Top Asian News 4:54 a.m. GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Nissan's board is meeting to pick a chairman to replace Carlos Ghosn, arrested last month on charges of violating financial regulations. Monday's meeting comes amid an unfolding scandal that threatens the Japanese automaker's two-decade alliance with Renault SA of France and its global brand, as well as highlighting shoddy governance. Ghosn and another board member Greg Kelly were formally charged last week for underreporting Ghosn's income by about 5 billion yen ($44 million) between 2011 and 2015. A source close to Ghosn's family says the alleged income was never decided upon or paid. Aubrey Harwell, the U.S. lawyer for Kelly, says he is innocent.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says that six months after giving birth, she's looking forward to spending more time with her daughter Neve over the Christmas break and thanking everybody who's helped her juggle responsibilities. Ardern spoke to The Associated Press on Monday as she carried around a box to hand-deliver holiday treats of coffee and peanut brittle to reporters at Parliament. She was keeping alive a tradition in New Zealand that would be hard to imagine in some countries due to the sometimes acrimonious relationships between journalists and politicians. Ardern is just the second world leader in modern times to give birth while in office.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Taliban say "another" meeting is to be held with the United States, this time in the United Arab Emirates and involving representatives of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates. The terse statement from Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the meeting would be held Monday without offering details. The State Department has neither denied nor confirmed previous meetings, but U.S. special peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad previously said he has met with all Afghans involved in the 17-year war. Since Khalilzad's appointment in September attempts to jumpstart peace talks have accelerated. Pakistan earlier said it would help orchestrate this latest round of talks.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka's president accused newly reappointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe of corrupt leadership in a scathing speech Sunday in which he voiced doubts about their ability to work together and signaled the 2-month political crisis is far from resolved. President Maithripala Sirisena administered the oath that returned Wickremesinghe to office, then gave a speech soon after the ceremony, telling the prime minister and a group of his lawmakers that he can't find people of honesty and integrity to help him take the country forward. "With the issues we have, I am not sure what guarantees we have that we could go on this journey together," Sirisena told Wickremesinghe.

BEIJING (AP) — While a Huawei executive faces possible U.S. charges over trade with Iran, the Chinese tech giant's ambition to be a leader in next-generation telecoms is colliding with security worries abroad. Australia and New Zealand have barred Huawei Technologies Ltd. as a supplier for fifth-generation networks. They joined the United States and Taiwan, which limit use of technology from the biggest global supplier of network switching gear. Last week, Japan's cybersecurity agency said Huawei and other vendors deemed risky will be off-limits for government purchases. None has released evidence of wrongdoing by Huawei, which denies it is a risk and has operated a laboratory with Britain's government since 2010 to conduct security examinations of its products.

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — North Koreans are marking the seventh anniversary of the death of leader Kim Jong Il with visits to statues and vows of loyalty to his son and successor, Kim Jong Un. As snow fell Sunday, tens of thousands of people offered flowers and paid respects to the late leader at Mansu Hill in central Pyongyang, the location of huge bronze statues of the "Dear Leader" and national founder Kim Il Sung. The anniversary observations were expected to continue through Monday across the country. The death of Kim Jong Il on Dec. 17, 2011, thrust his son into power when he was still in his late 20s and a virtual unknown figure outside of the North.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Sunday that he will be "reviewing" the case of a former U.S. Army commando being charged with murder, raising questions about the possibility he could jeopardize the ongoing military legal proceedings. Trump tweeted that "at the request of many" he will examine allegations that Mathew Golsteyn hunted down and killed a suspected bomb-maker in Afghanistan. The president tweeted that Golsteyn is a "U.S. Military hero" who could face the death penalty "from our own government." Any review or intervention by Trump could constitute unlawful command influence and could threaten the case against the former Green Beret.

TORONTO (AP) — Canada's ambassador to China was given access Sunday to detained Canadian entrepreneur Michael Spavor six days after he was arrested, the country's Global Affairs department said. Ambassador John McCallum also met with ex-diplomat Michael Kovrig on Friday. Both were detained in China last Monday in apparent retaliation for the arrest of a top Chinese tech executive on behalf of the United States. Canada arrested Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on Dec. 1 on U.S. charges that she misled banks about the company's business dealings in Iran. Canada gave Huawei chief financial officer Meng — daughter of the telecom giant's founder — access to Chinese consular staff on the day she was arrested and three days of public hearings before releasing her on bail.

TOKYO (AP) — A suspected gas explosion destroyed wooden buildings housing a restaurant and a real estate office in northern Japan on Sunday night, injuring 42 people, police and local media said. The powerful explosion in Sapporo, the capital city of Japan's northern main island of Hokkaido, shook nearby buildings, shattered windows and scattered wooden debris across the area. Some residents told reporters they thought the blast was an earthquake. One person was in serious condition, but police said the other injuries were mostly mild. Police are investigating the cause of the explosion in Sapporo's Toyohira district. Kyodo news agency reported that a gas safety center official noted five propane gas tanks outside of the pub and two outside the real estate office.

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — A security clampdown and a strike sponsored by separatists fighting against Indian rule shut most of Indian-administered Kashmir on Sunday, a day after chaotic protests and fighting killed seven civilians and four combatants in the disputed region. Armed police and paramilitary soldiers in riot gear fanned out across the region in anticipation of anti-India protests and clashes. Shops and businesses closed in other areas with no security restrictions. At least seven civilians were killed and over three dozen injured Saturday when government forces fired at anti-India protesters following a gunbattle that left three rebels and a soldier dead.