Top Asian News 9:13 p.m. GMT

North Korea fires a barrage of ballistic missiles toward the sea ahead of US election

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea fired a barrage of short-range ballistic missiles into the sea on Tuesday, its neighbors said, as it continued its weapons demonstrations hours before the U.S. presidential election. Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said at least seven North Korean missiles flew as far as 400 kilometers (250 miles) with a maximum altitude of 100 kilometers (60 miles). He said they landed in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. “North Korea’s actions, including a series of repeated missile launches, threaten the peace and safety of Japan, the region and the international community,” Nakatani said.

Australian foreign minister raises allegations of India targeting Sikhs in Canada

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia’s foreign minister said Tuesday she raised allegations with her Indian counterpart that India has targeted Sikh activists in Canada. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she discussed the Canadian allegations with Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar while he was in the Australian capital, Canberra. India has denied Canada’s allegation that Indian Home Minister Amit Shah ordered the targeting of Sikh activists inside Canada. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police went public last with allegations that Indian diplomats were targeting Sikh separatists in Canada by sharing information about them with their government back home. They said top Indian officials were then passing that information along to Indian organized crime groups who were targeting the activists, who are Canadian citizens, with drive-by shootings, extortions and even murder.

Demonstration outside Canadian Hindu temple broken up after police spotted weapons

BRAMPTON, Ontario (AP) — A Hindu temple near Toronto where violence erupted over the weekend was the site of another demonstration this week that police broke up after they say weapons were spotted in the crowd. Peel Regional Police said in social media updates that the demonstration in Brampton, Ontario was declared an unlawful assembly shortly before 10 p.m. Monday, after officers saw weapons “within the demonstration.” Pro-Hindu groups who shared details of Monday’s event suggested it came in response to Sikh separatists who protested a visit by Indian consular officials to the temple on Sunday. Police say the demonstration converged at an intersection outside the Hindu Sabha Mandir temple, shutting down traffic along Gore Road in both directions, before crowds dispersed by 1 a.m.

South Korea fines Meta $15 million for illegally collecting information on Facebook users

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s privacy watchdog on Tuesday fined social media company Meta 21.6 billion won ($15 million) for illegally collecting sensitive personal information from Facebook users, including data about their political views and sexual orientation, and sharing it with thousands of advertisers. It was the latest in a series of penalties against Meta by South Korean authorities in recent years as they increase their scrutiny of how the company, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, handles private information. Following a four-year investigation, South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission concluded that Meta unlawfully collected sensitive information about around 980,000 Facebook users, including their religion, political views and whether they were in same-sex unions, from July 2018 to March 2022.

Mount Fuji is still without its iconic snowcap in November for the first time in 130 years

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s iconic Mount Fuji, known for its snowcap forming around this time of the year, is still snowless in November for the first time in 130 years, presumably because of the unusually warm temperatures in the past few weeks. The lack of snow on Mt. Fuji, a UNESCO World Heritage site, as of Tuesday breaks the previous record set on Oct. 26, 2016, meteorological officials said. Usually, the 3,776-meter- (nearly 12,300-foot-) high mountain has sprinkles of snow falling on its summit starting Oct. 2, about a month after the summertime hiking season there ends. Last year, snow fell on the mountain on Oct.

North Korean test of ICBM is condemned by two-thirds of UN Security Council

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A U.S.-led statement approved by 10 of the 15 U.N. Security Council members Tuesday condemned a recent North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile launch and called on Pyongyang to return to negotiations and abandon its missile programs. The statement follows a series of recent North Korean missile launches, including the test Thursday of the country’s newest ICBM that is designed to reach the United States. The 10 Security Council members said that launch — in addition to more than 100 North Korean ballistic missile launches since 2022 — violates multiple Security Council resolutions prohibiting the North from using ballistic missile technology and jeopardizes international peace and security.

Indonesian rescuers dig through volcanic ash after eruption kills 9 and destroys buildings

MAUMERE, Indonesia (AP) — Rescue workers sifted through smoldering debris and thick mud Tuesday in search of survivors, a day after a volcano on Indonesia’s island of Flores erupted and killed at least nine people with its searing lava and ash. Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki spewed thick brownish ash as high as 2,000 meters (6,500 feet) into the air and threw lava, gravel and ash up to seven kilometers (4.3 miles) from its crater, blanketing nearby communities with tons of volcanic debris and forcing residents to flee. “The tremendous roar of the volcano suddenly woke us up that night, followed by flashes of lightning,” said Adelina Nuri, a mother of three who fled along with her relatives from the village of Hokeng.

A tiny village in India where Kamala Harris has ancestral roots is praying for her victory

THULASENDRAPURAM, India (AP) — The temple reverberated with rhythmic Sanskrit and Tamil hymns, as a Hindu priest held a flame before the god. As this tiny South Indian village gathered to pray for Kamala Harris, a gaggle of reporters jostled for space and camera angles. There’s little to distinguish the village of Thulasendrapuram from any other rural community in Tamil Nadu, except its connection to a woman who could become America’s first leader with South Asian roots. As millions of Americans vote, Harris has people rooting for her from thousands of miles away in a village surrounded by rice paddies and coconut trees, where her mother’s family has ancestral ties.

Iran’s top diplomat says Tehran would respond to Israel’s strike in a ‘measured’ way

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Iran’s foreign minister on Tuesday reiterated that his country does not seek an escalation in the Middle East but reserved the right to defend itself against Israel’s attack with a “measured and calculative” response. Iranian officials are increasingly threatening to launch yet another strike against Israel after its Oct. 26 attack on the Islamic Republic that targeted military bases and other locations and killed at least five people. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking at a news conference during a visit to Pakistan, said that “unlike the Israeli regime, the Islamic Republic of Iran does not seek escalation.” “We reserve our inherent rights to legitimate defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter and we will certainly respond to the Israeli aggression in a proper time and in a proper manner in a very measured and very calculated manner,” he said.

At least 36 dead after an overcrowded bus falls into a gorge in northern India

LUCKNOW, India (AP) — A poorly maintained and overcrowded bus veered off the road and plunged into a deep gorge in northern India on Monday, killing at least 36 people and injuring several others, officials said. The accident occurred in Almora district in the mountainous state of Uttarakhand. The bus was carrying around 60 people, and more than 20 have been injured, said Deepak Rawat, a senior state government official. Authorities said earlier they believed there were 42 passengers, which was how many people the bus could accommodate. Teams of rescue and relief workers were deployed to the site and officials feared the death toll may rise further, especially as seven passengers in hospital were in critical condition.