Top Asia Pacific Breaking News: Morning Edition

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - Governments and companies around the world scrambled Saturday to determine the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down some of the Trump administration sweeping global tariffs. The latest twist in the U.S. tariff roller coaster ride, launched when President Donald Trump returned to office 13 months ago and upended dozens of trading relationships with the world's biggest economy, roiled trade officials from South Korea to South America and well beyond. South Korea's Trade Ministry called for an emergency meeting Saturday to understand the new landscape. Some specific exports to the U.S., like automobiles and steel, aren't affected by the U.S.

HONG KONG (AP) - Hong Kong officials on Saturday unveiled resettlement plans for thousands of people who were displaced by the deadliest blaze in decades last November, proposing to buy back the homeownership rights from the fire victims. Almost three months after the massive blaze spread across seven apartment buildings in Wang Fuk Court, its former occupants have been living in uncertainty about when they would find somewhere they could call home again. Many of them are adjusting to new lives in their temporary homes scattered across various districts, with the government offering rental grants to help homeowners pay for the short-term accommodation.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court decision striking down President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs has added a wrinkle to already complicated U.S.-China relations, with both countries navigating shifting ground to avoid an all-out trade war that would disrupt the global economy while still jostling for a position of strength in negotiations. Friday's court ruling would seem to strengthen China's hand, but analysts predict that Beijing will be cautious in exploiting the advantage, knowing that Trump has other ways of levying taxes. Both sides also want to maintain a fragile trade truce and stabilize ties ahead of Trump's highly anticipated trip to Beijing.

SAO PAULO (AP) - Brazil and India sealed a deal Saturday on critical minerals and rare earths, enhancing cooperation on crucial resources between two major countries of the global south as they seek to diversify their trading relationships. The non-binding memorandum of understanding on rare earths establishes a framework for cooperation between the two countries, focusing on reciprocal investment, exploration, mining and artificial intelligence applications, among other issues. Brazil has the world's second-largest reserves of rare earth minerals, used in a wide range of products, including smartphones, electric vehicles, solar panels and jet engines. "Increasing investments and cooperation in matters of renewable energy and critical minerals is at the core of a pioneering agreement that we have signed today," Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva told journalists.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Pakistan's military killed at least 70 militants in strikes along the border with Afghanistan early Sunday, targeting what it described as hideouts of Pakistani militants it blamed for recent attacks inside the country, the deputy interior minister said. Talal Chaudhry, Pakistan's deputy interior minister, told Geo News that at least 70 militants were killed in the strikes. He offered no evidence. Pakistan's state-run media later reported that militant casualties from the strikes jumped to 80. The Afghan defense ministry said in a statement that "various civilian areas" in the provinces of Nangarhar and Paktika in eastern Afghanistan were hit, including a religious madrassa and multiple civilian homes.

MOSCOW (AP) - A tour bus carrying Chinese tourists plunged through the ice on Russia's Lake Baikal, killing eight people, officials said. One of the Chinese tourists managed to escape from the bus, which was crossing the frozen lake on Friday, Irkutsk regional Gov. Igor Kobzev wrote in a Telegram post on Saturday. He said the dead included seven Chinese tourists and the driver. The bus plunged into a 3-meter (10-foot) -wide ice crevasse, Russia's Emergencies Ministry reported. The lake is 18 meters (59 feet) deep at the site of the accident, it said. The ministry said rescuers used underwater cameras before embarking on a diving operation.

ISLAMABAD (AP) - A suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a security convoy in northwest Pakistan bordering Afghanistan on Saturday, killing two soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel, the Pakistani military said. It said the attack took place in Bannu, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where security forces have battled militants for years. The military said Pakistan would not "exercise any restraint" and that operations against those responsible for the violence would continue "irrespective of their location," language that appeared to signal rising tensions between Islamabad and Kabul. No group claimed responsibility, but suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban who have been blamed for previous such attacks.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un lauded his nation's improving economy and regional standing as he opened the country's most important political event, where he is expected to set his domestic and foreign policy agenda for the next five years and further entrench his family's authoritarian rule. The Workers' Party congress, which will likely run for days in Pyongyang, comes as Kim carves out a more forceful regional presence, leveraging an advancing nuclear arsenal and a growing alignment with Moscow that have deepened his standoffs with Washington and Seoul. The meeting will likely provide the stage for Kim to unveil his key political and military objectives and further consolidate his authoritarian grip before thousands of ruling party delegates.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - Ousted South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday remained defiant in his first reaction to a life sentence for rebellion handed down by a Seoul court the previous day. In a statement released by his lawyers, Yoon maintained that his abrupt and short-lived declaration of martial law in December 2024 was done "solely for the sake of the nation and our people," and dismissed the Seoul Central District Court as biased against him. Yoon, who was removed from office amid a political crisis set off by his unsuccessful power grab, has long rejected the eight criminal cases brought against him for what prosecutors described as a coup attempt and other allegations.

TOKYO (AP) - Osaka has received a hefty gift of gold bars worth 560 million yen ($3.6 million) from an anonymous donor asking for its specific use: to fix the Japanese city's dilapidated water pipes. The gold bars weighing 21 kilograms (46 pounds) in total were given to the Osaka City Waterworks Bureau in November by the donor who wants to help improve aging water pipes, Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama told reporters Thursday. "It's a staggering amount and I was speechless," Yokoyama said. "Tackling aging water pipes requires a huge investment, and I cannot thank enough for the donation." The mayor said his city will respect the donor's wishes and use the gift to improve waterworks projects.