Top Asia Pacific Breaking News: Morning Edition

BANGKOK (AP) - China restricted Tuesday exports to 40 Japanese entities it says are contributing to Japan's "remilitarization," in the latest escalation of tensions with Tokyo. Beijing has shown continued displeasure with Tokyo since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in November implied Japan could intervene if China used military force against Taiwan, an island democracy China claims as its own. The Chinese Commerce Ministry put 20 Japanese companies on an export control list and 20 others on a separate watchlist. Companies on the export control list will not be able to import from China dual-use goods, which can be used for civilian and military purposes.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - South Korea's jailed former president, Yoon Suk Yeol, has appealed his life sentence for rebellion over his brief imposition of martial law in December 2024, his lawyers said Tuesday. The conservative leader, who faces multiple trials over his power grab, expressed defiance following his conviction at the Seoul Central District Court last week. He called the decision illogical, said his actions were "solely for the sake of the nation and our people," and accused the judge of being biased against him. In a text message, Yoon's lawyers said they aimed to address the supposed "errors in fact-finding and misinterpretations of the law" contained in last Thursday's ruling.

NEW DELHI (AP) - An air ambulance crashed into a dense forest in eastern India, killing all seven people on board, authorities said. The Beechcraft C90 aircraft operated by Redbird Airways Pvt. Ltd. lost control minutes after taking off from Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand state, on Monday, the country's aviation watchdog said in a statement. The plane was carrying a critically ill burn patient to New Delhi for advanced medical treatment. He was accompanied by a doctor, a paramedic and two family members. The other two people on board were the pilot and co-pilot. "All seven persons on board the air ambulance are dead and their bodies sent for postmortem," senior local official Keerthishree G.

BEIJING (AP) - The first official trip to China by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz comes as his country's manufacturers face increasing pressure from Chinese competitors and as U.S. President Donald Trump shakes up a post-World War II global order that Europe has long depended on. Merz is set to arrive Wednesday for a two-day visit, the latest in a parade of world leaders to visit Beijing ahead of a trip by Trump in about five weeks. Besides Germany's growing trade deficit with China, Merz is expected to raise Chinese backing for Russia's position in the war in Ukraine, though no change from the Chinese side is foreseen.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - A wide-ranging federal inquiry began on Tuesday into a rise in antisemitism across Australia before two gunmen believed to be inspired by the Islamic State group allegedly killed 15 people at a Sydney Jewish festival in December. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced last month that Australia's most powerful form of public inquiry, known as a royal commission, would investigate the Dec. 14 massacre at Bondi Beach. Alleged shooter Sajid Naveed was shot dead by police. His son, Naveed Akram, faces charges including committing a terrorist act, 15 counts of murder and 40 counts of attempted murder. He has entered no pleas.

BANGKOK (AP) - The newly elected parliament in Myanmar will convene for its first session next month, the country's state-run media reported on Tuesday after an election that critics said was neither free nor fair. The March 16 session will also be the first parliament meeting in more than five years since the military in 2021 seized power, taking over from the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi. The takeover plunged Myanmar into widespread unrest and armed resistance that has since evolved into civil war. The parliament session comes after phased elections were held in December and January in 263 of the country's 330 townships.

BANGKOK (AP) - The deaths of 72 tigers in two animal parks for tourists in northern Thailand shouldn't be a major concern for the public, officials said Tuesday, because they were caused by a virus not known to affect humans, rather than bird flu. No one has shown any symptoms so far, but authorities were nonetheless monitoring the health of people who had recently come into contact with the animals. "There has not been an animal-to-human infection case," Public Health Minister Pattana Promphat said at a news conference at Government House in Bangkok. The tigers in the parks in Mae Taeng and Mae Rim districts in Chiang Mai province became sick and died during a roughly 10-day period between Feb.

GENEVA (AP) - A U.S. official focusing on arms control on Monday provided what he called new, declassified details of a Chinese underground nuclear test nearly six years ago and urged countries to press China and Russia to do more on nuclear disarmament. Christopher Yeaw, assistant secretary of state for the bureau of arms control and nonproliferation, spoke to a U.N.-backed body after the last nuclear arms pact between the United States and Russia expired this month. That has ended limits on the arsenals of the world's biggest nuclear powers and raised concerns about a possible new arms race. Yeaw called for greater transparency from China and pointed to some shortcomings of the New START treaty, such as that it didn't address Russia's large arsenal of nonstrategic nuclear weapons - which counts up to 2,000 warheads.

BANGKOK (AP) - Hong Kong is protesting Panama's seizure of two ports on a canal vital for global trade that were operated by a Hong Kong-based company for decades, the city's government said Tuesday. Hong Kong's Commerce and Economic Development Bureau said in a statement it had lodged "stern protests" with Panama's consulate, adding that it had expressed strong opposition and dissatisfaction and would "staunchly support the legitimate rights and interests of Hong Kong corporations overseas." The ports located at the mouth and tail of the Panama Canal, which have been operated by a subsidiary of CK Hutchison since 1997, became embroiled in a legal dispute after getting caught in the middle of the U.S.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) - A pair of attacks on police vehicles by suspected militants killed at least five officers in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday, authorities said. The assailants ambushed a police vehicle and killed one officer in Kohat, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. When police reinforcements arrived minutes later, they launched another attack and killed four more officers, police official Kamran Khan said. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the apparently coordinated attacks, which have increased across the country in recent months. President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the attacks in Kohat and offered condolences to the victims' families. The latest violence followed an attack on a paramilitary post in Karak on Monday, when a drone loaded with explosives wounded several officers.