Top Asian News 3:59 a.m. GMT

Fire in large Hong Kong residential building kills at least 5 people and injures 27

HONG KONG (AP) — A fire in a large, mostly residential building in Hong Kong on Wednesday morning killed at least five people and left another 27 injured. The blaze in the New Lucky House in the Jordan neighborhood was extinguished later in the morning, but police said people inside the building still were calling for help. Firefighters had rushed to the scene after receiving a call about the fire at 7:53 a.m., authorities said. Three males and two females were killed, police said. Local media including the South China Morning Post reported the fire started at a gym on the first floor.

Biden meets Japan’s PM Kishida over shared concerns about China and differences on US Steel deal

WASHINGTON (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida began a much-anticipated visit to Washington on Tuesday that spotlights shared concerns about provocative Chinese military action in the Pacific and at a rare moment of public difference between the two nations over a Japanese company’s plan to buy an iconic U.S. company. Kishida and his wife stopped by the White House Tuesday evening ahead of Wednesday’s official visit and formal state dinner as President Joe Biden looks to celebrate a decades-long ally he sees as the cornerstone of his Indo-Pacific policy. Kishida will be the fifth world leader honored by Biden with a state dinner since he took office in 2021.

South Korea’s president faces a crucial referendum in parliamentary election

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol faces a crucial referendum Wednesday in a parliamentary election that could determine whether he becomes a lame duck or enjoys a mandate to pursue key policies for his remaining three years in office. In the months ahead of the election, the conservatives supporting Yoon and their liberal rivals exchanged toxic rhetoric and mudslinging, a sign of a deepening domestic divide. Regardless of the results, Yoon will stay in power, but a failure by his governing People Power Party to restore a parliamentary majority could hurt Yoon’s push for his agenda and further intensify the conservative-liberal fighting.

Eid holiday tradition spurs Indonesia’s economy as tens millions of Muslims travel home

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan was celebrated by Muslims on Wednesday with family reunions, new clothes and sweet treats. In Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, nearly three-quarters of the population were traveling for the annual homecoming known locally as “mudik” that is always welcomed with excitement. “Mudik is not just an annual ritual or tradition for us,” said civil servant Ridho Alfian, who lives in the Jakarta area. “This is a right moment to reconnect, like recharging energy that has been drained almost a year away from home.” Alfian lives in the Jakarta satellite city of Tangerang and was traveling in a van with his four family members to his hometown in Lampung province at the southern tip of Sumatra island, despite severe traffic congestion starting to occur on major thoroughfares.

China’s Xi meets with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov in show of support against Western democracies

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Tuesday in a sign of mutual support and shared opposition to Western democracies amid Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. “We would like to express our highest appreciation and admiration for the successes that you have achieved over the years and, above all, over the last decade under your leadership,” Lavrov told Xi, according to Russian media. “We are sincerely pleased with these successes, since these are the successes of friends, although not everyone in the world shares this attitude and are trying in every possible way to restrain the development of China — in fact just like the development of Russia,” Lavrov said.

Myanmar military begins basic training for draftees as resistance forces keep the pressure on

BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s military has begun basic training at military bases and schools across the country for draftees called up under the country’s recently activated conscription law, state-run media reported on Tuesday. The authorities activated the conscription law in February in a bid to to replenish the ranks that have been depleted in nationwide battles against ethnic minority armed groups and armed pro-democracy resistance forces opposed to military rule. The struggle began when the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. Over the past five months, the army has lost territory in northern Shan state and in Rakhine state in the west, and is under growing attack elsewhere.

Cruelty for clicks: Cambodia is investigating YouTubers’ abuse of monkeys at the Angkor UNESCO site

SIEM REAP, Cambodia (AP) — A baby monkey struggles and squirms as it tries to escape the man holding it by the neck over a concrete cistern, repeatedly dousing it with water. In another video clip, a person plays with the genitals of a juvenile male macaque sitting on a limestone block from an ancient temple to get it excited for the camera. The abuse of monkeys at the Angkor UNESCO World Heritage Site in northwestern Cambodia is not always so graphic, but authorities say it is a growing problem as people look for new ways to draw online viewers to generate cash.

Transgender inclusion? World’s major religions take varying stances on policies toward trans people

The Vatican has issued a new document rejecting the concept of changing one’s biological sex – a setback for transgender people who had hoped Pope Francis might be setting the stage for a more welcoming approach from the Catholic Church. Around the world, major religions have diverse approaches to gender identity, and the inclusion or exclusion of transgender people. Some examples: The Catholic Church’s disapproving stance toward gender transition is shared by some other denominations. For example, the Southern Baptist Convention – the largest Protestant denomination in the United States – adopted a resolution in 2014 stating that “God’s design was the creation of two distinct and complementary sexes, male and female.” It asserts that gender identity “is determined by biological sex, not by one’s self-perception” However, numerous mainline Protestant denominations welcome trans people as members and as clergy.

Trial opens in Thailand for the son of Spanish actors over the killing of a Colombian surgeon

BANGKOK (AP) — A court in Thailand began a trial Tuesday of the son of Spanish actors accused of killing and dismembering a Colombian surgeon on a popular tourist island. Daniel Sancho Bronchalo, 29, was indicted by prosecutors in October over the death of Edwin Arrieta Arteaga, whose remains were found stuffed in plastic bags at a landfill on Koh Pha Ngan, an island famous for its rave-style “full moon parties.” Lawyer Juan Gonzalo Ospina Serrano, who represents Arrieta’s family, told reporters at the Koh Samui Provincial Court before the trial that the family trusts Thai prosecutors to deliver justice. “They are grateful and hope that Thai law is forceful and that the truth can be told,” he said.

Protesters demanding restoration of Nepal’s monarchy clash with police

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Hundreds of protesters demanding the restoration of the monarchy in Nepal clashed with riot police on Tuesday in Kathmandu. Supporters of the former King Gyanendra, who was removed from power in 2008, attempted to crash through police barricades in a bid to reach the offices of the prime minister and other key government departments. Riot police used bamboo batons and fired water cannons to push back protesters. No major injuries were reported. The protest was called by the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, or the National Democratic Party, a prominent supporter of Gyanendra. “We love our king and country more than our lives.