Top Asian News 3:48 a.m. GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo distanced himself Wednesday from a previously stated goal of getting North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons by the end of President Donald Trump's first term in January 2021. Trump himself said last week that he doesn't want to get into a "time game" over how long it will take North Korea to denuclearize. Pompeo, who's preparing for a trip to North Korea, said 2021 wasn't his goal. But that date was referred to in a Sept. 19 statement in his name on the outcome of summit between the leaders of South and North Korea.

WASHINGTON (AP) — North Korea's nuclear and missile tests have stopped, but its hacking operations to gather intelligence and raise funds for the sanction-strapped government in Pyongyang may be gathering steam. U.S. security firm FireEye raised the alarm Wednesday over a North Korean group that it says has stolen hundreds of millions of dollars by infiltrating the computer systems of banks around the world since 2014 through highly sophisticated and destructive attacks that have spanned at least 11 countries. It says the group is still operating and poses "an active global threat." It is part of a wider pattern of malicious state-backed cyber activity that has led the Trump administration to identify North Korea — along with Russia, Iran and China — as one of the main online threats facing the United States.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — The detained wife of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najjib Razak pleaded not guilty Thursday to laundering illegal proceeds from the graft scandal at the 1MDB state investment fund that led to her husband's shocking electoral loss. Rosmah Mansor was charged with 12 counts of receiving proceeds from unlawful activities totaling nearly 7.1 million ringgit ($1.7 million) in her bank account between 2013 and 2017. Another five counts against her allege she failed to declare taxes on the money she received. Rosmah, who had smiled and waved at reporters as she arrived at the court building, claimed trial and will be released on bail.

PALU, Indonesia (AP) — Life is on hold for thousands living in tents and shelters in the Indonesian city hit by a powerful earthquake and tsunami, unsure when they'll be able to rebuild and spending hours each day often futilely trying to secure necessities such as fuel for generators. Residents whose homes had been destroyed had little but uncertainty on the seventh day since the disasters. But they also had hope more aid would pour into the city of Palu and the surrounding Donggala district on the island of Sulawesi. Some residents have taken to digging through reeking piles of sodden food and debris, searching a warehouse wrecked in the tsunami for anything they could salvage: cans of condensed milk, soft drinks, rice, candy and painkillers.

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — The ruling Communist Party of Vietnam has decided to nominate its general secretary as the sole candidate for the presidency, succeeding late President Tran Dai Quang. The government said in a statement on its website late Wednesday that members of the Party Central Committee unanimously agreed to nominate "comrade Nguyen Phu Trong" for the position. If confirmed by the rubber-stamp National Assembly which convenes later this month, the 74-year-old Trong will be the first Vietnamese leader to hold the two positions since founding President Ho Chi Minh in 1960s. Quang died last month after battling a viral illness for more than a year.

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese tax authorities have ordered "X-Men" star Fan Bingbing and companies she represents to pay taxes and penalties totaling $130 million, ending speculation over the fate of one of the country's highest-profile entertainers three months after she disappeared from public view. Of the total amount, Fan is being personally fined around $70 million for tax evasion, according to an announcement carried Wednesday by China's official Xinhua News Agency, citing tax authorities. Fan would not be investigated for criminal responsibility for tax evasion as long as the taxes, fines and late fees amounting to nearly 900 million yuan ($130 million) are paid on time, the report said.

MALE, Maldives (AP) — The president-elect of the Maldives scored another victory Wednesday by securing a majority in Parliament after the Elections Commission reinstated 12 lawmakers who were earlier deemed to have lost their seats. Ibrahim Mohamed Solih won last month's presidential election and is scheduled to be sworn in next month. The reinstatement of the lawmakers in line with a Supreme Court order is a sign that Solih is consolidating his victory over outgoing strongman Yameen Abdul Gayoom, who appears to be losing his grip on state institutions. Solih's opposition coalition will now have 43 members in the 85-member Parliament while Yameen's party will have 40.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday plans to accuse China of trying to undermine President Donald Trump as the administration deploys tough new rhetoric over Chinese trade, economic, and foreign policies. In a speech to the Hudson Institute, Pence will say China is using its power in "more proactive and coercive ways to interfere in the domestic policies and politics of the United States." "China wants a different American president," Pence will say, according to excerpts of prepared remarks from his office. Pence's speech comes a week after the Republican president accused China during a meeting of the U.N.

TOKYO (AP) — A German-French observation device safely landed on an asteroid on Wednesday after a Japanese spacecraft released it as part of a research effort that could find clues about the origin of the solar system, Japanese space officials said. The Japan Space Exploration Agency said the Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout, or MASCOT, was released from the unmanned spacecraft Hayabusa2 and successfully landed on the asteroid Ryugu. The spacecraft went as close as about 50 meters (160 feet) to the asteroid's surface to release the box-shaped lander. Hayabusa2 has been stationed near the asteroid since June after traveling 280 million kilometers (170 million miles) from Earth.

BANGKOK (AP) — The 12 village boys who were trapped with their soccer coach in a flooded cave in northern Thailand for almost three weeks are ready to spread their wings, heading out to meet fellow youth players in Argentina and do a brief tour of the United States. The members of the Wild Boars soccer team, whose ordeal came to a happy ending in early July when an international team of cave divers brought them out in a complicated rescue mission, were leaving late Wednesday night on their 17-day journey. It had been planned for them to take six months out of the spotlight to ease any psychological trauma.