Top Asian News 3:41 a.m. GMT

China says a Chinese vessel and Philippine supply ship collided in the disputed South China Sea

BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese vessel and a Philippine supply ship collided near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea on Monday, China’s coast guard said. The coast guard said a Philippine supply ship entered waters near the Second Thomas Shoal, a submerged reef in the Spratly Islands that’s part of territory claimed by several nations. The Chinese coast guard said in a statement on the social media platform WeChat the Philippine supply ship “ignored China’s repeated solemn warnings … and dangerously approached a Chinese vessel in normal navigation in an unprofessional manner, resulting in a collision.” “The Philippines is entirely responsible for this,” it added.

Muslims in Asia celebrate Eid al-Adha with sacrifice festival and traditional feast

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Muslims in Asia on Monday celebrated Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, with food and prayers for people in Gaza suffering from the Israel-Hamas war. One of the biggest Islamic holidays, the occasion commemorates Prophet Ibrahim’s test of faith through slaughtering livestock and animals and distributing the meat to the poor. It’s a joyous occasion for which food is a hallmark where devout Muslims buy and slaughter animals and share two-thirds of the meat with the poor and it’s a revered observance that coincides with the final rites of the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

Singapore says dredger that hit tanker reported sudden loss of control, oil spill cleanup ongoing

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Singapore authorities said Monday a dredger boat reported a sudden loss in engine and steering control that led it to hit a stationary cargo tanker, causing an oil spill that has blackened part of the city-island’s southern shores. The Netherlands-flagged dredger Vox Maxima struck the Singaporean fuel supply ship Marine Honor on Friday. It ruptured one of the cargo tanks on the Marine Honor, which leaked low-sulfur oil into the sea. Although the leak has been contained, tides washed the spilled oil that had been treated with dispersants further along the shoreline, including to the popular resort island of Sentosa.

Chinese premier agrees with Australia to ‘properly manage’ differences

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Chinese Premier Li Qiang, said he had agreed with Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday to properly manage their nations’ differences as they emerge from a hostile era in which minister-to-minister contacts were banned and trade barriers cost Australian exporters up to 20 billion Australian dollars ($13 billion) a year. Li, Albanese and senior ministers of both administrations met at Parliament House on Monday to discuss thorny issues, including lingering trade barriers, conflict between their militaries in international waters and China’s desire to invest in critical minerals. Li, China’s most senior leader after President Xi Jinping, arrived in the South Australian state capital of Adelaide on Saturday and the national capital of Canberra late Sunday in the first visit to the country by a Chinese premier in seven years.

China is getting too much rain in the south and not enough rain, plus a heat wave, in the north

BEIJING (AP) — China is being buffeted by two weather extremes, with heavy rain and flooding forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people in the south and a heat wave prompting fears of a drought for farmers in the north. At least one person has died in the flooding. The body of a student who fell into a swollen river in the southern city of Guilin was found two days later on Saturday, state broadcaster CCTV said in an online report. Elsewhere in the Guangxi region, heavy rains flooded homes in some villages. To the east, landslides and flooding hit parts of Fujian province, and 36,000 people have been moved, according to state media.

New Caledonia reopening its international airport and shortening curfew as unrest continues to ebb

PARIS (AP) — The French Pacific territory of New Caledonia is shortening its overnight curfew and reopening its international airport that was closed to commercial flights for more than a month because of deadly violence that wracked the archipelago where pro-independence Indigenous Kanaks want to break from France. La Tontouta airport that links New Caledonia’s capital, Nouméa, to Sydney, Tokyo, Singapore and other Pacific hubs will reopen Monday, the territory’s high commissioner announced in a statement Sunday. The overnight curfew is also being shortened by two hours, its start pushed back from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., because of “the improvement in the situation and in order to facilitate the gradual return to normal life,” the high commissioner said.

Toyota shareholders demand vote against chairman Toyoda as automaker embroiled in testing scandal

TOKYO (AP) — Toyota’s chairman Akio Toyoda will be facing some disgruntled shareholders this week, as two major proxy groups demand a vote against keeping the grandson of the founder on its board. The vote expected at the June 18 annual shareholders meeting comes after Toyota apologized recently over fraudulent certification tests for vehicles, a major embarrassment for a company that prides itself on a reputation for excellent quality. The raft of problems at Japanese automakers including Toyota are said not to involve any safety problems and no recalls were announced. But Toyota suspended production of three models produced by group companies in Japan.

Pakistani Taliban announce a 3-day cease-fire with security forces on Eid al-Adha holiday

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A key Pakistani militant group behind scores of gun and bomb attacks on Sunday announced a rare cease-fire with security forces during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. Eid al-Adha will be celebrated in Pakistan on Monday amid a surge in violence. The cease-fire announcement would allow worshippers to attend Eid prayers at mosques and open areas without fear of attacks by militants. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, which is a separate group from but a close ally of the Afghan Taliban, said in a statement it decided to announce a cease-fire on the demand from the Pakistani people. TTP said its fighters would defend themselves if acted by security forces.

Noted Japanese author Haruki Murakami is happy with first animated adaptation of his short stories

TOKYO (AP) — Renowned Japanese author Haruki Murakami expressed joy with how several of his short stories were adapted in American director Pierre Földes’ animated film “Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman”, adding he wanted to see future interpretations of his work with filmmakers’ own spin. The Japanese language version of the 2022 film will be released for the first time in Japan on July 26. It is the first animated adaptation of Murakami’s work. After screening the film Saturday at his alma mater Waseda University in Tokyo, Murakami — joining Földes at a talk session — admitted that while he wasn’t a fan of animated films, he watched it twice.

Philippines seeks UN confirmation of its vast continental seabed in the disputed South China Sea

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippines has asked a United Nations body to formally recognize the extent of its undersea continental seabed in the South China Sea, where it would have the exclusive right to exploit resources, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Saturday, in a move that rejects China’s vast territorial claims to the region. The Philippine government submitted information to the U.N. Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf on the extent of its undersea shelf in the South China Sea, off western Palawan province, after more than a decade and a half of scientific research, the department said.