Top Asian News 7:40 a.m. GMT

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar plans new government

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said Wednesday he has secured a majority in Parliament to form a new government that is “strong, stable and formidable." Anwar said he has been granted an audience with the king Tuesday but it was postponed because the king was in a hospital for treatment. He said he will not reveal details until after he has met the king. “Conclusively, we have a strong, formidable majority. I am not talking about four, five or six ... but much more than that,” Anwar said. “With a clear and indisputable support and majority behind me, the government led by ...

Asia Today: India sees 83,000 new cases, but numbers falling

NEW DELHI (AP) — India reported more than 83,000 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, showing some decline after reaching a record a week earlier. The country has now confirmed more than 5.6 million cases. The health ministry also reported 1,085 new fatalities, raising the death toll to 90,020. India is expected to become the world's worst-hit country within weeks, surpassing the United States, where nearly 6.9 million people have been infected by the virus. But the past week has seen some improvement in India, with the numbers dropping after a record 97,894 new cases were reported on Sept. 16. Balram Bhargava, director-general of the Indian Council for Medical Research, said Tuesday that vaccines with at least 50% efficacy will be approved for use against the coronavirus.

AP PHOTOS: Xi's portrait adorns new homes for China's poor

LIANGSHAN, China (AP) — Communist Party leader Xi Jinping’s smiling visage looks down from the walls of virtually every home inhabited by members of the Yi minority group in a remote corner of China’s Sichuan province. Xi has replaced former leader Mao Zedong for pride of place in new brick and concrete houses built to replace crumbling traditional structures in Sichuan’s Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, which is home to about 2 million Yi. A considerable cult of personality has developed around Xi since he took over the ruling party in 2012. Millions of books containing his speeches have been distributed and an array of items from decorative plates to key chains display his image and that of his glamorous military singer-wife, Peng Liyuan, who also features in some of the posters hung in Yi houses.

Nearly 500 pilot whales stranded in Australia; 380 dead

HOBART, Australia (AP) — More pilot whales were found stranded in Australia on Wednesday, raising the estimated total to nearly 500, including 380 that have died, in the largest mass stranding ever recorded in the country. Authorities had already been working to rescue survivors among an estimated 270 whales found Monday on a beach and two sand bars near the remote coastal town of Strahan on the southern island state of Tasmania. Another 200 stranded whales were spotted from a helicopter on Wednesday less than 10 kilometers (6 miles) to the south, Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service Manager Nic Deka said.

Seoul: Missing South Korean official may be in North Korea

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean official who disappeared off a government ship near the disputed sea boundary with North Korea this week may be in North Korea, South Korea's Defense Ministry said Wednesday. The ministry said the 47-year-old official was aboard a government vessel that was checking on potential illegal fishing near a South Korean border island. Colleagues noticed the man was missing at lunch time and found only his shoes still on the vessel, prompting a so-far fruitless search involving aircraft and ships. In its statement, the Defense Ministry said it had information that the missing official was on North Korean shores on Tuesday afternoon.

Storm heads to Tokyo area, residents urged to prepare early

TOKYO (AP) — A tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean is slowly approaching the Tokyo region Wednesday, and officials are urging residents to take precautions early from expected heavy rain and gusts. Tropical Storm Dolphin headed north over waters south of the Hachijo island, packing sustained winds of up to 108 kilometers (67 miles) per hour, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The storm is not expected to make landfall according to the agency’s latest projection, but it is expected to bring downpours in Tokyo and other areas in eastern Japan on Thursday and Friday. Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike urged residents, especially those on islands south of Tokyo, to prepare early for possible evacuation.

Sherpa guide who climbed Everest 10 times cremated in Nepal

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Hundreds of government officials, mountaineers, fellow Sherpa guides and supporters gathered in Nepal on Wednesday to mourn the veteran guide who was the first person to climb Mount Everest 10 times. The body of Ang Rita was cremated Wednesday according to Buddhist rituals two days after he died. He was 72 and had been ill with liver and brain diseases for months. The body wrapped in Buddhist flags, flowers and cream scarf was taken on a decorated truck from the Sherpa Monastery in the outskirts of Kathmandu to cremation grounds in the heart of the city. Hundreds lined up at the monastery to pay their last respects, covering the body with the scarf and flowers.

Facebook: Fake pages from China tried to disrupt US politics

Facebook says it has removed a small network of fake accounts and pages that originated in China and focused on disrupting political activity in the U.S. and several other countries. The U.S.-focused activity was just a “sliver” of the accounts' overall activity and gained almost no following, Facebook said. Their primary focus was Southeast Asia, including the Philippines. In the U.S, the accounts posted material both in support of and against presidential candidates Pete Buttigieg, Joe Biden and President Donald Trump. Facebook did not link the network directly to the Chinese government. It said the people behind the network tried to conceal their identity and location via virtual private networks and other methods.

China, top global emitter, aims to go carbon-neutral by 2060

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping says his country will aim to stop adding to the global warming problem by 2060. Xi's announcement during a speech Tuesday to the U.N. General Assembly is a significant step for the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases. Calling for a “green revolution,” Xi said the coronavirus pandemic had shown the need to preserve the environment. “Humankind can no longer afford to ignore the repeated warnings of nature,” he said. Citing the Paris Agreement that he and former U.S. President Barack Obama helped forge in 2015, Xi said his country would raise its emissions reduction targets with “vigorous policies and measures.” “We aim to have CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060,” he said.

In UN speech, Duterte defends drug war but tempers tone

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte defended his drug crackdown, dismissed criticism from human rights advocates and underscored his country's claims in the South China Sea as the sometimes aggressive critic of the United Nations addressed its annual gathering of world leaders for the first time Tuesday. But with the coronavirus taking a human and economic toll on the Philippines, the often brash Duterte also struck a somewhat conciliatory tone about the organization he has often criticized and at times threatened to leave. “The Philippines values the role that the United Nations plays in its fight against the pandemic,” Duterte said in a prerecorded video, the meeting's format this year because of the pandemic.