Top Asian News 4:57 a.m. GMT

23 Australians on ship delivering aid to Tonga have virus

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Nearly two dozen sailors on an Australian military ship going to deliver aid to Tonga have tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said Tuesday, raising fears they could bring COVID-19 to a Pacific nation that has so far managed to avoid any outbreaks. Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton said his government was working with Tongan authorities to keep the ship at sea and make sure there is no threat to Tonga’s 105,000 residents. Tongan authorities have been wary that accepting international aid could usher in a bigger disaster than the huge eruption of an undersea volcano 10 days ago.

S. Korea sets high of 8,000 new virus cases ahead of holiday

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea recorded more than 8,000 new coronavirus infections for the first time Tuesday as health authorities reshape the country’s pandemic response to address a surge driven by the highly contagious omicron variant. The 8,571 new cases reported by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency followed three straight days exceeding 7,000. With omicron spreading more than twice as fast as the delta strain that cause the last surge, experts say new cases may exceed 10,000 this week and possibly 20,000 after the Lunar New Year’s holiday break that begins this weekend and continues to next Wednesday.

Australian opposition leader: China relations won’t change

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The opposition leader in Australia said Tuesday its relationship with China will remain difficult even if his center-left Labor Party wins power at elections for the first time in almost a decade. Anthony Albanese addressed the National Press Club in what is regarded as an unofficial launch of campaigning ahead of elections due by May. Prime Minister Scott Morrison will address the club next week. Albanese suggested Australia’s policy toward a more belligerent China would not divide the parties during the campaign. “Whoever’s in government, it will be a difficult relationship,” Albanese said. “It will be difficult because the posture of China has changed.

Thai PM to visit Saudi Arabia amid push to repair relations

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha will pay an official visit to Saudi Arabia this week, the first by a Thai head of government since relations between the two nations were soured more than three decades ago by a massive jewel theft and the killing of four Saudi diplomats. Prayuth’s two-day visit starting Tuesday comes at the invitation of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said statements from the prime minister’s office and the Saudi foreign ministry. “The visit comes after consultations that resulted in convergence of views on many issues of common concern,” said the Saudi statement, issued Sunday.

Police: Fire, clash at nightclub kill 19 people in Indonesia

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A nightclub in Indonesia’s West Papua province burned after two groups clashed inside the building and 19 people were killed, officials said Tuesday. One of the dead was a member of the groups that clashed Monday night at the club in Sorong city and 18 bodies were found after the fire, Adam Erwindi, spokesperson of West Papua Police, said on Metro TV. Police are still investigating what caused the clash and whether the fire was set or was accidental. Erwindi added that along with the investigation, police officers were meeting the main figures of the two groups to make for more conducive conditions.

AP PHOTOS: Olympics get Chinese hockey veterans back on ice

BEIJING (AP) — For decades, Beijing resident Zhou Yunjie kept mum about his teenage years behind the puck. That all changed after Beijing won the right to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, sparking a government-backed boom in enthusiasm for winter sports across the country. The Games are due to begin on Feb. 4. Now, the 60-year-old is back on the ice, proudly suiting up with his old teammates for friendly competitions and retellings of their time competing for Beijing in the late 1970s. “For many years I could not talk about ice hockey,” said Zhou, who owns a technology company in the Chinese capital.

Where is Peng Shuai? Shirts will be OK at Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Restrictions which resulted in the removal of a spectator for wearing a t-shirt supporting Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai at the Australian Open have been overhauled after international backlash. With reports of activists planning to distribute hundreds of shirts branded with the question “Where is Peng Shaui?” in time for Saturday’s Australian Open women’s final, the message shouldn’t be hard to find. Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley told The Associated Press it would be OK for people to wear the shirts at Melbourne Park, as long as they didn’t congregate in large groups or cause problems for other spectators.

Researchers: Shark attacks increase after 3 years of decline

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Shark attacks increased around the world in 2021 following three consecutive years of decline, though beach closures in 2020 caused by the COVID-19 pandemic could be making the numbers seem more dramatic than they are, officials said Monday. Researchers with the International Shark Attack File recorded 73 unprovoked incidents last year, compared to 52 bites in 2020, according to a new report. The research is administered by the Florida Museum of Natural History and the American Elasmobranch Society. International Shark Attack File manager Tyler Bowling pointed out that 52 bites in 2020 were the lowest documented in more than a decade.

Australian reportedly killed when explosive vest detonates

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Police said on Tuesday they were investigating the death of a man who was reportedly killed when an explosive vest he was wearing detonated while he was driving his car in a suburban street in the Australian city of Melbourne. The vest was understood to have been triggered by the car hitting a speed bump on Young Road in the suburb of Hallam on Saturday morning, Seven News reported. Security camera video showed the flash of the explosion rise about the car’s roof and from the driver’s side window. A speed bump wasn’t apparent in the video.

China tests 2M in Beijing, lifts COVID lockdown in Xi’an

BEIJING (AP) — Less than two weeks before the opening of the Winter Olympics, a few dozen COVID-19 cases in Beijing have prompted authorities to test millions of people in the capital and extend that to anyone buying cold medicine. The tough new measures came even as the city of Xi’an, a major tourist destination that is the home of the Terracotta Warrior statue army, lifted a lockdown Monday that had isolated its 13 million people for a month. More than 3,000 people have arrived for the Games since Jan. 4, including over 300 athletes and team officials, plus media and other participants, organizers said Monday.