Top Asian News Stories

BATANG TORU, Indonesia (AP) – Rescue teams raced Wednesday to reach communities isolated by last week’s catastrophic floods and landslides in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand as over 800 people remained missing and economic damage became more clear. Over 1,400 were killed: at least 770 in Indonesia, 465 in Sri Lanka and 185 in Thailand, with three in Malaysia. Many villages remained buried under mud and debris, with power and telecommunications out. Indonesia and Thailand, both middle-income economies, have been able to mobilize extensive rescue operations, deploy military assets and channel emergency funds. Sri Lanka is responding under far more strained conditions.

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) – Southeast Asia is being pummeled by unusually severe floods this year, as late-arriving storms and relentless rains wreak havoc that has caught many places off guard. Deaths have topped 1,400 across Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, with more than 1,000 still missing in floods and landslides. In Indonesia, entire villages remain cut off after bridges and roads were swept away. Thousands in Sri Lanka lack clean water, while Thailand’s prime minister acknowledged shortcomings in his government’s response. Malaysia is still reeling from one its worst floods, which killed three and displaced thousands. Meanwhile, Vietnam and the Philippines have faced a year of punishing storms and floods that have left hundreds dead.

HONG KONG (AP) – The death toll of Hong Kong’s high-rise apartment blaze rose to 159 on Wednesday, as authorities arrested six people on suspicion of deactivating some fire alarms during maintenance work at the housing complex. The youngest person who died in the fire was a 1-year-old, police said. The oldest was 97. Police said they have completed a search for bodies inside all seven of the eight high-rise residential towers ravaged in the fire that first broke out a week ago and took more than 40 hours to be extinguished. About 30 people were still reported missing. “We have not finished our work yet,” Commissioner of Police Joe Chow told reporters, adding that officials found suspected human bones in different apartments and would attempt DNA testing to identify them.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) – Malaysia’s transport ministry said Wednesday that a private firm will resume a deep-sea hunt for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 later this month, more than a decade after the jet vanished without a trace. The search will be carried out by Texas-based marine robotics firm Ocean Infinity, which signed a new “no-find, no-fee” contract with Malaysia’s government in March. It is unclear if the company has new evidence of the plane’s location. Ocean Infinity CEO Oliver Punkett reportedly said last year that the company had improved its technology since 2018, when the firm made its first seabed search operation under a similar deal and found nothing.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) – More than a decade ago, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 vanished without a trace, sparking one of aviation’s most baffling mysteries. Despite years of multinational searches, investigators still do not know exactly what happened to the plane or its 239 passengers and crew. On Wednesday, Malaysia’s government said American marine robotics company Ocean Infinity would resume a seabed hunt for the missing plane on Dec. 30, reigniting hopes that the plane might finally be found. A massive search in the southern Indian Ocean, where the jet is believed to have gone down, turned up almost nothing. Apart from a few small fragments that washed ashore, no bodies or large wreckage have ever been recovered.

BANGKOK (AP) – An election candidate in the strife-torn nation of Myanmar has been detained by a resistance group opposed to army rule, state media reported Wednesday, the first known such action before the polls scheduled for later this month. The detention of Wai Lin Htet, 37, a candidate of the Shan and Nationalities Democratic Party, highlights ongoing tensions in Myanmar, where local resistance groups clash with the military government as it tries to hold the Dec. 28 election. The Magway region has been one of the strongholds of armed resistance since the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – Social media platforms must report monthly how many children’s accounts they close once Australia begins enforcing its 16-year age limit next week, a minister said Wednesday. Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X and YouTube would face fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) from Dec. 10 if they fail to take reasonable steps to remove accounts of Australian children younger than 16. Livestreaming service Twitch was added to the list of age-restricted platforms less than two weeks ago. The Australian eSafety Commissioner will send the 10 platforms notices on Dec. 11 demanding information about the numbers of accounts removed.

NEW DELHI (AP) – India’s telecoms ministry on Wednesday rolled back its order for smartphone manufacturers to preinstall a government-run cybersecurity app on new devices. The Ministry of Communications on Monday asked smartphone makers to install the government’s “Sanchar Saathi” app within 90 days and to prevent users from disabling it. It also required manufacturers to push the app onto older models through a software update. Monday’s directive led to widespread criticism and concerns of violation of data privacy and user consent in one of the largest handset markets in the world. That order also clashed with policies of companies like U.S.-based Apple, which prohibits preinstalling third-party apps on its devices, including those developed by governments.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) – There were sighs of relief and expressions of gratitude under the giant dome of a grand mosque in Jakarta on Wednesday as 51 couples exchanged wedding vows in a mass Muslim wedding. Most of the couples, who live in Jakarta, were able to marry through a program designed to help those facing financial barriers, and were given a dowry, stapple food packages, wedding gifts, and even the photo session. Endah Kartini, 44, the new wife of Fauzi, a 35-year-old porter from East Jakarta, said: “Praise God! I am happy and feel calm now.” She added that she wishes that they can have two children.

BEIJING (AP) – Emmanuel Macron arrived in China on Wednesday for a three-day state visit focusing on trade and diplomatic talks as the French president seeks to enlist Beijing in pressuring Russia toward a ceasefire with Ukraine. Macron will advocate for an agenda of cooperation in economic and trade matters aimed at achieving a balance that ensures “sustainable, solid growth that benefits everyone,” his office said. France is aiming to attract more investment from Chinese companies and facilitate market access for French exports. During the visit, officials from both nations are expected to sign several agreements in the energy, food industry, and aviation sectors.