Top Asian News 3:54 a.m. GMT
Bridge collapses in Beijing after fire breaks out, but no casualties reported
BEIJING (AP) — A bridge in Beijing’s northeastern Shunyi District collapsed Wednesday morning after a fire broke out in its structure, according to authorities and images circulating on social media,. No casualties were reported on the bridge, which was already closed to traffic, the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport wrote on the social media platform Weibo. The Chaobai River Bridge was damaged after a fire broke out in the morning, the commission said. The fire was later put out, and authorities were investigating its cause. Access to the bridge was shut down in both directions and traffic was rerouted. Videos circulating on social media showed plumes of gray smoke coming out of the sides of the bridge.
US Treasury secretary says trade war with China is not ‘sustainable’
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a Tuesday speech that the ongoing tariffs showdown against China is unsustainable and he expects a “de-escalation” in the trade war between the world’s two largest economies. But in a private speech in Washington for JPMorgan Chase, Bessent also cautioned that talks between the United States and China had yet to formally start. U.S. President Donald Trump placed import taxes of 145% on China, which has countered with 125% tariffs on U.S. goods. Trump has placed tariffs on several dozen countries, causing the stock market to stumble and interest rates to increase on U.S.
Militants kill at least 26 tourists at a resort in Indian-controlled Kashmir
SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Gunmen shot and killed at least 26 tourists Tuesday at a resort in Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said, in what appeared to be a major shift in a regional conflict in which tourists have largely been spared. Police blamed militants fighting against Indian rule for the attack in Baisaran meadow, some 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the disputed region’s resort town of Pahalgam. At least three dozen people were wounded, many of them seriously, according to two senior police officers. “This attack is much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years,” Omar Abdullah, the region’s top elected official, wrote on social media.
Vance calls for greater ties with India, hails progress on trade talks
NEW DELHI (AP) — U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday called for enhanced engagement with India and said the South Asian country should buy more defense equipment and energy from the U.S. and allow Washington greater access to its market, lending momentum to an expected bilateral trade deal. Vance, on a four-day visit to India, said he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi made progress on trade talks during their discussions on Monday, and confirmed that both sides had finalized the terms of reference for the trade negotiation — a vital step towards setting the road map for the final agreement.
China reveals new team of astronauts for space station launch
BEIJING (AP) — China announced Wednesday the members of a three-person crew that will be launched to its space station as part of its growing exploration of space. The Shenzhou 20 mission’s astronauts are Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie, Lin Xiqiang, deputy director general of China Manned Space Agency. They will replace three astronauts currently on the Chinese space station. Like those before them, they will stay there for roughly six months. The three will launch for space Thursday evening in China, from Jiuquan, on the edge of the Gobi Desert in northwestern China. The three-person crew were sent in October last year and have been in space for 175 days, said Lin.
EVs in the spotlight as China claims a leading global role at Shanghai’s auto show
SHANGHAI (AP) — Leading automakers will be showcasing their latest designed-for-China models at the Shanghai auto show this week, struggling not to be edged aside in the world’s largest car market while watching for U.S. President Donald Trump’s next steps in his trade war. Some industry experts view this year’s show in the sprawling industrial outskirts of Shanghai as a tipping point. Three decades after Beijing set out to build a world-class auto industry, local manufacturers account for about two-thirds of sales inside China, and a growing share of global exports. The exhibition opens to the public on Thursday and runs until May 2.
Australians start voting in general elections as pope’s death overshadows campaigning
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australians began voting Tuesday in general elections as the death of Pope Francis led to a cancellation of campaign events. Polling stations opened to voters who, for a variety of reasons, will be unable to vote on May 3. Around half the votes are expected to be cast before then. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and opposition leader Peter Dutton canceled events out of respect for the late pontiff. Flags were flown at half-staff at government buildings across the country, where a 2021 census found 20% of the population was Catholic. Albanese, who has described himself as a “flawed Catholic,” attended Mass in honor of the pope in Melbourne’s St.
Pope Francis converted to the environmental cause and denounced those he blamed for climate change
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Few moments in Pope Francis’ papacy better exemplify his understanding of climate change and the need to address it than the rain-soaked Mass he celebrated in Tacloban, Philippines, in 2015. Wearing one of the cheap plastic yellow ponchos that were handed out to the faithful, Francis experienced first-hand the type of freak, extreme storms that scientists blame on global warming and are increasingly striking vulnerable, low-lying islands. He had traveled to Tacloban, on the island of Leyte, to comfort survivors of one of the strongest recorded tropical cyclones, Typhoon Haiyan. The 2013 storm killed more than 7,300 people, flattened villages and displaced about 5 million residents.
Former Thai prosecutors sentenced to prison for alleged cover-up of Red Bull heir’s deadly crash
BANGKOK (AP) — A Thai court convicted and sentenced on Tuesday two former prosecutors in connection with an alleged cover-up of a 2012 Ferrari crash involving an heir to the Red Bull energy drink fortune that killed a police officer. Former Deputy Attorney General Nate Naksuk and former prosecutor Chainarong Sangthongaram were sentenced to three and two years, respectively, for abuse of power to help an individual avoid prosecution, said the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases in Bangkok. They were among eight people charged with conspiring to alter the recorded speed of the Ferrari driven by Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya to help him evade a speeding charge.