Top Asian News 3:51 a.m. GMT

Taliban decrees on clothing and male guardians leave Afghan women scared to go out alone, says UN

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Afghan women feel scared or unsafe leaving their homes alone because of Taliban decrees and enforcement campaigns on clothing and male guardians, according to a report from the U.N. mission in Afghanistan. The report, issued Friday, comes days before a U.N-convened meeting in the Qatari capital is set to start, with member states and special envoys to Afghanistan due to discuss engagement with the Taliban and the country’s crises, including the human rights situation. The Taliban — which took over Afghanistan in 2021 during the final weeks of U.S. and NATO withdrawal from the country — have barred women from most areas of public life and stopped girls from going to school beyond the sixth grade as part of harsh measures they imposed despite initial promises of a more moderate rule.

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin is released on parole after serving 6 months in a hospital

BANGKOK (AP) — Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was released on parole early Sunday from a Bangkok hospital where he spent six months serving time for corruption-related offenses. Thaksin was seen wearing a neck support, a sling on his right arm and a surgical mask inside one of the cars in a convoy leaving the Police General Hospital just before sunrise. He was accompanied by his two daughters and they arrived at his residence in western Bangkok less than an hour later. A homemade banner with the words “Welcome home” and “We’ve been waiting for this day for so so long” was seen hanging at the front gate of his house.

Japan’s new flagship H3 rocket reaches orbit in a key test after failed debut last year

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s flagship H3 rocket reached orbit and released two small observation satellites in a key second test following a failed debut launch last year, buoying hope for the country in the global space race. The H3 rocket blasted off from the Tanegashima Space Center on time Saturday morning, two days after its originally scheduled liftoff was delayed by bad weather. The rocket successfully reached orbit at an altitude of about 670 kilometers (about 420 miles) and released two satellites, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, said. “We feel so relieved to be able to announce the good results,” JAXA President Hiroshi Yamakawa told a news conference.

Indian farmers strike to demand guaranteed crop prices as others attempt to march to New Delhi

NEW DELHI (AP) — Farmers blocked highways and held demonstrations in many rural areas in northern India on Friday to protest over a range of grievances that have also led tens of thousands to march toward the capital in tractors and wagons. Farmers in the northern states of Haryana and Punjab held sit-ins near toll plazas on major highways in the strike, supported by some trade unions. Authorities advised commuters to plan routes carefully to avoid blocked roads. Tens of thousands of farmers began a protest march toward New Delhi earlier this week to demand guaranteed prices for their produce, but were stopped by the police about 200 kilometers (125 miles) away from the capital.

Chinese foreign minister says trying to cut his country out of trade would be a historic mistake

MUNICH (AP) — China’s foreign minister told a gathering of international security policy officials Saturday that trying to shut China out of trade in the name of avoiding dependency would be a historic mistake. Wang Yi spoke at the Munich Security Conference. Host Germany wants to avoid over-reliance on trade with an increasingly assertive China and diversify its supply of key goods in an approach it calls “de-risking.” That’s in line with the approach of other industrial powers in the Group of Seven, which has stressed that it doesn’t seek to harm China or thwart its development. Beijing has criticized the strategy.

Why tens of thousands of Indian farmers are protesting again

NEW DELHI (AP) — Tens of thousands of Indian farmers are protesting for guaranteed crop prices, renewing a movement that succeeded in getting contentious new agricultural laws repealed in 2021. Earlier this week, they began marching toward New Delhi, but their efforts so far have been blocked by authorities, who have used tear gas, detained a number of farmers and heavily barricaded entry points into the capital. Talks between the farmers and government ministers have failed to reach a breakthrough after three rounds and they have agreed to continue their discussions this weekend. Meanwhile, some farmer and trade unions plan a countrywide rural strike on Friday.

How will Prabowo Subianto, an ex-general who’s never held elective office, lead Indonesia?

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Foreign leaders congratulated Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto on his apparent victory in Indonesia’s presidential election, while rights activists called him a threat. But how he’ll govern remains uncertain after a campaign in which he made few concrete promises besides continuity with the popular outgoing president. The 72-year-old ex-general has never held elective office. He’ll lead a massive, diverse island nation whose economy has boomed amid strong global demand for its natural resources, but he’ll have to contend with global economic distress and regional tensions in Asia, where territorial conflicts and the U.S.-China rivalry loom large. The election outcome capped a long comeback for Subianto, who was expelled from the Indonesian army over allegations his men tortured dissidents, and banned from traveling to the United States and Australia for years.

Indonesian activists protest ex-general’s win in presidential election and allege massive fraud

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Protesters marched in Indonesia’s capital on Friday demanding the election authority stop Prabowo Subianto from taking office as the next president and claiming widespread electoral fraud. Subianto, a former general linked to past human rights abuses, has claimed victory in the presidential election on Wednesday after unofficial tallies showed him taking over 58% of the vote in a three-way race. Subianto’s win is not yet official as the official results could take up to a month to be tabulated. His two rivals, former governors Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo, refused to concede and alleged massive fraud in the election.

At least 11 dead and 4 injured in massive fire at paint factory in New Delhi

NEW DELHI (AP) — A massive fire swept through a paint factory in India’s capital, New Delhi, killing at least 11 people and leaving four others injured, news agency Press Trust of India reported. Fire officials said that the blaze started late Thursday on the ground floor of the factory, trapping the victims on the floors above with no way out. The building, which also houses a chemical warehouse, is located in the Alipur area in northern New Delhi. The cause of the fire was not immediately clear. The charred bodies of the 11 victims were recovered from the rubble after 22 fire engines doused the flames after battling for more than five hours.

Hong Kong customs arrests 7 in a $1.8 billion money laundering case linked to transnational crime

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong customs officials have arrested seven people linked to the territory’s largest ever money laundering case, involving about 14 billion Hong Kong dollars ($1.8 billion) some of it linked to a scam case in India. The seven local residents, aged between 23 and 74, were part of a large-scale transnational syndicate that used various shell companies and bank accounts to transfer large sums from overseas to the city under the guise of running international trading businesses, customs officials said Friday. One account once received as much as 100 million Hong Kong dollars ($12.8 million) on a single day, they said.