a test, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported. There were no injuries, Kyodo reported, citing the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, which is investigating. Last year’s explosion happened after a piece of metal melted and damaged part of the engine, Kyodo said. The Epsilon S rocket is meant to improve Japan’s position in the growing satellite launch market.

India’s opposition protests against billionaire facing US bribery and fraud charges

NEW DELHI (AP) — Hundreds of supporters of India’s main opposition party protested on Monday against billionaire Gautam Adani, who was recently indicted in the U.S. for alleged fraud and bribery, and accused the government of protecting the Indian coal magnate whose companies’ shares have plunged since the charges last week. Activists belonging to the Congress party demonstrated near Parliament in New Delhi to demand the immediate arrest of Adani, who is seen as close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Some held up placards reading “Modi and Adani are one” and “Modi’s friendship is costing the nation.” Several were detained by police.

Seoul court acquits South Korean opposition leader on charges of instigating perjury

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was acquitted on Monday on charges that he persuaded a witness to lie in court to understate Lee’s past criminal conviction, in a rare moment of relief from broad legal troubles that threaten to derail his political career. Lee, a firebrand lawmaker and chairperson of the liberal Democratic Party, thanked the Seoul Central District Court judge after the ruling for “bringing back truth and justice.” The prosecution didn’t immediately say whether it would appeal. The same court earlier this month sentenced Lee to a suspended prison term for violating election law by making false public statements while running for president in the 2022 election, which he narrowly lost to conservative rival Yoon Suk Yeol.