HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — A Vietnamese journalist who exposed police corruption was sentenced to four years in prison for offering a bribe that he says was part of his investigation. The state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper said its reporter, Hoang Khuong, was accused of offering a police officer a bribe of $710. Khuong’s undercover investigation series last year triggered public anger about police corruption and led to the arrest of the officer who allegedly accepted the bribe. TheTuoi Tre newspaper quoted Khuong as telling police he was doing his job as a journalist and had no personal gain as a result of bribing the officer, who is standing trial alongside Khuong and three other people. Khuong’s arrest in January was condemned by the international journalist watchdog Reporters Without Borders. Khuong faced a punishment of up to 13 years in jail.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Australia’s Lynas Corp. says it has secured the Malaysian government’s approval to fire up a controversial rare earths plant. The operating license ends months of delays sparked by safety concerns surrounding the Australian company’s plans to process rare earths crucial for manufacturing high-tech products. Lynas said in a statement it can now transport rare earths concentrate to Malaysia and potentially start the refinery in October. Civic groups have staged numerous protests supporting residents near the $793 million plant in eastern Malaysia who fear leaks of radioactive waste. Lynas reiterated that the plant was "fully compliant with international standards." The refinery is to be the first in years outside China, which has restrictions on rare earth exports.

BEIJING (AP) — China says the former police chief at the heart of the country’s biggest political scandal in years has been charged with defection, power abuse, and bribery. The official Xinhua News Agency gave no immediate details about the charges against Wang Lijun, but the announcement indicated a trial would take place soon, moving the scandal closer to a resolution before a key transition to a new generation of national leaders. Wang, who had also been a vice mayor in the southwestern city of Chongqing, set off the scandal by fleeing to the U.S. consulate in the nearby city of Chengdu. That led to the dismissal of the city’s powerful communist party boss Bo Xilai and the conviction of Bo’s wife for the murder of a British businessman.

BANGKOK (AP) — Police have seized 3.3 million methamphetamine tablets at a house in Bangkok in Thailand’s latest massive drug haul. The Southeast Asian country is a leading market and transit point for methamphetamine, much of it produced in neighboring Myanmar, also known as Burma. Thai police have made at least four multimillion-tablet hauls so far this year in an effort to curb the drug trade. National police chief Gen. Priewpan Damapong said police arrested a 22-year-old man when they seized the pills at the house in Bangkok’s western outskirts. He alleged that Sophon Sawaengsuk belonged to a trafficking network from the northern province of Chiang Rai although the suspect claimed to be only the caretaker of the house where the drugs were found.