Top Asian News 3:44 a.m. GMT

Taiwan’s strongest earthquake in nearly 25 years damages buildings and causes a small tsunami

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan’s strongest earthquake in a quarter century rocked the island during the morning rush Wednesday, damaging buildings and creating a tsunami that washed ashore on southern Japanese islands. There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries, and the tsunami threat largely passed about two hours later. A five-story building in the lightly populated southeastern coastal city of Hualien near the epicenter appeared heavily damaged, collapsing its first floor and leaving the rest leaning at a 45-degree angle. In the capital, tiles fell from older buildings and within some newer office complexes, while debris fell from some building sites.

North Korea says it tested new solid-fuel intermediate-range missile with hypersonic warhead

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said Wednesday it tested a new hypersonic intermediate-range missile powered with solid propellants, extending a run in weapons demonstrations that’s deepening a nuclear standoff with neighbors and the United States. With the supposed success of the test, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared his country had acquired the ability to build solid-fuel, nuclear-capable systems for missiles of all ranges as he pursues an arsenal that could viably threaten rivals in Asia and the United States. The report by North Korean state media came a day after the South Korean and Japanese militaries detected the North launching a missile from near its capital toward its eastern sea.

With tears, a crowd of South Koreans bids farewell to beloved panda before her departure to China

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A crowd of people, some weeping, gathered at a rain-soaked amusement park in South Korea to bid farewell to a beloved giant panda before her departure to China on Wednesday. Fu Bao has been a major attraction at the Everland theme park near Seoul since she was born there in 2020 to pandas Ai Bao and Le Bao, who came from China in 2016 on a 15-year lease program. China sends pandas abroad as a sign of goodwill but maintains ownership over the animals and their cubs. Decades of conservation efforts in the wild and study in captivity saved the species from extinction, increasing its population from fewer than 1,000 at one time to more than 1,800 in the wild and in captivity.

Failed Australian rideshare app accuses Uber of illegally operating service to gain unfair advantage

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A failed Australian taxi-industry disruptor told a court on Tuesday that Uber began illegally operating its ridesharing service in Australia a decade ago to gain an unfair advantage over competitors. Taxi Apps, an Australian startup that developed taxi-hailing app GoCatch, lodged a 196-page statement of claim in the Victoria state Supreme Court in which it alleges Uber knowingly launched UberX illegally in Australia in 2014. The San Francisco-based rideshare giant was also accused of serious misconduct including corporate espionage and hacking of competitors’ systems. The trial, which opened Tuesday, is scheduled to last for 10 weeks and comes two weeks after Uber agreed to pay 272 million Australian dollars ($178 million) to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by 8,000 Australian taxi and rental car drivers.

Deputy chief of Thailand’s national police surrenders for arrest on money laundering charge

BANGKOK (AP) — A deputy chief of Thailand’s national police force involved in many high-profile cases turned himself in to fellow officers on Tuesday after a court issued a warrant for his arrest on money laundering charges. Police Gen. Surachate Hakparn had recently been suspended from his duties due to his involvement in infighting among the department’s top ranks. Thai media reported that the Bangkok Criminal Court approved an arrest warrant for Surachate on money laundering charges earlier Tuesday. Public broadcaster Thai PBS and Thai Rath, the country’s largest circulation newspaper, reported that the court issued the warrant because Surachate failed to report for questioning after three summonses had been issued for him.

Two go on trial in Switzerland over ‘kleptocracy’ scandal involving Saudi oil firm, Malaysian bank

GENEVA (AP) — Two managers of a Saudi oil exploration company went on trial in Switzerland on Tuesday for alleged fraud and money laundering over a scandal years ago linked to a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund that the U.S. Justice Department once described as the “biggest kleptocracy case” ever. The defendants from PetroSaudi — a Swiss Saudi citizen and a Swiss British national who were not identified by name for privacy reasons — are accused of having created a scheme in 2009 under which 1 Malaysia Development Berhad, or 1MDB, would set up a joint venture based on false premises.

Here’s what you need to know about the world’s largest democratic election kicking off in India

NEW DELHI (AP) — The world’s largest democratic election could also be one of its most consequential. With a population of over 1.4 billion people and close to 970 million voters, India’s general election pits Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an avowed Hindu nationalist, against a broad alliance of opposition parties that are struggling to play catch up. The 73-year-old Modi first swept to power in 2014 on promises of economic development, presenting himself as an outsider cracking down on corruption. Since then, he has fused religion with politics in a formula that has attracted wide support from the country’s majority Hindu population.

An Indian court sends a top opposition leader to jail until shortly before election

NEW DELHI (AP) — A court in India on Monday placed a top opposition leader in two weeks of judicial detention after his 10 days in the custody of a federal agency expired, in a case that opposition parties say is part of a crackdown by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government on rivals ahead of a national election later this month. Arvind Kejriwal, the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party, or Common Man’s Party, is the top elected official in the city of New Delhi and one of the country’s most consequential politicians of the past decade. He was arrested by the federal Enforcement Directorate, India’s main financial investigation agency, on March 21.

South Korea’s Yoon vows not to back down in the face of doctors’ strike over medical school plan

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s president vowed Monday not to back down in the face of vehement protests by doctors seeking to derail his plan to drastically increase medical school admissions, as he called their walkouts “an illegal collective action” that poses “a grave threat to our society.” About 12,000 medical interns and residents in South Korea have been on strike for six weeks, causing hundreds of cancelled surgeries and other treatments at university hospitals. In support of their action, many senior doctors at their teaching schools have also submitted resignations though they haven’t stopped treating patients. Officials say they want to raise the yearly medical school cap by 2,000 from the current 3,058 to create more doctors to deal with the country’s rapidly aging population.

Japan’s royal family makes formal debut on Instagram as world’s oldest monarchy tries to draw youth

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s imperial family made an Instagram debut with a barrage of posts on Monday, hoping to shake off their reclusive image and reach out to younger people on social media. The Imperial Household Agency, a government agency in charge of the family’s affairs, posted 60 photos and five videos showing Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako’s public appearances over the past three months. The agency said they wanted the public to have a better understanding of the family’s official duties and that Instagram was chosen because of its popularity among youth. By Monday evening, their verified account Kunaicho_jp had more than 270,000 followers.