Top Asian News 1:45 a.m. GMT

ASEAN, China, other partners sign world's biggest trade pact

China and 14 other countries agreed Sunday to set up the world’s largest trading bloc, encompassing nearly a third of all economic activity, in a deal many in Asia are hoping will help hasten a recovery from the shocks of the pandemic. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP, was signed virtually on Sunday on the sidelines of the annual summit of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations. “I am delighted to say that after eight years of hard work, as of today, we have officially brought RCEP negotiations to a conclusion for signing," said host country Vietnam's prime minister, Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Fire in Hong Kong residential neighborhood turns deadly

HONG KONG (AP) — City authorities said a fire in a crowded residential district in Hong Kong has “caused a number of deaths and injuries,” with local media putting the number of dead at seven. The blaze occurred Sunday night in Yau Ma Tei, a usually bustling area in Kowloon, packed with old apartment blocks, shops, and businesses, according to a police report. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam issued a statement shortly after midnight saying that she was “deeply saddened that the fire in Yau Ma Tei last night caused a number of deaths and injuries.” The South China Morning Post newspaper reported that four men and three women aged 9 to 40 were killed in the blaze.

AP PHOTOS: From a flower in Kashmir comes a precious spice

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Cradled by low mountains and spread across a vast expanse of small, fertile fields, a sea of purple flowers opens in Himalayan Kashmir to produce one of the world's most precious spices, saffron. At the end of autumn, families in the Muslim-majority region race against the clock to harvest the saffron crocus flowers, which bloom for only two weeks a year. Men, women and children stoop as they laboriously pick the delicate flowers and place them in wicker baskets. They next separate the purple petals by hand, and from each flower comes three tiny, delicate stigmas which are then dried in the sun, becoming one the most expensive and sought-after spices.

SpaceX launches 2nd crew, regular station crew flights begin

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX launched four astronauts to the International Space Station on Sunday on the first full-fledged taxi flight for NASA by a private company. The Falcon rocket thundered into the night from Kennedy Space Center with three Americans and one Japanese, the second crew to be launched by SpaceX. The Dragon capsule on top — named Resilience by its crew in light of this year’s many challenges, most notably COVID-19 — reached orbit nine minutes later. It is due to reach the space station late Monday and remain there until spring. “And Resilience rises ...,” a launch commentator announced at liftoff.

As virus mutes Dubai nightlife, Filipino bands feel the pain

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Eric Roman struts onstage in his torn jeans and grasps the microphone. It’s midnight on a Friday and in normal times, he’d hear wild applause from this tightly packed hotel bar in one of the old neighborhoods alongside the Dubai Creek. Sweaty throngs of fellow Filipinos, Arab businessmen and mall employees fresh from their shifts would hit the dance floor as he belted out Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” with his nine-piece Filipino band. But now the crowds, along with his bandmates, have vanished — in compliance with coronavirus restrictions that ban dancing and cap the number of musicians onstage.

Belgian racing pigeon fetches record price of $1.9 million

HALLE, Belgium (AP) — New Kim is worth her weight in gold and then some — actually much, much more. A wealthy Chinese pigeon racing fan put down a record price of 1.6 million euros ($1.9 million) for the Belgian-bred bird, saying a lot more than merely what kind of money can be made in the once-quaint sport, which seemed destined to decline only a few years back. During a frantic last half hour Sunday at the end of a two-week auction at the Pipa pigeon center, two Chinese bidders operating under the pseudonyms Super Duper and Hitman drove up the price by 280,000 euros ($325,000), leaving the previous record that Belgian-bred Armando fetched last year well behind by 350,000 euros ($406,000).

Asia Today: India reports 41,100 new coronavirus cases

NEW DELHI (AP) — India has reported 41,100 new cases of the coronavirus, raising the country’s overall tally since the pandemic began to 8.79 million. The Health Ministry on Sunday also reported 447 deaths in the same period, driving total fatalities to 129,635. India is second in the world in total reported cases behind the U.S., but daily infections have been on the decline since the middle of September. There has been, however, a resurgence of infections in New Delhi, which has seen a renewed surge in recent weeks, recording more new cases than any other Indian state. On Sunday, New Delhi registered 7,340 new cases, including 96 deaths.

Soumitra Chatterjee, legend of Indian cinema, dies at 85

NEW DELHI (AP) — Soumitra Chatterjee, the legendary Indian actor with more than 200 movies to his name and famed for his work with Oscar-winning director Satyajit Ray, died Sunday of complications from the coronavirus. He was 85. Chatterjee’s daughter, Poulami Bose, said her father died at a hospital in the city of Kolkata in West Bengal state where he had been staying since testing positive for the virus in early October. He is also survived by his wife and a son. Chatterjee had a career in Bengali-language films that spanned six decades and was best known for his work with Ray, one of the world’s most influential Indian directors, whose films garnered critical acclaim and won multiple awards worldwide, putting India on the global cinema map.

India celebrates Diwali amid pandemic, pollution fears

NEW DELHI (AP) — More than a billion Indians celebrated Diwali on Saturday amid twin concerns of a resurgence in coronavirus infections and rising air pollution that is enveloping the country’s north in a cloud of thick toxic smog. Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, is typically celebrated by socializing and exchanging gifts with friends and family, and lighting oil lamps or candles to symbolize a victory of light over darkness. Fireworks are also a major part of the celebrations. But this year, the pandemic is upending some of the celebrations in India, particularly in New Delhi, the capital, which has seen a renewed spike in coronavirus infections in recent weeks, recording more new cases than any other Indian state.

Trump skips Asian summits as China set to expand influence

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — President Donald Trump skipped summits with his Asian counterparts for the third year in a row on Saturday, even as rival China is set to expand its influence with a massive free trade deal in the region. National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien said Trump regretted he was unable to attend the online summit with the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, but stressed the importance of ties with the region. “At this time of global crisis, the U.S.-ASEAN strategic partnership has become even more important as we work together to combat the coronavirus," O'Brien said in remarks at the opening ceremony, which was livestreamed to ASEAN members watching from their respective countries.