Top Asian News 12:53 a.m. GMT

Typhoon Haishen unleashes rain, strong winds in south Japan

TOKYO (AP) — The second powerful typhoon to slam Japan in a week unleashed fierce winds and rain on southern islands on Sunday, blowing off rooftops and leaving homes without power as it edged northward into an area vulnerable to flooding and mudslides. Weather officials warned that rainfall from what could be a record storm would be as fierce as a bucket of water poured over your head. Warnings have been issued, days in advance, for people to be ready to take shelter and stock up on food and water. Several rivers on the main southwestern island of Kyushu were at risk of overflowing, officials said.

Indian, Chinese defense ministers meet amid border tensions

NEW DELHI (AP) — The defense ministers from India and China have met in the Russian capital as the two sides try to lower tensions along their disputed border in the eastern Ladakh region, where a June clash killed 20 Indian soldiers. At the meeting Friday with China's Gen. Wei Fenghe, India's Rajnath Singh said that "the current situation should be handled responsibly and neither side should take any further action that could either complicate the situation or escalate matters in the border areas," the Indian defense ministry said in a statement. Singh also said that amassing of large number of Chinese troops, their aggressive behavior and attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo were in violation of existing bilateral agreements, according to the statement.

India coronavirus caseload crosses 4M, stretching resources

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s coronavirus caseload surpassed 4 million on Saturday, deepening misery in the country's vast hinterlands, where surges have crippled the underfunded health care system. Initially, the virus ravaged India’s sprawling and densely populated cities. It has since stretched to almost every state, spreading through villages and small towns. With a population of nearly 1.4 billion, India’s massive caseload isn’t surprising experts. The country’s delayed response to the virus forced the government to implement a strict lockdown in late March. For more than two months, the economy remained shuttered, buying time for health workers to prepare for the worst.

Gas pipeline blast kills 16 praying at Bangladesh mosque

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — An underground gas pipeline near a mosque exploded during evening prayers outside Bangladesh's capital, leaving 16 Muslim worshipers dead and dozens injured with critical burns, officials said Saturday. The blast occurred Friday night as people were finishing their prayers at Baitus Salat Jame Mosque at Narayanganj, local police chief Zayedul Alam said. By Saturday afternoon, 16 people, including a 7-year-old boy, had succumbed to their injuries. Doctors at a burn unit of a state-run hospital were treating at least 37 people with burns on up to 90% of their bodies, said Samanta Lal Sen, a coordinator of the unit.

'World's loneliest elephant' okayed to quit zoo for new life

ISLAMABAD (AP) — An elephant who has become a cause celebre for animal rights activists around the world will be allowed to leave his Pakistani zoo and transferred to better conditions, the animal welfare group helping with the case said Saturday. Dubbed the ‘world’s loneliest elephant' by his supporters, Kaavan has languished at a zoo in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad for more than 35 years. Martin Bauer, a spokesman for Four Paws, said the elephant has been finally given medical approval to travel, most likely to Cambodia, where he will find companionship and better conditions. The overweight elephant Kaavan underwent a full medical examination at the zoo on Friday, said Bauer.

Taliban return to Doha setting stage for Afghan peace talks

Islamabad (AP) — Taliban officials say a senior delegation returned early Saturday to Qatar, paving the way for the start of peace talks with the Afghan government that are expected to take place in the tiny Gulf state. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. The delayed negotiations are the second, critical part to a peace deal the U.S. signed with the Taliban in February in Doha. The Taliban delegation's arrival in Qatar, where the group keeps its political office, came as a top Afghan government body blamed the militants for delays in starting talks.

Asia Today: Australian police make arrests at rallies

MELBOURNE, Australia — Police in Australia's hardest-hit state of Victoria made several arrests among a crowd of about 300 people protesting the lockdown in Melbourne, as the country's death toll rose to 748. Victoria reported 11 more deaths and 76 new infections. The Melbourne restrictions, including a night curfew, were put in place in an attempt to reduce a huge spike in infections and deaths. Police earlier urged people to adhere to restrictions on community movement. But four men were arrested and charged with incitement over the so-called “Freedom Day” protests planned for several Melbourne locations. Police, many of them on horseback, later made a number of arrests among protesters, some of them for not wearing masks.

Fire on tanker off Sri Lanka under control, ship towed away

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — The fire on a large oil tanker off Sri Lanka's coast has been brought under control but is still not extinguished, the navy said Saturday. Four tug boats, three Sri Lankan navy ships and four Indian ships have been battling the fire on the MT New Diamond since Thursday. Two more Indian ships joined the effort Saturday evening. The tanker, carrying nearly 2 million barrels of crude oil, was drifting about 20 nautical miles (37 kilometers) from Sri Lanka's eastern coast. On Friday evening, a tug boat towed it farther out to sea, about 40 nautical miles (74 kilometers) off the coast, said navy spokesman Capt.

Former Cook Islands leader dies from virus in New Zealand

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Joe Williams may have been 85 years old, but when the coronavirus struck this year, the Auckland doctor worked extra hard to warn his Pacific Island patients of its dangers. His friend suggested he take a vacation, but Williams was having none of it. “That's the trouble with young people — they're always thinking about time off,” Williams jokingly told Dr. Api Talemaitoga, the 60-year-old recalled. “I'll be all right, don't worry about me.” But Williams ended up catching the virus last month and died from it Friday night, friends and family said. Known to many affectionately as Papa Joe, Williams was a medical leader who served a brief stint as prime minister of the Cook Islands.

Thai students seeking reforms debate education minister

BANGKOK (AP) — Round 2 of a dialogue between Thailand’s education minister and high school students seeking radical reforms took place Saturday, with a robust though mostly polite exchange of views but no resolution. What had been billed by the students as a debate with Education Minister Nataphol Teepsuwan was a rare example of an open conversation between a senior politician and the younger generation that is not seen much in Thai society. The students, who have dubbed their group Bad Students in self-mocking humor, are demanding an end to harassment for their activities, abolition of outmoded draconian regulations and total reform of the educational system.