Top Asian News 3:43 a.m. GMT

New Zealand’s unofficial fruit is the feijoa, not the kiwi. And part of the fun is in giving it away

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The unofficial national fruit of New Zealand isn’t native to the country – it’s South American. It isn’t exclusively found in New Zealand. And it’s not, perhaps surprisingly, the kiwi. It’s the feijoa. Known as pineapple guava elsewhere, the fruit — a green perfumed oval with a polarizing taste — can be purchased in California or Canberra. Yet no country has embraced the feijoa with quite the fervor or the fixation of New Zealanders. Due to its short shelf life, New Zealand — a nation of thriving fruit exports — has never been able to spin the feijoa into a global brand, as growers have done with apples and kiwi.

In one Indian city, reflective paint and bus stop sprinklers offer relief from killer heat

AHMEDABAD, India (AP) — For 20-year-old Mayank Yadav, riding a crowded bus in the summer months in this western Indian city can be like sitting in an oven. That makes it a treat when he steps off and into a bus stop outfitted with sprinklers that bathe overheated commuters in a cooling mist. “Everyone is suffering from the heat,” Yadav said. “I hope they do more of this across the city.” Rising heat is a problem for millions of people in India. In Ahmedabad, temperatures this year have already reached 42 degrees Celsius (107 Fahrenheit), a level usually not seen for several more weeks, prompting city officials to advise people to stay indoors and stay hydrated.

Detained Philippines ex-President Duterte wins mayoral race in his home city

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was elected as mayor in his home city by a landslide, official results showed Tuesday, despite his detention by the International Criminal Court. The Davao election board proclaimed Duterte won the race for Davao mayor, with the official tally showing that he garnered over 660,000 votes, or eight times as many as his closest rival. Elated supporters chanted “Duterte, Duterte” when the result was announced. His youngest son, Sebastian, the incumbent mayor of Davao, was declared Davao vice mayor. His eldest son, Paolo, was reelected as a member of the House of Representatives, and two grandsons won in local races, an indication of the family’s continued influence.

Fox News can get Smartmatic records about Philippines bribery case, court rules

NEW YORK (AP) — Fox News can get access to some internal documents at the voting-technology company Smartmatic as part of its effort to defend itself against a $2.7 billion civil defamation lawsuit over its coverage of claims of voting fraud during the 2020 presidential election, a New York appeals court ruled Tuesday. The documents concern a U.S. corruption case about Smartmatic’s dealings in the Philippines. The opinion reversed a lower-court judge’s repeated denials of Fox requests to peer into the company’s records about the federal inquiry, which led to criminal charges against Smartmatic co-founder Roger Piñate and two other executives.

Global aviation council finds Russia responsible for downing MH17 over Ukraine in 2014

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization on Tuesday found Russia responsible for shooting down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine with the loss of 298 lives more than a decade ago, in a ruling that raises the prospect of victims’ families being paid compensation. Russia has rejected the findings. A Dutch-led international investigation concluded in 2016 that the Amsterdam-to-Kuala Lumpur airliner was shot down on July 17, 2014, from Ukrainian territory held by separatist rebels using a Buk missile system delivered from Russia. Moscow denies any involvement in the MH17 tragedy. The Netherlands and Australian governments brought the case against Moscow before the Montreal-based global aviation agency in 2022, and on Tuesday welcomed the verdict.

India disputes Trump’s claim that trade incentives led to the India-Pakistan ceasefire

NEW DELHI (AP) — The Indian government on Tuesday disputed U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that the U.S.-mediated ceasefire between India and Pakistan came about in part because he had offered possible trade concessions. Addressing a weekly news conference, Randhir Jaiswal, the spokesman for India’s foreign ministry, said top leaders in New Delhi and Washington were in touch last week following the Indian military’s intense standoff with Pakistan, but that there was no conversation on trade. “The issue of trade didn’t come up in any of these discussions,” Jaiswal said, referring to the conversations held between U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as well as between U.S.

Australian Cabinet sworn in after landslide election victory

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s Cabinet was sworn into office Tuesday after the center-left Labor Party was reelected in a landslide May 3. With vote counting continuing, Labor expects to hold between 92 and 95 seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives. The party held 78 seats in the previous Parliament. The conservative opposition alliance of parties is on track to win 41 seats in one of its worst election results. The Cabinet held its first meeting after the swearing-in ceremony. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese plans to fly to Jakarta on Wednesday to meet Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto. He then intends to fly from Indonesia to Rome to attend the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV on Sunday.

Funerals held in Myanmar for pupils and teachers killed in airstrike on school

BANGKOK (AP) — Funerals have been held in Myanmar for almost two dozen students and teachers alleged to have been killed in an airstrike on a local school by a ruling military jet fighter. Local resistance groups and independent media said Tuesday that 20 pupils and 2 teachers died in the attack on Ohe Htein Twin village, in Sagaing region’s township of Tabayin, also known as Depayin. Their reports said that as many as 100 people were wounded. The dead students were from grades 2 to 11, with the youngest seven years old, according to the shadow National Unity Government, which serves as an umbrella organization for opponents of military rule A member of a local resistance group fighting against army rule told The Associated Press that another student, who was severely injured in Monday’s bombing, died Tuesday afternoon while undergoing medical treatment.

China’s army of food delivery drivers get by with help from discount ‘loving meals’

BEIJING (AP) — After the lunchtime rush, it’s time for China’s food delivery drivers to eat. Liu Lijie, halfway through a 13-hour workday, parked his electric scooter in front of a restaurant in Beijing for his go-to choice, lamb noodle soup with a side of pickles, for 12 yuan ($1.65), a discount of 6 yuan off the regular price. The reduced-price meal is part of a movement that offers free or discounted meals to people in need, no questions asked. Known as “aixincan” (eye-sheen-zan), or “loving meals,” they are available at some restaurants in major Chinese cities, home to large populations of migrant workers who come looking for jobs.

Bangkok officials end search operation at the skyscraper that collapsed following an earthquake

BANGKOK (AP) — Thai authorities on Tuesday officially ended the search operation at the building under construction in the capital, Bangkok, that collapsed following an earthquake that killed dozens over a month ago. The 7.7 magnitude quake on March 28 centered in Myanmar, more than 800 miles (1,200 kilometers) away, killed at least 96 people in Bangkok, mostly at the collapsed site. More than 3,000 were killed in Myanmar. Eighty-nine bodies have been retrieved from the rubble while seven people remain unaccounted for at the site, officials said. They said they would continue to test hundreds of pieces of human remains to identify those still missing.