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Asia Pacific

In this screen grab from video provided by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, a Chinese coast guard ship uses water cannons and closely maneuvers beside a Philippine resupply vessel Unaizah May 4 as it approaches Second Thomas Shoal, locally called Ayungin shoal, at the disputed South China Sea on Saturday, March 23, 2024. (Armed Forces of the Philippines via AP)

Chinese coast guard hits Philippine boat with water cannons in disputed sea, causing injuries

Two Chinese coast guard ships have hit a Philippine supply boat with water cannons in the latest confrontation near a disputed South China Sea shoal, causing injuries to the Filipino navy crew members and heavy damage to the wooden vessel, Philippine officials said.

In this UGC photo taken March 5, 2024 and released by Cao Family, Rev. John Sanqiang Cao poses for a photo a day after his release from prison in Changsha in southern Hunan province. The Rev. John Sanqiang Cao was arrested and sentenced to seven years in prison while coming back from a missionary trip in Myanmar. Now back in his hometown of Changsha in southern Hunan province, he is without any legal documentation in his country, unable to access even the most basic services without a Chinese identification. (Cao Family via AP)

A Chinese pastor is released after 7 years in prison, only to find himself unable to get an ID

Supporters of the Aam Aadmi Party, or Common Man's Party, shout protest slogans during a protest against the arrest of their party leader Arvind Kejriwal, in New Delhi, India, Saturday, March 23, 2024. Hundreds of protesters in India's capital took to the streets for a second day Saturday, demanding to the immediate release of one of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's top rivals, as the country gears up for a national election next month. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Protests against arrest of one of top rivals of Indian Prime Minister Modi continue for second day

People lay flowers and light candles standing next to the Crocus City Hall, on the western edge of Moscow, Russia, Saturday, March 23, 2024. Russia's top state investigative agency says the death toll in the Moscow concert hall attack has risen to over 133. The attack Friday on Crocus City Hall, a sprawling mall and concert venue on Moscow's western edge, also left many wounded and left the building a smoldering ruin. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

What we know after the Islamic State group claims responsibility for Moscow massacre

Todung Mulya Lubis, left, a prominent Indonesian lawyer representing losing presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo registers a legal challenge alleging widespread irregularities and fraud in Feb. 14 presidential election, at the Constitutional Court in Jakarta, Indonesia, Saturday, March 23, 2024. The election winner, Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, received more than 96 million votes, or 58.6%. He was accused of human rights abuses under a past dictatorship and chose the son of the popular outgoing president as his running mate. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

A losing candidate in Indonesia’s presidential election demands a revote, alleging fraud

Los Angeles Dodgers' designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, right, chats with his interpreter Ippei Mizuhara during an exhibition baseball game between Team Korea and the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, March 18, 2024. Ohtani’s interpreter and close friend has been fired by the Dodgers following allegations of illegal gambling and theft from the Japanese baseball star. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

The IRS is investigating Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter and an alleged bookmaker. Here’s what we know

Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball.

FILE - Indian farmer Ram Singh Patel, right, and his wife Kantee Devi take their cattle out in the open in Fatehpur district south of Lucknow, India, Dec. 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh, File)

India has millions of dairy farmers. It’s creating a methane problem that’s tricky to solve

India is the world’s largest milk producer, and is home to 80 million dairy farmers who made 231 million tons of milk last year.

Members of Aam Admi Party, or Common Man's Party, shout slogans during a protest against the arrest of their party leader Arvind Kejriwal, in New Delhi, India, Friday, March 22, 2024. Supporters of an anti-corruption crusader and one of India's most consequential politicians of the last decade in India held protests Friday against his arrest, which opposition parties say is part of a crackdown by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government before national elections. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

A Modi rival is arrested. Now, supporters of the opposition leader are protesting in India’s capital

Supporters of an anti-corruption crusader and one of India’s most consequential politicians of the past decade are protesting against his arrest.

People walk past a large poster of the movie Swatantra Veer Savarkar displayed outside a cinema hall in Mumbai, India, Thursday, Mar. 21, 2024. The movie, set to be released on Friday, is one of several upcoming Bollywood releases based on polarizing issues, which either promote Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government’s political agenda, or lambast his critics. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

As India’s election nears, some Bollywood films promote Modi politics by embracing Hindu nationalism

A cluster of Bollywood films based on polarizing issues that promote Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government’s Hindu nationalist agenda are coming out.

FILE - Catholic nuns visit the wake of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo at his home in Dumaguete city, Negros Oriental province, central Philippines on Monday March 6, 2023. Arnolfo Teves Jr., a former Filipino congressman accused of masterminding the brazen killings of a provincial governor and several others has been arrested in East Timor and will be deported to the Philippines, Manila officials said Friday, March 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Alan Tangcawan, File)

Former Filipino congressman accused of masterminding a governor’s murder is arrested in East Timor

Philippine officials say a former Filipino congressman accused of masterminding the killings of a provincial governor and several others has been arrested in East Timor and will be deported.

Rohingya refugees rescued from a capsized boat rest at a temporary shelter in Meulaboh, Friday, March 22, 2024. Rescuers pulled out dozens of survivors who had been standing on the hull of the capsized boat on Thursday. (AP Photo/Reza Saifullah)

UN agencies fear about 70 missing or dead from capsized Rohingya refugee boat

U.N. agencies say that about 70 Muslim Rohingya believed to have been aboard a boat that made a grueling sea voyage from Bangladesh are feared missing or dead.

Japanese Emperor Naruhito, right, and Empress Masako visit the victims of the deadly Jan. 1 earthquakes, at a junior high school in Suzu, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan Friday, March 22, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)

Japanese emperor and empress visit towns hit by Jan. 1 quake and console thousands of homeless

Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako have visited towns in the north-central region of Noto to pray for victims of the deadly New Year’s Day earthquake and console thousands of homeless living in evacuation centers.

In this photo provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, a Chinese coast guard ship, top, tries to block a Philippine government vessel at the disputed South China Sea on Thursday March 21, 2024. Chinese coast guard ships, backed by a military helicopter, tried to dangerously block but failed to stop two Philippine government vessels carrying scientists from reaching two barren sandbars called Sandy Cay in the disputed South China Sea, Philippine officials said Friday. (Philippine Coast Guard via AP)

Chinese coast guard ships attempt to block Philippine vessels carrying scientists in South China Sea

Philippine officials say Chinese coast guard ships backed by a military helicopter tried unsuccessfully to block two Philippine government vessels carrying scientists from reaching two sandbars in the disputed South China Sea.

A strong earthquake shakes Indonesia’s Java Island but no reports of casualties

A strong and shallow undersea earthquake has shaken the eastern side of Indonesia’s main island of Java, causing some damage but no immediate reports of casualties.

This is a locator map for Afghanistan with its capital, Kabul. (AP Photo)

Islamic State group claims responsibility for bombing at Afghan bank and says it targeted Taliban

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a deadly bombing that targeted people trying to collect their salaries at a bank in southern Afghanistan.

A Pakistani court sentences a woman to life in prison for burning pages from Islam’s holy book

A Pakistani court in the eastern city of Lahore has sentenced a Muslim woman to life in prison after finding her guilty of burning pages of Islam’s holy book.

A water truck worker fills a container outside the homes of residents who use it for drinking, cooking and cleaning, in the Pamplona Alta area in Lima, Peru, Friday, March 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

Drought, heat and mismanagement make getting fresh water an increasingly tough task

As the world warms from human-caused climate change, fresh water for drinking, cooking and cleaning is becoming harder to get for many people.

FILE - Vietnam's President Vo Van Thuong addresses the media during a joint press conference with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida after their meeting at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, Monday, Nov. 27, 2023. Vietnam’s president resigned in the latest episode of the ruling Communist Party's “blazing furnace” anti-corruption campaign, and Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan was named acting president. The appointment is Xuan's second stint as acting president after she stepped in when Vo Van Thuong's predecessor resigned in early 2023. (Richard A. Brooks/Pool Photo via AP, File)

Vietnam’s president resigns in latest twist of anti-graft campaign shaking its fast-growing economy

Vietnam’s president has resigned as the ruling communist party in the latest episode of a “blazing furnace” anti-corruption campaign.

Villagers from Barsana and Nandgaon smeared with colors play Lathmar Holi at Nandagram temple in Nandgoan village, 115 kilometers (70 miles) south of New Delhi, India, Tuesday, March 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Kabir Jhangiani)

AP Week in Pictures: Asia

March 15-21, 2024

Rohingya refugees stand on their capsized boat before being rescued in the waters off western Indonesia.

BritainÅfs Secretary of State for Defence Grant Shapps, center right, and BritainÅfs Foreign Secretary David Cameron, left, walk with the Premier of South Australia Peter Malinauskas, right, Deputy Prime Minister of Australia Richard Marles, second right, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong, second left, and United StatesÅf Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy, during a visit to the Osborne Naval Shipyard in Adelaide, Australia, Friday, March 22, 2024. Australia is set to provide 4.6 billion Australian dollars ($3 billion) to British industry to support the construction of nuclear-powered submarines and ensure its new fleet arrives on time. (Matt Turner/AAP Image via AP)

$3 billion deal with the UK gets Australia closer to having a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines

Australia is set to provide $3 billion to British industry to support the construction of nuclear-powered submarines and ensure its new fleet arrives on time.

Aam Aadmi Party, or Common Man's Party, leader Arvind Kejriwal listens to a speaker during a public meeting in New Delhi, India, Dec. 27, 2013. The anti-corruption crusader was arrested on Thursday, March 21, 2024, by a federal agency that accused his party and ministers of accepting 1 billion rupees ($12 million) as bribes from liquor contractors nearly two years ago, a top leader of his party said. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup, File)

New Delhi’s top elected official arrested in liquor bribery case

India’s anti-corruption crusader Arvind Kejriwal has been arrested by a federal agency that accused his party and ministers of accepting 1 billion rupees in bribes from liquor contractors.

Peter Breuer, International Monetary Fund Mission Chief for Sri Lanka, speaks at a press conference in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, March 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

IMF says the economic situation in debt-stricken Sri Lanka is gradually improving

The International Monetary Fund says the economic situation in debt-stricken Sri Lanka is improving gradually from the country’s worst economic crisis two years ago.

FILE - Ethnic Rohingya disembark from their boat upon landing on a beach in Ulee Madon, North Aceh, Indonesia, on Nov. 16, 2023. A dramatic story of survival and rescue off the western coast of Indonesia’s Aceh province has put the spotlight again on the plight of ethnic Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar who make extremely dangerous voyages across the Indian Ocean to seek better lives. (AP Photo/Rahmat Mirza, File)

Indonesia’s rescue of Rohingya refugees at sea is a reminder of an ordeal that began in Myanmar

A dramatic story of survival and rescue off Indonesia’s west coast is a reminder of the plight of ethnic Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar who make extremely dangerous voyages across the Indian Ocean to seek better lives.

Congress party treasurer Ajay Maken, left, speaks and displays the notice from Indian taxation authority as party president Mallikarjun Kharge, second right, and senior party leaders Sonia Gandhi, second left, and Rahul Gandhi listen during a press conference at their party headquarters in New Delhi, India, Thursday, March 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

India’s main opposition party accuses the government of freezing its bank accounts ahead of election

India’s main opposition Congress party is accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government of stifling democracy and crippling the party by freezing its bank accounts in a tax dispute ahead of national elections.

Members of the Gyeonggi Province Medical Association stage a rally against the government's medical policy near the presidential office in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, March 13, 2024. South Korea's government criticized senior doctors at a major hospital Tuesday for threatening to resign in support of the weekslong walkouts by thousands of medical interns and residents that have disrupted hospital operations. The banners read "Stop President Yoon Suk Yeol government's medical policy." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Why are striking doctors in South Korea facing license suspensions and what’s next?

South Korea is poised to start suspending the licenses of thousands of striking junior doctors as punishment for their weekslong walkouts that have shaken hospital operations.

A roadside bomb targeting security forces kills 2 soldiers and wounds 15 in Pakistan

Officials say a roadside bomb has exploded near a security convoy in northwestern Pakistan, killing two soldiers and wounding 15 others.

FILE - Presidential candidate Anies Baswedan talks to media after Friday prayer at a mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Feb. 16, 2024. Baswedan, a runner-up in Indonesia’s presidential election filed a complaint with the Constitutional Court on Thursday, March 21, alleging widespread irregularities and fraud at the polls.(AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana, File)

Indonesia presidential runner-up alleges widespread fraud as he contests official election results

A runner-up in Indonesia’s presidential election has filed a complaint with the Constitutional Court, alleging widespread irregularities and fraud at the polls.

FILE - Vietnam's Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan listens during a working lunch with Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in Oslo, on Nov. 23, 2023. Xuan will serve as acting President after former President Vo Van Thuong resigned, after a little over a year in the position, amid an intense anti-corruption campaign, according to party mouthpiece Tuoi Tre. (Emilie Holtet/NTB Scanpix via AP, File)

Vietnam’s vice president becomes interim president

A Communist Party newspaper says Vietnam’s Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan will be acting president after the previous president’s resignation.

A suicide bomber attacks a bank in Afghanistan, killing at least 3 people and injuring 12 others

A suicide bomber has carried out an attack at a private bank in Kandahar city in southern Afghanistan, killing at least three people and injuring 12 others.

Rohingya refugees stand on their capsized boat before being rescued in the waters off West Aceh, Indonesia, Thursday, March 21, 2024. The wooden boat carrying dozens of Rohingya Muslims capsized off Indonesia's northernmost coast on Wednesday, according to local fishermen. (AP Photo/Reza Saifullah)

Weeping, weak and soaked, dozens of Rohingya refugees rescued after night on hull of capsized boat

An Indonesian search and rescue ship has located a capsized wooden boat that had been carrying dozens of Rohingya Muslim refugees, and began pulling survivors who had been standing on its hull to safety.

Commuters walk in the early morning summer sun in Auckland, New Zealand, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. New Zealand has entered its second recession in 18 months after the latest round of GDP figures confirmed its economy contracted in the last quarter of 2023. The country's economy shrank by 0.1% in the quarter to December, and 0.7% in per capita terms, the New Zealand's official statistics agency, Stats NZ, announced on Thursday, March 21. (Michael Craig/New Zealand Herald via AP)

New Zealand slips into its second recession in 18 months as economy contracts

New Zealand has entered its second recession in 18 months after the latest round of GDP figures confirmed its economy contracted in the last quarter of 2023.

Tom Andrews, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, speaks about the situation of human rights in Myanmar, during a press conference at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, March 20, 2024. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP)

As Myanmar’s army faces setbacks, it is stepping up attacks on civilians, a UN expert warns

A U.N.-backed independent expert on human rights in Myanmar says the military government is escalating violence against civilians as it faces more setbacks on the battlefield, where it is fighting against pro-democracy and ethnic armed groups.

This is a locator map for Pakistan with its capital, Islamabad, and the Kashmir region. (AP Photo)

Pakistan repulses attack near Chinese-funded port in southwest, killing 8 insurgents, officials say

Pakistani officials say security forces have killed at least eight insurgents as they repulsed an attack by a separatist group on a sprawling government building outside the Chinese-funded Gwadar port in the volatile southwest.

FILE - Montenegrin police officers escort South Korean citizen, Terraform Labs founder Do Kwon in Montenegro's capital Podgorica, March 24, 2023. A court in Montenegro has ruled that Do Kwon should be extradited to the United States to face fraud charges rather than to his native South Korea, a court official in the Balkan Country said Thursday Feb. 22, 2024. Do Kwon, 32, was arrested nearly a year ago in Montenegro on an international arrest warrant in connection with a $40 billion crash of Terraform Labs' cryptocurrency, which devastated retail investors around the world. (AP Photo/Risto Bozovic, File)

Montenegro court confirms mogul known as ‘cryptocurrency king’ to be extradited to South Korea

An appeals court in Montenegro has confirmed that cryptocurrency mogul Do Kwon will be handed over to his native South Korea.

FILE - Presidential candidates, from left, Ganjar Pranowo, Prabowo Subianto and Anies Baswedan hold hands as they pose for photographers after the first presidential candidates' debate in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023. Indonesia’s electoral commission announced on Wednesday, March 20, 2024, that Defense Minister Subianto, a former general linked to past human rights abuses, was elected president. The results immediately drew allegations of fraud from Subianto’s political rivals.(AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana, File)

Prabowo Subianto’s election as Indonesia’s next president is official. Why is it being challenged?

Indonesia’s electoral commission has confirmed Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, a former general linked to past human rights abuses, was elected president.

Indonesia's Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto raises his fist as he delivers a speech after being elected as the country's president in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 20, 2024. Subianto was announced the winner of last month's presidential election Wednesday over two former governors who have vowed to contest the result in court over alleged irregularities. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Indonesia’s defense minister, accused of abuses under dictatorship, is declared election winner

Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto has been declared the winner of the presidential election in the world’s third-largest democracy.

Chief Royal Thai Police Torsak Sukvimol, left, Duputy Chief the royal Thai Police Surachate Hakparn, embrace after a press conference in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, March 20, 2024. Thailand's national police chief and a deputy were ordered to be suspended by the Prime Minister on Wednesday, following a feud that escalated over the past few weeks pointing to serious conflicts within the highest echelons of the police department. (AP Photo/Pirun Nanta)

Thailand’s national police chief is suspended amid concerns about a possible power struggle

Thailand’s national police chief and one of his deputies have been temporarily suspended under the order of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, as accusations that the deputy was involved in an illegal online gambling ring sparked concerns about a possible power struggle in the police department.

FILE - In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, search and rescue workers search through debris at the China Eastern flight crash site in Tengxian County in southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on March 24, 2022. Two years after a Boeing 737-800 passenger jet crashed on a domestic flight in China, killing all 132 people on board, accident investigators indicated Wednesday, March 20, 2024 that they have not yet determined the cause. (Lu Boan/Xinhua via AP, File)

2 years on, still no answer to why a China Eastern Boeing 737 crashed, killing all 132 people aboard

Chinese accident investigators have indicated they have not yet determined the cause of a 2022 plane crash that killed all 132 people on board.

FILE - Myanmar's pro-democracy opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, right, and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton walk through the garden after meetings at Suu Kyi's residence in Yangon, Myanmar on Dec. 2, 2011. No bidders appeared at a court-ordered auction Wednesday, March 20, 2024 of the family home of Myanmar's imprisoned former leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, where she had been held under house arrest for nearly 15 years, legal officials said. (Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP, File)

No bidders in court-ordered auction of house where Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi was detained for years

No bidders appeared at a court-ordered auction of the family home of Myanmar’s imprisoned former leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, where she had been held under house arrest for nearly 15 years.

FILE - A girl reads a book in her classroom on the first day of the new school year, in Kabul, Saturday, March 25, 2023. Afghanistan’s schools open Wednesday for the new educational year, while thousands of schoolgirls remain barred from attending classes for the third year as Taliban banned girls from school beyond sixth grade. The Taliban stopped girls’ education beyond sixth grade because they said it didn’t comply with their interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File)

Afghanistan’s school year starts without more than 1 million girls barred from education by Taliban

The school year in Afghanistan has started but without girls whom the Taliban barred from attending classes beyond the sixth grade, making it the only country with restrictions on female education.