Top Asian News 3:58 a.m. GMT

North Korea sends foreign minister to Russia as its troops train to fight in Ukraine

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said Tuesday its top diplomat is visiting Russia, in another sign of their deepening relations as rival South Korea and Western nations say the North has sent thousands of troops to support Russia’s war in Ukraine. North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said a delegation led by Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui departed for Russia on Monday, but didn’t specify the purpose of the visit. The announcement of Choe’s visit came hours after the Pentagon said North Korea has sent about 10,000 troops to Russia, who are expected to arrive in battlefields in Ukraine within “the next several weeks.” South Korean and Western leaders have expressed concern that North Korean involvement could help prolong Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, and that Russia may offer technology in return that could advance the threat posed by North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile program.

Duterte says he had a ‘death squad’ as mayor but didn’t order killings as Philippine president

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte told a Senate inquiry Monday that he had maintained a “death squad” of gangsters to kill other criminals when he was mayor of a southern Philippine city. Duterte, however, denied authorizing police to gun down thousands of suspects in a bloody crackdown on illegal drugs he had ordered as president and which is the subject of an investigation by the International Criminal Court as a possible crime against humanity. Duterte, 79, attended the televised inquiry in his first public appearance since his term ended in 2022. The Senate is looking into the drug killings under Duterte, which were unprecedented in their scale in recent Philippine history.

An explosion of fireworks injures more than 150 people at a temple in India

NEW DELHI (AP) — A huge explosion of fireworks injured more than 150 people at a religious festival in a temple in southern India, a report said Tuesday. The explosion occurred Monday night when a fireworks storage facility near Veerarkavu temple caught fire, the Press Trust of India reported, citing the police. It happened in Kasargod, which is nearly 580 kilometers (360 miles) northwest of Thiruvananthapuram, the Kerala state capital, The injured were treated at various hospitals in Kasargod, Kannur, and Mangaluru districts. Eight of them had serious injuries. There is a huge demand in India for firecrackers, which are used in religious festivals and weddings.

China says it’s ready to launch the next crew to its orbiting space station early Wednesday

JIUQUAN, China (AP) — China said all systems are ready to launch the next crew to its orbiting space station early Wednesday, the latest mission to make the country a major space power. The two men and one woman will replace the astronauts who’ve lived on the Tiangong space station for the last six months. The new mission commander, Cai Xuzhe, went to space in the Shenzhou-14 mission in 2022, while the other two, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, are first-time space travelers both born in the 1990s. Song was an air force pilot and Wang an engineer with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation who will be the crew’s payload specialist.

What does a shocking parliamentary loss for Japan’s long-ruling party mean?

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s ruling party and its junior partner lost their majority in Sunday’s parliamentary election. The loss, much bigger than expected, is bad news for a leader who’s only been in power for a month. It’s largely a reflection of voters’ anger at the repeated financial scandals that have hit the Liberal Democratic Party, which has ruled Japan nearly without interruption since 1955. The big loss throws the nation’s politics into turmoil, and will make it difficult for Ishiba to push through the changes he needs to win back voter support. The Associated Press explains how the election results could weaken Ishiba’s hold on power, and what the poor showing means for Japan’s diplomatic, economic and security goals.

A Thai court drops a case over the deaths of Muslim protesters in 2004

BANGKOK (AP) — A court in southern Thailand on Monday dropped a case against former state security personnel and officials over the deaths of 85 Muslim protesters in 2004, saying none of the suspects had been apprehended. Families of the victims of what is known as the Tak Bai massacre in April accused seven soldiers and government officials of murder, attempted murder and unlawful detention. The Narathiwat Provincial Court formally accepted the case in August. While there was enough evidence for an indictment, the court said the case was unable to proceed as no suspects were arrested and brought to the court, and as a result, the 20-year statute of limitations expired on Friday.

Parties loyal to Uzbekistan’s president win parliament seats in election devoid of real opposition

Parties loyal to Uzbekistan’s president swept parliament seats, according to official results released on Monday, in an election devoid of any real opposition in the tightly controlled Central Asian country There are five registered parties in the country and they nominated all candidates who ran in Sunday’s vote. While the parties may focus on different issues, some stress business climate or environmental protection, they all support President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. No genuine opposition parties are allowed in Uzbekistan. Nearly 75% of voters had cast their ballots in Sunday’s vote, well above the 33% needed for the vote to be valid, according to election officials.

Resistance forces push military regime close to brink in Myanmar

BANGKOK (AP) — Three well-armed militias launched a surprise joint offensive in northeastern Myanmar a year ago, breaking a strategic stalemate with the regime’s military with rapid gains of huge swaths of territory and inspiring others to attack around the country. The military’s control had seemed firmly ensconced with vast superiority in troops and firepower, plus material support from Russia and China. But today the government is increasingly on the back foot, with the loss of dozens of outposts, bases and strategic cities that even its leaders concede would be challenging to take back. “The military is on the defensive all over the country, and every time it puts its energy into one part of the country, it basically has to shift troops and then is vulnerable in other parts,” said Connor Macdonald of the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar advocacy group.

Myanmar’s civil war reshaped in past year with coordinated offensive by powerful resistance groups

BANGKOK (AP) — Three well-armed militias launched a surprise joint offensive in northeastern Myanmar a year ago, breaking a strategic stalemate with the regime’s military with rapid gains of huge swaths of territory and inspiring others to attack around the country. Before the offensive, the military’s control had seemed firmly ensconced with its vast superiority in troops and firepower, and aided with material support from Russia and China. But today it is increasingly on the back foot, with the loss of dozens of outposts, bases and strategic cities that even its leaders concede will be challenging to regain. The military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, giving rise to intensified fighting with long-established armed groups associated with Myanmar’s ethnic minority groups, and sparking the formation of new pro-democracy militias.

The leaders of India and Spain launch India’s first private military aircraft plant

VADODARA, India (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez inaugurated India’s first private military aircraft plant on Monday, boosting New Delhi’s ambitions of growing local manufacturing in its defense and aerospace industries. Sanchez was welcomed to the country with a roadshow in Gujarat state’s Vadodara city where hundreds of people cheered and waved banners. The two leaders then launched the Tata Aircraft Complex, the manufacturing hub that will produce the Airbus C-295 transport military aircraft in collaboration with Airbus Spain and to be deployed by the Indian air force. Sanchez said the project was a triumph of Modi’s vision “to turn India into an industrial powerhouse and a magnet for investment and business-to-business collaboration.” “This partnership between Airbus and Tata will contribute to the progress of the Indian aerospace industry and will open new doors for the arrival of other European companies,” he added.