Top Asian News 4:58 a.m. GMT

UN: Myanmar opium cultivation has surged 33% amid violence

BANGKOK (AP) — The production of opium in Myanmar has flourished since the military’s seizure of power, with the cultivation of poppies up by a third in the past year as eradication efforts have dropped off and the faltering economy has led more people toward the drug trade, according to a United Nations report released Thursday. In 2022, in the first full growing season since the military wrested control of the country from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021, Myanmar saw a 33% increase in cultivation area to 40,100 hectares (99,090 acres), according to the report by the U.N.

BBC film on Indian PM Modi, 2002 riots draws government ire

NEW DELHI (AP) — Days after India blocked a BBC documentary that examines Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s role during 2002 anti-Muslim riots and banned people from sharing it online, authorities were scrambling to halt screenings of the program at colleges and restrict clips of it on social media, a move that has been decried by critics as an assault on press freedom. The two-part documentary “India: The Modi Question” has not been broadcast in India by the BBC, but India’s federal government blocked it over the weekend and banned people from sharing clips on social media, citing emergency powers under its information technology laws.

South Korea, Japan grapple with heavy snow chaos, delays

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Frigid winter weather gripped East Asia for the second straight day on Wednesday, causing several deaths and multiple injuries in Japan and a scramble for flights out of South Korea’s resort island of Jeju following delays by snowstorms. Heavy snow and record cold temperatures brought widespread disruptions in Japan. South Korea’s Ministry of the Interior and Safety didn’t immediately report any major damage or injuries from subzero temperatures and icy conditions that have affected most of the country since Tuesday. But at least eight roads and 10 sea routes remained closed as of Wednesday afternoon. About 140 homes in capital Seoul and nearby regions reported busted water pressure pumps or pipes as temperatures dipped to around minus 15 to minus 20 degrees Celsius (5 degrees to minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit) across the mainland.

Shallow 5.5 quake sets off rockslides in southwest China

BEIJING (AP) — Rescuers were headed to the site of a magnitude 5.5 earthquake Thursday in a region of southwestern China at the base of the Tibetan plateau that is prone to deadly quakes. Roads into the area have been blocked by rockslides, although there have been no reported casualties or other damage. The temblor struck at 3:49 a.m. at a relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) in Sichuan province’s mountainous Luding county, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Although 5.5. magnitude quakes are not particularly strong, shallow temblors are more likely to cause damage. The official Xinhua News Agency said about 100 rescuers were on their way to the site, but it gave no details on their work expertise or duties.

Top UN woman urges Muslims: Move Taliban into 21st century

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The highest-ranking woman at the United Nations said Wednesday she used everything in her “toolbox” during meetings with Taliban ministers to try to reverse their crackdown on Afghan women and girls, and she urged Muslim countries to help the Taliban move from the “13th century to the 21st.” Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, a former Nigerian Cabinet minister and a Muslim, said at a news conference that four Taliban ministers, including the foreign minister and a deputy prime minister, spoke “off one script” during meetings with her delegation last week. She said the officials sought to stress things that they say they have done and not gotten recognition for — and what they called their effort to create an environment that protects women.

Hipkins sworn in as New Zealand PM, pledges focus on economy

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Chris Hipkins was sworn in Wednesday as New Zealand’s 41st prime minister, following the unexpected resignation last week of Jacinda Ardern. Hipkins, 44, has promised a back-to-basics approach focusing on the economy and what he described as the “pandemic of inflation.” He will have less than nine months before contesting a tough general election, with opinion polls indicating his Labour Party is trailing its conservative opposition. New Zealand Governor-General Cindy Kiro officiated the brief swearing in ceremony in front of his friends and colleagues after she earlier accepted Ardern’s resignation. “This is the biggest privilege and responsibility of my life,” Hipkins said at the ceremony.

Pakistan arrests senior leader from ex-PM Imran Khan’s party

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Police in Pakistan early Wednesday arrested a senior leader of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s political party on charges of threatening the chief of the elections oversight body and other government officials. The arrest of Fawad Chaudhry, an outspoken critic of the government, is a major setback for the party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, in which he serves as vice president. The party quickly condemned the arrest and demanded his release. Khan also denounced the arrest, claiming on Twitter that it left no doubt that Pakistan has become a place “devoid of rule of law.” He urged followers to “stand up for our fundamental rights” to prevent the country from drifting toward “a point of no return.” The arrest took place during a predawn raid at Chaudhry’s house in Lahore, the capital of eastern Punjab province, his family said.

New Zealander killed in Ukraine helped hundreds, parents say

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The parents of a New Zealand scientist who was killed in Ukraine said Wednesday he helped save hundreds of people while volunteering in the dangerous Donbas region. Andrew Bagshaw, 47, a dual New Zealand and British citizen, was killed along with British colleague Chris Parry, 28, while attempting to rescue an elderly woman from the town of Soledar when their car was hit by an artillery shell, according to Bagshaw’s parents, Dame Sue and Phil Bagshaw. The Bagshaws said the deaths, which occurred some time this month, had only just been confirmed to them. They said their son worked independently and wasn’t affiliated with an aid agency.

Asia travel hotspots quiet as Chinese tourists stay away

CHIANG MAI, Thailand (AP) — Just a handful of Chinese visitors were posing for photos and basking in the sun this week in the market and plazas near Chiang Mai’s ancient Tha Phae Gate, one of many tourist hotspots still waiting for millions of Chinese travelers to return. The beaches and temples of destinations like Bali and Chiang Mai are the busiest they have been since the pandemic struck three years ago, but they’re still relatively quiet. Still, Chanatip Pansomboon, a soft drinks seller in the Chinatown district of Chiang Mai, a scenic riverside city in northern Thailand, was upbeat. He trusts that with the number of flights from China steadily increasing, it’s only a matter of time.

Ship sinks between S. Korea and Japan; 2 dead, 8 missing

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Ships searching in wind-whipped waters between South Korea and Japan have picked up at least 14 of the 22 crew members from a cargo vessel that sank early Wednesday, killing at least two, officials said. South Korean officials said nine of those rescued remain unconscious, but they did not immediately confirm any deaths. Ten crew members were later airlifted to Nagasaki in southern Japan for treatment, but two of them were confirmed dead on arrival, Japanese officials said. South Korean and Japanese coast guard vessels and aircraft as well as two commercial cargo ships were continuing to search for the eight missing crew members but the efforts were being slowed by strong winds and waves, South Korean officials said.