Top Asian News 4:50 a.m. GMT

Plane burst into flames after skidding off runway at an airport in South Korea, killing at least 85

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A passenger plane burst into flames Sunday after it skid off a runway at a South Korean airport and slammed into a concrete fence when its front landing gear apparently failed to deploy, killing at least 85 people, officials said, in one of the country’s worst aviation disasters. The National Fire Agency said rescuers raced to pull people from the Jeju Air passenger plane carrying 181 people at the airport in the town of Muan, about 290 kilometers (180 miles) south of Seoul. The Transport Ministry identified the plane as a 15-year-old Boeing 737-800 jet and said the crash happened at 9:03 a.m.

Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who instituted economic reforms, cremated in New Delhi

NEW DELHI (AP) — Manmohan Singh, the former Indian prime minister widely regarded as the architect of the country’s economic reform program, was cremated after a state funeral on Saturday as politicians and the public mourned his death. The veteran leader, who was also credited for a landmark nuclear deal with the United States, died late Thursday at age 92. Singh’s body was taken Saturday morning to the headquarters of his Congress party in New Delhi, where party leaders and activists paid tributes to him and chanted “Manmohan Singh lives forever.” Abhishek Bishnoi, a party leader, said Singh’s death was big loss for the country.

Afghan forces target Pakistan in retaliation for deadly airstrikes

Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry said Saturday that its forces hit several points inside Pakistan in retaliation for deadly airstrikes last week. Pakistan last Tuesday launched an operation to destroy a training facility and kill insurgents in Afghanistan’s eastern Paktika province. The strikes killed dozens of people, mostly women and children. Comments from the Taliban Defense Ministry on Saturday, posted on X, said its forces targeted Pakistani points that “served as centers and hideouts for malicious elements and their supporters who organized and coordinated attacks in Afghanistan.” Ministry spokesperson Enayatullah Khwarzami gave no further information about the strikes, including how they were carried out and if there were any casualties on either side.

Hundreds gathered in Hong Kong for the city’s first pyrotechnics drone show

HONG KONG (AP) — Hundreds gathered in Hong Kong on Saturday to watch the city’s first pyrotechnics drone show, as part of a campaign to raise support and awareness of panda conservation. The 10-minute drone show featured 1,000 drones, some of which were equipped with fireworks, flying over Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour and forming images of the city’s giant pandas. During certain parts of the spectacle, some drones displayed fireworks, while hundreds of others formed a three-dimensional panda that slowly rotated in the sky. Some eager spectators arrived hours before the show to ensure that they would get a good viewing spot.

2 sailor deaths result in muted celebrations on winning yacht in Sydney to Hobart race

Champagne corks often pop and loud, boisterous cheers are usually heard around Constitution Dock when the Sydney to Hobart line honors winner finishes in the Tasmanian state capital. There were no such celebrations this year when defending champion LawConnect won the race in the early hours of Saturday morning, and with good reason: It came about 24 hours after two sailors died on separate boats in sail boom accidents two hours apart on a storm-ravaged first night of the race. LawConnect, a 100-foot super maxi skippered by Australian tech millionaire Christian Beck, sailed up the River Derwent just after 2:30 a.m.

Chinese workers found in ‘slavery-like conditions’ in Brazil taken to hotels as probe gets underway

CAMACARI, Brazil (AP) — Dozens of Chinese workers found by authorities in poor condition at a construction site in Brazil for electric vehicle automaker BYD have been taken and placed in hotels in the country’s tropical northeast region. Local prosecutors alleged that the laborers are victims of human trafficking who were living in “slavery-like conditions” under contractor Jinjiang Group, but offered no evidence to back up their claims. It’s unclear if the Chinese workers were in Brazil without proper papers and working permits. The Bahia state Labor Prosecutor’s Office could not comment when reached by The Associated Press, saying an investigation was underway.

South Korea’s opposition-controlled National Assembly votes to impeach acting President Han

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s opposition-controlled National Assembly voted Friday to impeach acting President Han Duck-soo despite vehement protests by governing party lawmakers, further deepening the country’s political crisis set off by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s stunning imposition of martial law and ensuing impeachment. Han’s impeachment means he will be stripped of the powers and duties of the president until the Constitutional Court decides whether to dismiss or reinstate him. The court is already reviewing whether to uphold Yoon’s earlier impeachment. The impeachments of the country’s top two officials has worsened its political turmoil, deepened economic uncertainties and hurting its international image.

What to know about South Korean acting President Han’s impeachment

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The impeachment of South Korea’s acting President Han Duck-soo Friday has plunged the country into further political turmoil, coming less than two weeks after lawmakers impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol. The successive impeachments that suspended the country’s top two officials are unprecedented, and the deputy prime minister and finance minister, Choi Sang-mok, is now South Korea’s new interim leader. Upon taking over power, Choi swiftly ordered the military to boost readiness to thwart potential North Korean aggressions and told diplomats to reassure key partners like the U.S. and Japan. “(Han’s) impeachment now creates an opportunity for external threats while causing Korea’s foreign partners to alienate it from the global community,” said Duyeon Kim, a senior analyst at the Center for a New American Security in Washington.

China sanctions 7 companies over US military assistance to Taiwan

BEIJING (AP) — The Chinese government placed sanctions on seven companies on Friday in response to recent U.S. announcements of military sales and aid to Taiwan, the self-governing island that China claims as part of its territory. The sanctions also come in response to the recent approval of the U.S. government’s annual defense spending bill, which a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said “includes multiple negative sections on China.” China objects to American military assistance for Taiwan and often imposes sanctions on related companies after a sale or aid package is announced. The sanctions generally have a limited impact, because American defense companies don’t sell arms or other military goods to China.

Climate-friendly electricity sees big battery projects soar again for 2024

2024 was another banner year for a source of electricity that is better for people’s lungs, better for climate change and may be reaching your home when you turn on the lights or turn up the thermostat — large banks of batteries. This ability to store large amounts of electricity in batteries was essentially nonexistent a decade ago, but the country had about 24 gigawatt-hours operating as of the end of November, up a whopping 71% over the same date in 2023. This is welcome news to clean energy advocates including Dariella Rodriguez. She has seen what happens on days when demand for air conditioning or heating spikes and extra power plants fueled by natural gas, located in Port Morris and Mott Haven, fire up not far from where she works in Hunts Point in the South Bronx, New York.