Top Asian News 4:41 a.m. GMT

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A search resumed Monday for 17 people reported missing after a ferry fire off the coast of Indonesia's capital that left at least 23 dead, officials said. The victims died Sunday when the vessel, Zahro Express, carrying more than 260 people from a port near Jakarta to Tidung, a resort island in the Kepulauan Seribu chain, caught fire, officials said. Most of the passengers were Indonesians celebrating the New Year holiday, according to local media reports. Dito, an official from the Jakarta Search and Rescue Agency, said at least five ships and a number of speedboats and rubber boats were deployed in the search.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean prosecutors said Monday the daughter of the confidante of disgraced President Park Geun-hye has been arrested in Denmark and authorities are working to get her returned home in connection with a huge corruption scandal. Park was impeached last month by lawmakers amid public fury over prosecutors' allegations that the president conspired to allow her longtime friend, Choi Soon-sil, to extort companies and control the government. Denmark police arrested Choi's daughter, Chung Yoo-ra, on the weekend on charges of staying their illegally. South Korea had asked Interpol to search for Chung because she didn't return home to answer questions about the scandal.

TOKYO (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un hinted Sunday that Pyongyang may ring in the new year with another bang — the test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile. In his annual New Year's address, Kim said that after testing what the North claims was its first hydrogen bomb last year, preparations for launching an intercontinental ballistic missile have "reached the final stage" Kim did not explicitly say an ICBM test, which if successful would be a big step forward for the North, was imminent. But he has a birthday coming up on Jan. 8, and last year Pyongyang conducted a nuclear test on Jan.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Impeached South Korean President Park Geun-hye vehemently rejected accusations Sunday that she conspired with a longtime friend to extort money and favors from companies, accusing her opponents of framing her. In a meeting with a selected group of reporters, Park denied that she gave her jailed friend, Choi Soon-sil, extraordinary sway over government decisions and also refuted allegations that her administration blacklisted thousands of artists for their political beliefs. It was the first time Park spoke to the media since South Korea's opposition-controlled parliament voted on Dec. 9 to impeach her over the scandal, which has seen millions of people protest in Seoul in recent weeks.

Revelers around the world have been welcoming 2017 with crackling fireworks displays and loud cheering, saying goodbye to a year filled with political surprises, prolonged conflicts and the deaths of several beloved performers. The people of Sydney were treated to a glittering display over their famed harbor and bridge that honored the singer David Bowie and actor Gene Wilder, who both passed away in 2016. The tone was more somber elsewhere, though, including Berlin, where some expressed worry about the political mood in Germany. It was also relatively quiet in China's two largest cities, Beijing and Shanghai. In New York City, meanwhile, people packed into Times Square hours before midnight to secure coveted spots to watch the annual ball drop.

HONG KONG (AP) — Nearly 5,000 people in Hong Kong marched in a New Year's Day protest against an attempt by the semi-autonomous Chinese city's government to disqualify four pro-democracy lawmakers, police said. Hong Kong's government has started legal proceedings against the four recently elected legislators, who altered their swearing-in oaths to stage apparent protests against the Chinese government in Beijing. In November, the Hong Kong government won a similar challenge against two newly elected separatist lawmakers after Beijing said that anyone who doesn't properly take their oath should be barred from office. Beijing's intervention fueled growing concern among many Hong Kong residents that China's government is eroding the city's wide autonomy.

As 2016 draws to a close, revelers around the world are bidding a weary adieu to a year filled with political surprises, prolonged conflicts, deadly attacks at gatherings and deaths of legendary celebrities. Here's a look at how people are ushering in the new year: ___ NEW YORK CITY An estimated 1 million people ushered in the new year in Times Square, screaming and kissing as the glittering crystal ball dropped. New Year's Eve revelers began to fill Times Square hours before midnight. They braved cold temperatures and strong winds at the Crossroads of the World to greet 2017 amid heavy police protection.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran says Turkmenistan has cut off shipments of heating gas over past debts. The Iranian Oil Ministry's website reported the dispute Sunday, urging consumers to limit their use to guard against shortages. The website did not provide further details on the amount of the debts. Turkmenistan has been exporting gas to Iran under an agreement signed two decades ago, but occasionally raises its prices during the winter months. In 2006, it cut off shipments and demanded a nine-fold price increase. Iran eventually accepted the higher prices for a short period. Gas-rich Iran produces some 700 million cubic meters of gas per day, all of which is consumed by the domestic market.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan's leader on Saturday urged China to engage in "calm and rational" dialogue to maintain peace, vowing not to give in to Beijing's recent moves to "threaten and intimidate" the self-ruled island. "As long as we can be calm, rational, and maintain a flexible attitude, I believe we should be able to find a solution that allows both sides to maintain peaceful and stable relations," President Tsai Ing-wen said in a year-end news conference. Tensions have grown since China suspended contacts with Tsai's administration in June over her refusal to endorse China's claim that Taiwan and the mainland are part of a single Chinese nation.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Impeached President Park Geun-hye's surname is "Park," right? Nope. In Korean it's closer to "Bahk." Park's allegedly corrupt confidante, Choi Soon-sil, pronounces her name more like "Chwey" than the way it's rendered in English. And Samsung's ailing chairman, Lee Kun-hee? That English "Lee" is more like "Yi" or "Ii" in Korean. There is a gulf, often a wide one, between the way Koreans write their names in English and the way they actually sound. Even the ubiquitous "Kim" — the moniker of beloved South Korean Olympic figure skating champion Yuna Kim and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un — belies: It's pronounced "Ghim" in Korean.