Top Asian and Pacific News Stories

SYDNEY (AP) – In the first full day of opening since a mass shooting driven by antisemitism killed 15 people at Australia’s famed Bondi Beach on Sunday, thousands of people returned to the waterfront Friday to commemorate the losses and try to heal through a sense of community. In a hastily organized event, people gathered shoulder to shoulder on Bondi’s pristine crescent of sand and then formed an enormous circle in the ocean in an expression of solidarity among Sydney’s residents and support for the Jewish community. Police reopened parts of the beach Thursday, sparking a return to one of the country’s beloved landmarks five days after two shooters attacked a Hanukkah celebration at a park near the shore, killing 15 people.

HONG KONG (AP) – Hong Kongers offered flowers and bowed outside a funeral parlor on Friday to pay tribute to a firefighter who was among the 160 people killed by the city’s deadliest fire in decades. Ho Wai-ho lost his life battling the massive blaze that engulfed seven buildings of a housing complex on Nov. 26. He was 37. The fire services department has posthumously awarded him the title of senior fireman. An array of wreaths lay outside the Universal Funeral Parlour, with thank-you cards from residents put up on its wall. Top officials, including Hong Kong leader John Lee, were among the funeral attendees.

SYDNEY (AP) – Hundreds of mourners bearing bright bouquets and clutching each other in grief gathered at a funeral in Sydney on Thursday for a 10-year-old girl who was gunned down in an antisemitic massacre during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach. Matilda, whose last name is being withheld at the request of her family, was enjoying a petting zoo at the festivities on Sunday just before she was killed along with 14 other people in a mass shooting targeting Jews. The suspects, a father and son, were inspired by the Islamic State group, Australian authorities have said. Beaming photos of Matilda have become a focal point for Australia’s grief at one of the worst hate-fueled attacks ever committed in the country.

BENGALURU, India (AP) – Across India, battery recycling faces a mixture of challenges and opportunity as it plays an important role in the country’s shift to clean power. A fledgling system has taken off in the past decade for recovering materials from the batteries used in electric vehicles, smartphones and other consumer electronics. The valuable minerals these companies recover – such as lithium, cobalt and nickel – are then reused in India’s growing fleet of electric vehicles and solar power installations. Recycling and repurposing batteries is a key to reducing dependence on imports for hard-to-obtain metals. “More than 40% of the country’s copper and aluminum needs are met by recycling scrap and we want to aspire for the same when it comes to lithium, cobalt and nickel,” said Rajat Verma, founder and CEO of Lohum Cleantech, a 7-year-old battery manufacturing and recycling company based in Noida near India’s capital New Delhi.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) – A man with a knife and smoke grenades attacked crowds indiscriminately in Taiwan’s capital on Friday evening, killing at least three people and injuring nine others, according to the national news agency and the city government. The suspect later fell to his death from a department store building. Police said that the suspect was declared dead at a hospital after jumping from the building’s sixth floor, the Central News Agency reported. The suspect, identified as a 27-year-old man named Chang Wen, threw smoke grenades near an underground exit of the Taipei Main subway station, close to the city’s main train station, and randomly stabbed people with the knife, sending pedestrians running, according to local media reports.

ISLAMABAD (AP) – Pakistan’s deputy prime minister on Friday accused neighboring India of “weaponizing water” by releasing water from Indian dams without warning, saying the move violates a World Bank-brokered water-sharing treaty and threatens peace and stability in the region. Ishaq Dar made the remarks a day after Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said it had written to New Delhi seeking clarification over what it described as irregular water releases from the Chenab River. Dar alleged New Delhi was manipulating water flows at a critical point in Pakistan’s agricultural cycle, threatening livelihoods as well as the country’s food and economic security. He said the latest irregular release of water from the Chenab river was detected this week.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) – Singapore’s government said Friday that scammers will face mandatory caning of up to 24 strokes from Dec. 30, under changes to criminal law to deter surging fraud cases. The changes, passed by Parliament last month, strengthen penalties that already include imprisonment and fines. The Home Affairs Ministry said the enhanced punishment “ensure that our criminal laws remain effective, fair, and responsive to emerging challenges.” Under the changes, scammers, including recruiters and members of scam syndicates, face six to 24 strokes of the cane. Those who knowingly provide their bank account or other personal details to be used to commit or facilitate the laundering of scam proceeds could also face discretionary caning of up to 12 strokes, authorities said.

NEW DELHI (AP) – Recent remarks about pollution from two Indian officials have increased frustration among residents who say policymakers are unwilling to acknowledge the severity of India’s air quality crisis. When Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav told Parliament earlier this month that India’s capital, New Delhi, has seen 200 days with good air quality readings, pollution experts and opposition leaders said he chose a figure that overlooked the worst pollution months. A week later, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the air quality index – a measure of air pollution – was similar to a temperature reading and could be dealt with by spraying water.

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) – Angry protesters stormed the offices of Bangladesh’s two leading newspapers late Thursday after the death of a prominent activist in last year’s political uprising in Bangladesh. The crowds set fire to the buildings of the dailies, trapping journalists and other staff inside. Hours later, the journalists and other staff were evacuated, and the fires were brought under control early Friday. It was not clear why the protesters attacked the newspapers whose editors are known to be closely connected with the country’s interim leader, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus. Protests were organized in recent months outside the offices of the dailies by Islamists who blamed the newspapers for their alleged link with India.

The Bank of Japan raised its key policy rate to a 30-year high on Friday to help curb inflation, as widely expected, and financial markets took the move in stride. The 0.25 percentage point hike took the BOJ’s benchmark short-term rate to 0.75%, its highest level since September 1995. It will raise costs for mortgages and other loans, but also boost yields on savings deposits. “It is highly likely that wages and prices will continue to rise moderately,” BOJ Gov. Kazuo Ueda told reporters. “Risks to the economy have diminished, but we must remain vigilant.” Inflation has long remained above the BOJ’s target of about 2%.