Top Asian News 3:56 a.m. GMT

At least 27 people killed in a fire at an amusement park in western India, police say

NEW DELHI (AP) — A major fire broke out Saturday at an amusement park in Gujarat state in western India, killing at least 27 people, including several children, police and media reports said. The fire erupted at the park in the city of Rajkot in Gujarat state. Police Commissioner Raju Bhargava said that the blaze was under control and a rescue operation was underway. Police officer Vinayak Patel said that it was difficult to identify the bodies. Police said they have detained the owner and the manager of the amusement park for questioning as they launched an investigation in the cause.

Fire at a baby care center kills 6 infants in India’s capital, a fire officer says

NEW DELHI (AP) — A fire broke out in a baby care center in India’s capital Saturday night, killing six infants, a fire service officer said. Six newborns were rescued from the blaze and taken to a nearby hospital, officer Suresh Kumar said Sunday. The fire on the first floor of the center was extinguished in about an hour, Kumar said. The cause of the fire in Vivek Vihar district of east Delhi was being investigated. Earlier Saturday, at least 27 people were killed in a big fire at a crowded amusement park in the city of Rajkot in Gujarat state in western India.

Chinese and Japanese leaders travel to South Korea for their first trilateral meeting since 2019

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Chinese and Japanese leaders were set to arrive in Seoul and meet with South Korea’s president separately on Sunday, a day before they gather for their first trilateral meeting in more than four years. No major announcement is expected from Monday’s trilateral South Korea-China-Japan meeting. But just resuming their highest-level, three-way talks is a good sign and suggests the three Asian neighbors are intent on improving their relations. A trilateral leaders’ meeting was supposed to take place annually following their inaugural gathering in 2008. But the meeting has stalled since the last one in December 2019 in Chengdu, China because of the COVID-19 pandemic and complex ties among the three countries.

Millions vote in India’s grueling election with Prime Minister Modi’s party likely to win third term

NEW DELHI (AP) — Millions of Indians voted Saturday in the next-to-last round of a grueling national election with a combined opposition trying to rattle Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign for a third-consecutive term for himself and his Hindu nationalist party. Many people lined polling stations before the start of voting at 7 a.m. to avoid the blazing sun at the peak of Indian summer. The temperature soared to 43 degrees Celsius (109 degrees Fahrenheit) in the afternoon in the Indian capital. “This (election) is also like a festival, so I don’t have a problem voting in the heat,” said Lakshmi Bansal, a housewife.

Pro-independence leader calls on protesters in New Caledonia to ‘maintain resistance’ against France

NICE, France (AP) — The leader of a pro-independence party in New Caledonia on Saturday called on supporters to “remain mobilized” across the French Pacific archipelago and “maintain resistance” against the Paris government’s efforts to impose electoral reforms that the Indigenous Kanak people fear would further marginalize them. Christian Tein, the leader of the pro-independence party known as The Field Action Coordination Unit, addressed supporters and protesters in a video message. It was posted on social media two days after he and other pro-independence leaders met with French President Emmanuel Macron during his visit to the territory following unrest that left seven dead and a trail of destruction.

Strong earthquake hits Vanuatu but no reports of tsunami risk or damage

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A strong earthquake struck the South Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu on Sunday, but there were no tsunami warnings or immediate reports of damage. The quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.3 magnitude when it hit at 9:23 a.m. local time, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Its epicenter was 83 kilometers (52 miles) northwest of the capital, Port Vila, at a depth of 29 kilometers (18 miles). The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no risk of the quake causing a tsunami. Vanessa Apuary, a Port Vila hotel worker, said the quake’s impact “wasn’t that big” considering its magnitude, which she understood to be 6.4.

Emergency convoy delivers provisions to survivors of devastating landslide in Papua New Guinea

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Survivors searched through tons of earth and rubble by hand looking for missing relatives while a first emergency convoy delivered food, water and other provisions Saturday at the site of a landslide that devastated a remote village in the mountains of Papua New Guinea and was feared to have buried scores of people, officials said. An assessment team reported “suggestions” that 100 people were dead and 60 houses buried by the mountainside that collapsed in Enga province a few hours before dawn Friday, said Serhan Aktoprak, the chief of the International Organization for Migration’s mission in the South Pacific island nation.

US Defense Secretary Austin expected to meet with Chinese counterpart in Singapore

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is expected to meet with his Chinese counterpart, Admiral Dong Jun, at a major defense conference in Singapore next week, the Pentagon announced Friday. It will be the first meeting between the two defense leaders following a phone call in April. It comes as the U.S. and China have gradually worked to warm relations, which had been largely frozen since a controversial visit to Taiwan by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in 2022 resulted in China temporarily stopping most military-to-military communications. The announcement came shortly before the Pentagon said Austin would undergo a medical procedure at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday evening and transfer power temporarily to his deputy.

The US defense secretary will visit Cambodia, one of China’s closest allies, after regional talks

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is scheduled to make an official visit to Cambodia, one of China’s closest allies in Southeast Asia, after holding talks with his Chinese counterpart at an annual security conference in Singapore, officials said. A U.S. Defense Department statement issued in Washington on Friday said Austin would travel next week to Singapore, Cambodia and France. He will visit Cambodia June 4 after attending the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. Among the talks he is planning there is one with his Chinese counterpart Adm. Dong Jun, the Defense Department said. The encounter would be part of an effort to patch up ties that have deteriorated over Beijing’s aggressive policies toward Taiwan and its vast territorial claims in the South China Sea.

China sends dozens of warplanes and ships near Taiwan to show its anger over island’s new leaders

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan tracked dozens of Chinese warplanes and navy vessels off its coast on Friday, the second day of a large military exercise launched by Beijing to show its anger over the self-governing island’s inauguration of new leaders who refuse to accept its insistence that Taiwan is part of China. China has issued elaborate media statements showing Taiwan being surrounded by forces from its military, the People’s Liberation Army. A new video on Friday showed animated Chinese forces approaching from all sides and Taiwan being enclosed within a circular target area while simulated missiles hit key population and military targets.