Asia Pacific

North Korea has sent about 10,000 troops to Russia to fight in Ukraine, Pentagon says

Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh says North Korea has sent about 10,000 troops to Russia to train and fight in Ukraine within “the next several weeks.”

AP Explains: What does a shocking parliamentary loss for Japan’s long-ruling party mean?

Philippine ex-President Duterte says he kept a ‘death squad’ as mayor to kill criminals

Resistance forces push military regime close to brink in Myanmar

Myanmar’s civil war reshaped in past year with coordinated offensive by powerful resistance groups

A Thai court drops a case over the deaths of Muslim protesters in 2004

A court in southern Thailand has dropped a case against former state security personnel and officials over the deaths of 85 Muslim protesters in 2004, saying none of the suspects had been apprehended.

The leaders of India and Spain launch India’s first private military aircraft plant

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez have inaugurated India’s first private military aircraft plant.

Pakistani human rights activists condemn arrest of lawyers on charges creating a security risk

Pakistan’s police have arrested a Pakistani lawyer and her husband who are known for taking on human rights cases, drawing criticism from rights groups.

A knife attack near a school in Beijing injures 5 people, including 3 children

A knife attack near a school in China’s capital has injured five people, including three children. Police say the attack occurred Monday in northwestern Beijing.

Pakistan begins another vaccination campaign after a worrying surge in polio cases

Pakistan has begun a nationwide vaccination campaign to protect 45 million children from polio after a surge in new cases.

Parties loyal to Uzbekistan’s president win parliament seats in election devoid of real opposition

Parties loyal to Uzbekistan’s president have swept parliament seats in an election devoid of any real opposition in the tightly-controlled Central Asian country.

Woman charged with assaulting Australian senator who shouted at the king

A woman has appeared in an Australian court charged with assaulting the Indigenous senator who shouted at King Charles III during a royal reception last week.

Polls close in Uzbekistan’s parliamentary election held without real opposition

Polls have closed in Uzbekistan’s parliamentary election that featured no real opposition to the Central Asian country’s strongman president.

Indonesia’s Marapi volcano erupts, spewing ash and hot clouds

One of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes has erupted, spewing thick columns of ash at least three times and blanketing villages with debris, but no casualties were reported.

Indonesian coast guard drives away a Chinese vessel in disputed waters for the third time in a week

Indonesian patrol ships have driven a Chinese coast guard vessel away from a survey ship in a disputed area of the South China Sea for the third time in a week, according to a statement from Indonesia’s Maritime Security Agency.

Thousands gather for colorful celebration at Taiwan Pride parade

Thousands have gathered on the streets of Taipei for the Taiwan Pride parade, one of Asia’s largest annual celebrations of inclusivity.

A suicide attack kills 4 security personnel in northwest Pakistan

Pakistani police say a suicide attack at a checkpoint has killed four security personnel and injured five in the country’s northwest.

Commonwealth nations adopt their first ocean declaration

Commonwealth countries have adopted their first ocean declaration during their summit held for the first time in the Pacific island nation of Samoa.

3 dead after light planes collided in Australia

Three men have died after two light planes collided midair and crashed into a forested area southwest of Sydney on Saturday.

The son-in-law of former Myanmar’s strongman is arrested over Facebook posts

Myanmar’s state-run media say security forces have arrested the son-in-law of the country’s former longtime military ruler, Than Shwe, for allegedly posting inflammatory statements on his Facebook account.

Record-setting teen climber says Sherpas should be leading climbs

A Sherpa teenager who’s won mountaineering celebrity as the youngest person ever to summit the world’s 14 highest peaks called for Sherpas to be recognized as athletes and expedition leaders as well as porters and guides.

1 dead and 12 injured after bus carrying Japanese tourists smashes into truck in Malaysia

One of Japan’s largest travel agencies says a tourist died and 12 other people were injured when their a tour bus smashed into the rear of a truck on a highway in Malaysia.

Storm blows away from northern Philippines leaving 82 dead but forecasters warn it may do a U-turn

Tropical storm Trami has blown away from the northwestern Philippines, leaving at least 82 people dead mostly in extensive flooding and landslides.

Tropical Storm Dana brings heavy rains and strong wind to India’s eastern coast

Tropical Storm Dana is bringing strong winds and heavy rain to India’s eastern coast, uprooting trees and raising the risk of floods after nearly 600,000 people evacuated.

Australia and UK make pact to partner on 2050 net-zero climate goal

Australia and the United Kingdom have deepened ties by agreeing to collaborate on climate change and energy initiatives, aiming to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, while also reaffirming their mutual commitment to develop nuclear submarines for both nations under the AUKUS treaty.

Japan’s ruling party may struggle in Sunday’s vote, but its decades of dominance won’t end

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s ruling party, dogged by corruption scandals and plunging support for his weeks-old government, faces its toughest challenge in decades in Sunday’s parliamentary election.

International Criminal Court reports Mongolia to its oversight body for failing to arrest Putin

A panel of judges at the International Criminal Court has reported Mongolia to the court’s oversight organization for failing to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin when he visited the Asian nation last month.

Jailed former Malaysian leader apologizes for fund embezzlement scandal, reiterates his innocence

Imprisoned former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak issued a rare apology over the looting of a state investment fund worth billions of dollars “under my watch” while reiterating his innocence.

Wife of Pakistan’s imprisoned former premier Imran Khan freed on bail

The wife of Pakistan’s imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan was released from a high-security prison in the garrison city of Rawalpindi on Thursday, a day after a court granted her bail in a graft case.

Sri Lanka says 3 locals were arrested over a possible attack on Israel tourists

Sri Lanka police have arrested three persons in connection with a possible attack on Israel travellers in the Indian ocean island, a government minister said on Thursday, a day after the authorities stepped up the security across the country, with the United States warning of an attack targeting a p

An Afghan province bans all media from showing images of living things to comply with Taliban laws

Taliban officials in Afghanistan’s south have banned all media from showing images of living things to comply with the Taliban’s morality laws.

Russian lawmakers ratify pact with North Korea as US confirms that Pyongyang sent troops to Russia

Russian lawmakers have ratified a pact with North Korea envisioning mutual military assistance, a move that comes even as the U.S. confirmed the deployment of 3,000 North Korean troops to Russia.

Indonesia says its coast guard drove away Chinese ship that interrupted survey in disputed sea

Indonesian patrol ships drove a Chinese coast guard vessel away from a survey vessel in a disputed area of the South China Sea for the second time in three days, Indonesian authorities said Thursday.

Pakistani security forces kill 19 militants in separate shootouts

Pakistani authorities say security forces faced off with insurgents in three separate shootouts, killing 19 militants.

India evacuates hundreds of thousands of people and shuts schools as a tropical storm nears

Indian authorities have shut schools, evacuated hundreds of thousands of people and canceled trains in parts of the country as a tropical storm strengthens in the Bay of Bengal.

Trash carried by a North Korean balloon again falls on the presidential compound in Seoul

South Korea says trash carried by a North Korean balloon has fallen on the presidential compound in central Seoul.

Explosion in a packed Kabul market injures 11 people, including children, humanitarian group says

A nongovernmental group says an explosion in a packed Kabul market has injured 11 people, including some children.

India’s Modi and Chinese President Xi meet days after a border accord between the countries

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping have met on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Russia, in their first bilateral meeting in five years.

Arrested Philippine televangelist confronted in the Senate by women he’s accused of sexually abusing

Former followers of an arrested Filipino televangelist confronted him in a Senate hearing Wednesday, accusing him of repeatedly abusing them sexually by portraying the assaults as their religious duty to the “appointed son of God.”

An anti-whaling activist will stay in detention in Greenland

A court in Greenland has once again decided to extend the custody of anti-whaling campaigner Paul Watson till Nov. 13 while Denmark considers a Japanese extradition request.