Top Asian News 5:49 a.m. GMT

Tropical storm battering Philippines leaves at least 24 people dead in flooding and landslides

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Widespread flooding and landslides set off by a tropical storm in the northeastern Philippines on Thursday left at least 24 people dead, swept away cars and prompted authorities to scramble for motorboats to rescue trapped villagers, some on roofs. The government shut down schools and offices — except those urgently needed for disaster response — for the second day on the entire main island of Luzon to protect millions of people after Tropical Storm Trami slammed into the country’s northeastern province of Isabela after midnight. The storm was blowing over Aguinaldo town in the mountain province of Ifugao after dawn with sustained winds up to 95 kph (59 mph) and gusts up to 160 kph (99 mph).

Trash carried by a North Korean balloon again falls on the presidential compound in Seoul

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Trash carried by a North Korean balloon fell on the presidential compound in central Seoul on Thursday, officials said, the second such case in recent months that raise concerns about the vulnerability of key South Korean sites during potential North Korean aggression. The incident comes after the rival Koreas ramped up threats and rhetoric against each other over North Korea’s claims that South Korea flew drones over its capital Pyongyang to scatter propaganda leaflets this month. South Korea’s presidential security service said in a statement that one of the balloons floated by North Korea burst over the South Korean presidential compound on Thursday morning, dropping rubbish on the ground.

Man pleads guilty to displaying a Nazi symbol at pro-Palestinian rally

SYDNEY (AP) — A restaurateur pleaded guilty Thursday to displaying a Nazi symbol during a pro-Palestinian rally in Sydney in early October. Alan Yazbek was photographed at the Oct. 6 rally in Sydney’s central business district holding a sign that replaced the Star of David on the Israeli flag with a blue swastika, accompanied by the words “Stop Nazi Israel.” The 56-year-old Yazbek was also photographed holding another sign in the green and yellow colors associated with Hezbollah — a designated terrorist organization in Australia — with the words “our boys in green and gold will win.” The rally took place a day before the one-year anniversary of the Oct.

India evacuates hundreds of thousands of people and shuts schools as it braces for a tropical storm

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian authorities have shut schools, evacuated hundreds of thousands of people and canceled trains in parts of the country as rescue teams braced on Thursday for a tropical storm brewing in the Bay of Bengal. Tropical Storm Dana is expected to intensify, bringing wind speeds of 100-110 kph (62-68 mph) and gusts up to 120 kph (74 mph), as it pushes toward the country’s eastern coastline, where it is set to make landfall late Thursday and early Friday, according to the Indian Meteorological Department. Climate scientists say severe storms are becoming more frequent in South Asia. Global warming driven by planet-heating gases has caused them to become more extreme and unpredictable.

US confirms North Korea has sent 3,000 troops to Russia for training and possible Ukraine combat

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. said Wednesday that 3,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia and are training at several locations, calling the move very serious and warning that those forces will be “fair game” if they go into combat in Ukraine. The deployment raises the potential for the North Koreans to join Russian forces in Ukraine and suggests expanded military ties between the two nations as Moscow seeks weapons and troops to gain ground in a grinding war that has stalemated after more than two years. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called it a “next step” after the North has provided Russia with arms, and said Pyongyang could face consequences for aiding Russia directly.

Mourners grieve Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish spiritual leader who died in US

Family, friends and followers of Fethullah Gülen are gathering Thursday to pay respects to the influential Turkish spiritual leader and Islamic scholar who died this week in self-exile in the United States. Gülen, who inspired a global social movement while facing unproven allegations that he orchestrated a failed 2016 military coup against Turkey’s president, died Sunday at a Pennsylvania hospital. He was in his 80s. A funeral prayer service was scheduled for Thursday afternoon in Sussex County, New Jersey. The Alliance for Shared Values, a New York-based group that promotes Gülen’s work in the U.S., said thousands of mourners were expected to attend.

Officials say North Korea has sent troops to Russia. What would that mean for the war with Ukraine?

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — American and South Korean officials said Wednesday that there’s evidence North Korea has dispatched troops to Russia in a potential escalation of the nearly 3-year-old war with Ukraine. If the soldiers’ goal is fighting with Russia in Ukraine, it would be the first time a third country puts boots on the ground in the war. Other countries on both sides of the divide have sent military aid, including weapons and training: Iran has supplied Russia with drones, and Western nations have provided Ukraine with modern weapons and financial and humanitarian assistance. South Korea’s spy chief told lawmakers that 3,000 North Korean troops were being trained to use equipment including drones before being sent to fight in Ukraine.

Adoptee deported from the US over lack of citizenship criticizes South Korea and agency

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Adam Crapser, an adoptee who was deported to South Korea in 2016 because his American parents never secured his citizenship, delivered a scathing denunciation of the Korean government and his adoption agency in a Seoul appeals court on Wednesday. The 49-year-old’s yearslong legal battle highlights the systemic failures by both governments to secure citizenship for potentially thousands of Korean children adopted into U.S. homes over the past decades. Crapser, who was adopted by a family in Michigan in 1979, became the first Korean adoptee to sue the Korean government and an adoption agency for damages in 2019.

Japan prepares to cheer on Ohtani and the Dodgers, and the country is dressing for the occasion

TOKYO (AP) — Jiro Nishi wore a New York Mets cap as he browsed a Tokyo sporting goods store this week that boasts the largest array of MLB gear in Japan. Now that Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers are in the World Series, the hairdresser plans to cheer them on. Finding gear to reflect that rooting interest won’t be hard. The name and image of Ohtani are everywhere in the store — on caps, T-shirts, jerseys, stuffed animals — as all of Japan prepares to watch a national hero on the sport’s biggest stage. “I thought I’d wear something with the Dodgers logo to cheer them on,” he said.

Charles gets a warm welcome on his first visit as king to Samoa. But uneasy questions await

SIUMU, Samoa (AP) — In the dark, dozens of people lined a narrow road near the Samoan fishing village of Siumu, gathering near a sign bearing a portrait of King Charles III and waiting excitedly for a glimpse of the real monarch. A buzz surged through the crowd as a motorcade appeared Wednesday, bearing the first British king to visit a Pacific Island nation. Hands waved briefly from rolled-down windows and those standing in just the right spot managed to catch a glimpse of the king’s face. Then the monarch and his wife, Queen Camilla, were gone. The royals had arrived earlier Wednesday evening from a visit to Australia.