Top Asian News Stories From Around The Continent

SYDNEY (AP) – As the sounds of bullets rang out and the bodies fell, the young mother threw herself on top of her 5-year-old son and prayed. “Please don’t let us die,” 33-year-old Rebecca begged God from her hiding place under a table in a park overlooking Bondi, Australia’s most iconic beach. Rebecca spoke on condition that her last name not be used for fear of retaliation. “Please just keep my son safe.” It was faith that drew Rebecca and hundreds of other members of Sydney’s Jewish community to this picturesque spot to celebrate the start of Hannukah. And it was faith that authorities said made her and others attending the Channukah by the Sea gathering a target of two gunmen who began firing at revelers around 6:40 p.m.

SYDNEY (AP) – Australian leaders promised Monday to immediately overhaul already-tough gun control laws after a mass shooting targeted a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach. At least 15 people died in the attack, which has fueled criticism that authorities are not doing enough to combat a surge in antisemitic crimes. Among the new measures proposed would be a limit on the number of guns someone can own and a review of licenses held over time. Those and other actions would represent a significant update to the landmark national firearms agreement, which virtually banned rapid-fire rifles after a gunman killed 35 people in Tasmania in 1996, galvanizing the country into action.

HONG KONG (AP) – Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy former Hong Kong media mogul and outspoken critic of Beijing, was convicted in a landmark national security trial in the city’s court on Monday, which could send him to prison for the rest of his life. Three government-vetted judges found Lai, 78, guilty of conspiring with others to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security and conspiracy to publish seditious articles. He pleaded not guilty to all charges. Lai was arrested in August 2020 under a Beijing-imposed national security law that was implemented following massive anti-government protests in 2019. Lai has spent five years in custody, much of it in solitary confinement, and his family said his health has declined rapidly.

MONGKOL BOREY, Cambodia (AP) – Heavy combat between Thailand and Cambodia entered a second week on Monday, with Phnom Penh claiming that Thai bombing is hitting deeper into its territory, coming close to shelters for people who had already fled dangerous areas along the border. According to Cambodia’s defense and information ministries, Thai F-16 fighter jets dropped two bombs shortly after 10 a.m. near camps for displaced people in Oddar Meanchey and Siem Reap provinces. The bombing in Siem Reap’s Srei Snam district, more than 70 kilometers (43 miles) inside Cambodian territory, targeted a bridge, Cambodian authorities said. The province is home to the world-famous Angkor Wat temple complex, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the country’s biggest tourist attraction.

SYDNEY (AP) – A father and son are suspected by officials to have killed 15 people on a popular Australian beach, shocking a country where gun violence is rare. The government on Monday, a day after the shootings, proposed tougher new gun laws amid criticism that officials didn’t take seriously enough a string of antisemitic attacks. Here’s a look at what to know from the attack at Bondi Beach: Little is known about the suspects in the attack on Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach, but there was widespread shock when officials said that the two men pictured firing weapons in social media videos were related.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – South Korea’s ousted conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol plotted for over a year to impose martial law to eliminate his political rivals and monopolize power, investigators concluded Monday. Yoon’s martial law decree in December 2024 lasted only several hours and resulted in his rapid downfall. Independent counsel Cho Eun-suk, who announced the six-month probe’s result, also accused the former president and his military allies of ordering operations against North Korea, in a deliberate bid to stoke tensions and justify his plans to declare martial law. Despite the lack of a serious response from North Korea, Cho said that Yoon declared martial law by branding the liberal-controlled legislature as “anti-state forces” that must be urgently removed.

BANGKOK (AP) – Thailand will hold an early election on Feb. 8, the country’s election regulator said Monday, days after Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul dissolved the country’s parliament. Anutin, who has been in office for only three months and is seeking another term, disbanded the legislature after the main opposition party prepared to call for a no-confidence vote over an issue of constitutional change. The election is likely to pit Anutin’s Bhumjaithai party, which runs on a conservative platform, against the progressive People’s Party that held the largest number of seats in the House of Representatives after the 2023 general elections.

SYDNEY (AP) – It was a beautiful summer evening at Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach, thronged on Sunday by thousands of people soaking up the lingering warmth or taking sunset dips in the sparkling sea. Nearby, a Hanukkah celebration attracted families of all faiths, drawn in by face painting for children, ice cream, an outdoor movie and a petting zoo. Then mayhem erupted. For minute after minute shots rang out as people ran screaming, pulling each other into buildings, under tables and down alleyways, their beach towels, picnic blankets and flip flops strewn behind them as they fled. The violence horrified Australians not only because of its scale and the antisemitic extremism behind it, but also because it unfolded at a cultural and environmental landmark that has long represented the country’s cheeky, friendly and relaxed way of life.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) – Afghanistan’s neighbors met in Iran and agreed to deepen regional coordination to address political, economic and security challenges, as well as calling for sanctions on Afghanistan to be lifted. The only absent party? Afghanistan itself. China, Pakistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan all joined the talks organized by Iran, as did Russia, according to a statement released after the meeting on Sunday. Afghanistan was invited but decided not to attend. Its Taliban-led government was tight-lipped on the reasons, with the foreign ministry saying only that it would not participate because Afghanistan “currently maintains active engagement with regional countries through existing regional organizations and formats, and has made good progress in this regard.” The statement from the talks in Iran stressed the importance of maintaining economic and trade ties with Afghanistan to improve living conditions and called for the country’s integration into regional political and economic processes.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – When actor Amy Baik was cast in a South Korean commercial last year, she thought she had landed a promising gig. But after filming wrapped, she was shocked to learn that both the director and advertiser had cut her scenes – not because of her performance, but because she lacked a facial feature prized in South Korean beauty standards. “The reason was that I don’t have double eyelids,” said Baik, 26. “After receiving that feedback, I started to reconsider what kind of appearance Korea wants,” she said, adding it “made me wonder how I can survive as an actor in South Korea.” That experience pushed her toward a different market.