Top Asian News 10:55 p.m. GMT

French aircraft carrier stages combat drills with Filipinos in disputed sea and visits Philippines

ABOARD THE CHARLES DE GAULLE, Philippines (AP) — France’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and accompanying warships were in the Philippines on Sunday after holding combat drills with Filipino forces in the disputed South China Sea in a show of firepower that would likely antagonize China. The Charles de Gaulle docked on Friday at Subic Bay, a former U.S. Naval base northwest of Manila, for a break after more than two months of deployment in the Indo-Pacific. The French carrier engaged with security allies for contingency readiness and to promote regional security, including with Filipino forces, navy ships and fighter jets. They held anti-submarine warfare drills and aerial combat training on Friday in the South China Sea, Philippine and French officials said.

China denies it didn’t give timely warning of live-fire drills off Australia

BEIJING (AP) — China’s Defense Ministry said Sunday that Australia had made “unreasonable accusations” and deliberately hyped the situation after three planes headed to New Zealand changed course in midflight because of live-fire drills by the Chinese navy. Wu Qian, the ministry’s top spokesperson, said China had issued safety notices in advance and that the activity was in compliance with international law and did not affect aviation safety. “The relevant remarks from the Australian side are completely inconsistent with the facts,” he said in a response posted on the Defense Ministry website. Three passenger flights from Sydney to Christchurch and Queenstown were in the air Friday when they were first warned by a Chinese warship of a live-fire exercise, Australian media reported.

Afghan women’s radio station will resume broadcasts after Taliban lift suspension

An Afghan women’s radio station will resume broadcasts after the Taliban lifted their suspension over alleged cooperation with an overseas TV channel. Radio Begum launched on International Women’s Day in March 2021, five months before the Taliban seized power amid the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops. The station’s content is produced entirely by Afghan women. Its sister satellite channel, Begum TV, operates from France and broadcasts programs that cover the Afghan school curriculum from seventh to 12th grade. The Taliban have banned education for women and girls in the country beyond grade six. In a statement issued Saturday night, the Taliban Information and Culture Ministry said Radio Begum had “repeatedly requested” to restart operations and that the suspension was lifted after the station made commitments to authorities.

No passengers, no planes, no benefits. Pakistan’s newest airport is a bit of a mystery

GWADAR, Pakistan (AP) — With no passengers and no planes, Pakistan’s newest and most expensive airport is a bit of a mystery. Entirely financed by China to the tune of $240 million, it’s anyone’s guess when New Gwadar International Airport will open for business. Located in the coastal city of Gwadar and completed in October 2024, the airport is a stark contrast to the impoverished, restive southwestern Balochistan province around it. For the past decade, China has poured money into Balochistan and Gwadar as part of a multibillion dollar project that connects its western Xinjiang province with the Arabian Sea, called the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor or CPEC.

American Airlines flight from New York to New Delhi lands safely in Rome after security concern

ROME (AP) — An American Airlines flight from New York to New Delhi, India, landed safely in Rome on Sunday afternoon after it was diverted due to a security concern, which later proved to be “non-credible,” the airline said. American Airlines said Flight 292 “was inspected by law enforcement” after landing at Leonardo da Vinci International Airport and “cleared to re-depart.” It didn’t clarify the cause of the security concern, but added an inspection was required by protocol before the flight could land in New Delhi. “The flight will stay in Rome overnight to allow for required crew rest before continuing to Delhi as soon as possible tomorrow,” the airline said.

Children of UK couple detained in Afghanistan appeal to Taliban for their release

LONDON (AP) — A British couple in their 70s who run education programs in Afghanistan have lost contact with their family after being detained by the Taliban early this month, their children say. The family urged the Taliban authorities to release Peter and Barbie Reynolds. Their four adult children said the couple have lived in Afghanistan for 18 years, remaining after the Taliban toppled the Western-backed government in 2021. The couple runs Rebuild, an organization that provides education and training programs for businesses, government agencies, educational organizations and nongovernmental groups. The Sunday Times, which first reported the story, said one project was for mothers and children.

South Korea requests to be excluded from Trump’s efforts to increase tariffs

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean officials have asked the Trump administration to exclude their country from U.S. plans to impose aggressive tariffs on trade partners, emphasizing that Seoul is already applying low duties on American products under the free trade agreement between the two nations. South Korea’s government on Friday said Deputy Trade Minister Park Jong-won made the request while traveling to Washington this week for meetings with unspecified officials from the White House, the Department of Commerce and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. The South Korean Trade Ministry didn’t say what Park heard from the Americans.

Japan’s emperor marks his 65th birthday with a call to keep telling the tragedy of WWII to the young

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Emperor Naruhito, marking his 65th birthday Sunday, stressed the importance of telling the tragedy of World War II to younger generations, pledging to contribute to efforts to promote the understanding of history and the determination for peace as the world this year observes the 80th anniversary of the war’s end. “As the memory of the war fades today, it is important that the tragic experiences and history are passed on to the generations who do not know the war,” Naruhito told a news conference in a pre-recorded comments released Sunday. Those who went through the ordeals during and after the war grew have grown older and it is difficult for younger generations to hear their firsthand stories, Naruhito said.

Rich in cash, Japan automaker Toyota builds a city to test futuristic mobility

SUSONO, Japan (AP) — Woven City near Mount Fuji is where Japanese automaker Toyota plans to test everyday living with robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous zero-emissions transportation. Daisuke Toyoda, an executive in charge of the project from the automaker’s founding family, stressed it’s not “a smart city.” “We’re making a test course for mobility so that’s a little bit different. We’re not a real estate developer,” he said Saturday during a tour of the facility, where the first phase of construction was completed. The Associated Press was the first foreign media to get a preview of the $10 billion Woven City.

A decades-old rocket-propelled grenade kills 2 toddlers who found it in the Cambodian countryside

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — A rocket-propelled grenade believed to be more than 25 years old killed two cousins, a girl and a boy both 2 years old, when it blew up Saturday near their homes in rural northwestern Cambodia, officials said. The accident happened in Siem Reap province’s Svay Leu district, where there had been heavy fighting in the 1980s and 1990s between Cambodian government soldiers and rebel guerrillas from the communist Khmer Rouge. The group had been ousted from power in 1979. Muo Lisa and her male cousin, Thum Yen, lived in neighboring homes in the remote village of Kranhuong.