Top Asia Pacific Breaking News: Morning Edition

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - Parts of Australia sweltered in record temperatures of close to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday as the country sweated through a prolonged heat wave. The rural towns of Hopetoun and Walpeup in Victoria state registered preliminary highs of 48.9 C (120 F), which if confirmed overnight would top records set on the day in 2009 when 173 people were killed in the state's devastating Black Saturday bushfires. No casualties were reported from Tuesday's heat wave, but Victoria authorities urged caution as three forest fires burned out of control. Melbourne, the state's largest city, also came close to its hottest day.

NEW DELHI (AP) - India and the European Union reached a free trade agreement to deepen economic and strategic ties, officials said Tuesday, after nearly two decades of negotiations. The accord, which the head of the EU's executive branch described as the "mother of all deals," could affect as many as 2 billion people. It will likely take several months before the agreement takes effect. The deal between two of the world's biggest markets comes as Washington targets both the Asian powerhouse and the EU bloc with steep import tariffs, disrupting established trade flows and pushing major economies to seek alternate partnerships.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea launched short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters on Tuesday, according to its neighbors, as the North heightens animosities with rival South Korea ahead of a major political meeting. South Korea's military said it detected liftoffs of several ballistic missiles from an area north of the North Korean capital Pyongyang before the missiles each flew about 350 kilometers (217 miles). Japan's Defense Ministry said two ballistic missiles launched from North Korea and landed off the eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula. The ministry condemned the launches as a threat to the peace of Japan, the region and the international community.

LONDON (AP) - U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is heading to China, seeking a thaw in relations with Beijing at a time of strained ties with the United States. He's hoping for an economic boost to Britain, but risks the wrath of China hawks at home - and of U.S. President Donald Trump, who's already heaping tariffs and criticism on America's closest allies. Starmer is due to meet China's President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang during the visit to Beijing and Shanghai that starts Wednesday, the first by a U.K. leader since 2018. He is expected to be accompanied by Business Secretary Peter Kyle and dozens of corporate chiefs as Britain seeks Chinese technology and investment, alongside greater access to the world's second-largest economy for U.K.

LAKSHMIPUR, Bangladesh (AP) - A labor recruiter persuaded Maksudur Rahman to leave the tropical warmth of his hometown in Bangladesh and travel thousands of miles to frigid Russia for a job as a janitor. Within weeks, he found himself on the front lines of Russia's war in Ukraine. An Associated Press investigation found that Bangladeshi workers were lured to Russia under the false promise of civilian work, only to be thrust into the chaos of combat in Ukraine. Many were threatened with violence, imprisonment or death. AP spoke with three Bangladeshi men who escaped from the Russian military, including Rahman, who said that after arriving in Moscow, he and a group of fellow Bangladeshi workers were told to sign Russian documents that turned out to be military contracts.

LAKSHMIPUR, Bangladesh (AP) - Bangladeshi workers were lured to Russia under the false promise of civilian work and then forced to fight in the Ukraine war, an Associated Press investigation has found. In interviews with three men who escaped Russia, and the families of three others who are missing, the AP documented a pattern of deception by labor recruiters who enticed workers with promises of lucrative job opportunities, only for them to unknowingly sign contracts for military service. The returning Bangladeshi men - Maksudur Rahman, Mohan Miajee and Jehangir Alam - recounted harrowing experiences, including being forced to transport supplies to front-line positions, evacuate the wounded and collect dead bodies.

BARA, Pakistan (AP) - More than 70,000 people, mostly women and children, have fled a remote region in northwestern Pakistan bordering Afghanistan over uncertainty of a military operation against the Pakistani Taliban, residents and officials said Tuesday. Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif has denied the claim by residents and provincial authorities. He said no military operation was underway or planned in Tirah, a town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Speaking at a news conference in Islamabad, he said harsh weather, rather than military action, was driving the migration. His comments came weeks after residents started fleeing Tirah over fears of a possible army operation.

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump said Monday he is increasing tariffs on South Korean goods because the country's legislature has yet to approve the trade framework announced last year. Trump said on social media that import taxes would be raised on autos, lumber and pharmaceutical drugs from South Korea with the rate on other goods going from 15% to 25%. The U.S. president previously imposed the tariffs by declaring an economic emergency and bypassing Congress, while South Korea needed legislative approval for the framework announced in July and affirmed during Trump's October visit to the country. "Our Trade Deals are very important to America.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) - Philippine officials on Tuesday grounded the entire fleet of passenger ships belonging to a company that owned a ferry that sank in the south and left at least 18 people dead, with more than 300 others rescued. Ten people, mostly crew members and the captain of the M/V Trisha Kerstin 3, which sank early Monday off an island in Basilan province, are still missing. A search led by the coast guard and the navy continued in waters where an oil sheen was spotted, coast guard Admiral Ronnie Gavan said. Coast guard divers and a remotely operated unmanned vehicle will be deployed to locate and check the wreckage, which is estimated to be 76 meters (249 feet) below the sea surface, as part of the search, he said.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) - Judges at the International Criminal Court ruled on Monday that former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is fit to stand trial, after postponing an earlier hearing over concerns about the octogenarian's health. Duterte is facing charges of crimes against humanity for his alleged involvement in dozens of killings as part of his so-called war on drugs when in office, first as the mayor of a southern city and later as president. Lawyers for the 80-year old had argued Duterte was in frail health and his condition was deteriorating in the court's detention unit. Duterte was arrested in March and was set to appear in court in The Hague in September.