The Asian Reporter - International News

INSIDE:

NEWS/STORIES/ARTICLES
Book Reviews
Columns/Opinion/Cartoon
Films
International
National
NW/Local
Recipes
Special A.C.E. Stories
Sports
Online Paper (PDF)

CLASSIFIED SECTION
Bids & Public Notices
NW Job Market

NW RESOURCE GUIDE
Consulates
Organizations
Scholarships
Special Sections

Asian Reporter Info

About Us

Advertising Info.

Twitter

ASIA LINKS
Currency Exchange
Time Zones
More Asian Links

International News

Indonesia returns 20 green sea turtles to the ocean after Bali smuggling raid

_______

Tokyo shrine honors precious dolls

_______

Man keeps memorial garden for his beloved wife in an Indian village

_______

From The Asian Reporter, V36, #11 (November 2, 2026), page 2.

Harmanpreet Kaur steps down as India cricket captain

NEW DELHI (AP) — Harmanpreet Kaur, the only cricketer to lead India to a Women’s World Cup title, has given up the captaincy after 10 years. "I feel I have done my duty. I gave this team everything I had," the 37-year-old Kaur said. One of the greatest match-winners for India said she often put aside personal goals for the team. Kaur first captained India as a stand-in at the 2012 Women’s T20 Asia Cup and led them to the title. She became the full-time Twenty20 captain in 2016, was elevated to the one-day international captaincy in 2022, and took over as the all-format leader in 2023. This year, Kaur became the most-capped international player in women’s cricket. Her other highlights include India’s maiden ODI World Cup triumph last year in Navi Mumbai and successive T20 Asian Games gold medals, most recently in Japan in September. Kaur had spoken of leading the team to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, for which India has qualified, but her mind was changed after a team review meeting with Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia, coach Amol Muzumdar, and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana. "Harmanpreet Kaur’s contribution as captain will always hold a special place in the history of Indian cricket," BCCI president Mithun Manhas said. Kaur will continue to be available as a player. She said, "I’m ready to play for the love of the game again."

Japan launches spacecraft to mysterious moons of Mars

JAPAN (AP) — A Japanese spacecraft rocketed toward Mars in October on a quest to explore its mysterious moons and bring back samples. Five of the world’s space agencies joined forces for the five-year mission that will attempt to land a robotic prospector plus a rover on Phobos, the larger and closer of Mars’ two pint-sized moons. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), which is leading the bold sampling effort, launched the spacecraft before dawn from the country’s main spaceport on Tanegashima Island. Officials declared success an hour later when the spacecraft separated as planned from the rocket’s upper stage. Flight controllers burst into applause and jumped to their feet, shaking hands and embracing. While NASA has successfully landed nine spacecraft on Mars over the past 50 years and China scored a 2021 touchdown, no one has ever reached Phobos or its sidekick Deimos. And no one has managed to fetch samples from Mars, let alone its moons. If successful, bits of dust, soil, and rocks from Phobos will arrive on Earth in 2031. "There’s a lot of adrenaline and a lot of excitement and a lot of wow," said NASA astrophysicist Tom Statler, who’s involved with the project. Japan has an edge going in, with two asteroid sample returns already under its cosmic belt. Phobos is a lumpy, potato-shaped rock just 14 miles or so across. Examining pieces of it can explain how Mars’ moons — and possibly moons elsewhere — came to be. Dubbed MMX for Martian Moons Exploration, the $578-million mission features a hefty 5-ton spacecraft that should reach Mars by late next summer. It will sync up with Phobos’ tight orbit around the red planet, before ejecting the French-German rover that’s named Idefix after the white terrier in the Asterix comics. No bigger than a microwave oven, Idefix will plop onto Phobos by itself, bouncing for several minutes before coming to a halt in the moon’s extraordinarily low gravity.

Son Heung-min becomes S. Korea’s all-time leading scorer

YONGIN, South Korea (AP) — Son Heung-min became South Korea’s all-time leading scorer when his 59th goal helped the team beat Uzbekistan 2-0 in a friendly in early October. The sixth-minute free kick moved Son past Cha Bum-kun’s record of 58. Cha retired from international soccer after the 1986 World Cup. Oh Se-hun added a second goal as South Korea won comfortably. Son also holds South Korea’s appearance record with 151 caps. He made his international debut in 2010 and has played at four World Cups. The 34-year-old joined Los Angeles FC in 2025 after a decade with Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League. The win ended a mixed international break for South Korea and interim coach Robert Moreno. The team beat Ecuador 3-0, lost to Uruguay 1-4, and drew with Venezuela 0-0. South Korea and Uzbekistan are preparing for the 2027 Asian Cup which kicks off in Saudi Arabia on January 7.

Malaysia bans civil servants from using Waze app

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia has banned civil servants from using the navigation application Waze, citing data security concerns due to its Israeli links. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s office said in a statement that the decision took into account the status of Waze Mobile Limited as a data controller incorporated in Israel and operating under Israeli law. "Sensitive government information and the personal data of citizens must be protected from being exploited by the Israeli regime in a manner that could compromise national security and sovereignty," the statement said. It said Anwar urged all Malaysians to also cease using Waze and switch to local alternatives such as the TuJu application, which offers robust security guarantees and personal data protection. The Waze restriction adds a digital security dimension to that policy. Waze was developed in Israel before it was bought by U.S. tech company Google in 2013.

Hideki Matsui hired as manager of the Yomiuri Giants

TOKYO (AP) — Former New York Yankees slugger Hideki Matsui has been named the new manager of the Yomiuri Giants, his club until his departure for the United States. The 52-year-old Matsui hit a combined 507 home runs in Japan and the United States in a 20-year pro career. Matsui moved in 2003 to Major League Baseball and spent most of his career with the Yankees. He batted .282 with 175 home runs and 760 RBI in MLB. In Japan before that, he hit .304 with 332 home runs and 889 RBI. Matsui replaces interim manager Hideki Hashigami, who took over in May after Shinnosuke Abe resigned from the job.

Read the current issue of The Asian Reporter in its entirety!
Go to <www.asianreporter.com/completepaper.htm>!