Top Asia Pacific Breaking News: Latest Updates

BANGKOK (AP) - A little more than a year ago, the government's military was on the back foot in Myanmar 's bloody civil war, pushed out of great swaths of the country's north by an alliance of seasoned militias, and forced into defensive action around the rest of the country by other established groups and new pro-democracy guerrillas. Today the picture has changed. With its ranks swollen by tens of thousands of new conscripts, the military, known as the Tatmadaw, has reversed some of its losses and appears poised to resume the offensive, while some opposition groups have left the fight and infighting and supply issues have weakened others.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - The white supremacist who shot and killed 51 Muslims at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, lost an attempt to undo his guilty pleas in a Court of Appeal ruling Thursday. The panel of three judges dismissed Brenton Tarrant's claim that harsh prison conditions prompted him to make an involuntarily admission to terrorism, murder and attempted murder charges. His bid to withdraw his guilty pleas and seek a trial was "utterly devoid of merit," they wrote. The Australian man, who is now 35, killed 51 worshippers and injured dozens more in March 2019 when he drove to two Christchurch mosques and opened fire with semiautomatic weapons during Friday prayers.

BANGKOK (AP) - Myanmar's detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been moved from prison to house arrest, state television announced Thursday night. Myanmar's military information office confirmed the news through a text message to the press. Accompanying the announcement was a photo of the 80-year-old leader dressed in a traditional white blouse and skirt. She is seen sitting on a wooden bench, behind a low table facing two unidentified men, one in a police uniform and the other wearing another kind of uniform. The photo was also displayed on the TV broadcast, but it is not clear when or where it was taken.

ISLAMABAD (AP) - Pakistan on Thursday commissioned the first of eight Hangor-class submarine in China, a key step in its naval modernization as it expands its defense cooperation with Beijing, the military said. The commissioning ceremony was held in the southern Chinese port city of Sanya, where Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari was the chief guest. Pakistan's navy chief Adm. Naveed Ashraf and senior military officials from both countries were also present. Zardari and other Pakistani officials have visited China many times in recent years. Zardari, on an official visit to China, said that the induction of the advanced submarine was a "historic milestone" for the navy, reflecting Islamabad's resolve to maintain a credible and balanced defense posture.

BEIJING (AP) - China said Thursday it conducted naval and air combat readiness patrols around a disputed area in the South China Sea, after the Philippines, the United States and other allied forces began annual drills in the region. China's Defense Ministry said in a statement that the patrols took place at Huangyan Dao, China's name for Scarborough Shoal, which is also claimed by the Philippines. Manila has accused China of using force to block access by fishermen and the coast guard to the shoal, which used to be under Philippine control until 2012. "Huangyan Dao is an inherent part of China's territory," the Defense Ministry said, and added that "such patrols serve as an effective countermeasure to cope with all sorts of rights violation and provocative acts." The drills happened 10 days after the U.S.

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - A Cambodian court on Thursday upheld the treason conviction and 27-year prison sentence for opposition leader Kem Sokha, whose 2017 arrest opened a broad government crackdown on political opponents in the country. The Phnom Penh Appeals Court also barred Kem Sokha from leaving the country for five years after he finishes his sentence, which he is serving under house arrest. Cambodia has long been accused of using the judicial system to persecute critics and political opponents. The government insists it promotes the rule of law under an electoral democracy, but political parties seen as potential rivals have been dissolved by the courts or had their leaders jailed or harassed.

PANAMA CITY (AP) - The U.S. State Department accused China of violating Panama's sovereignty over a port dispute in the Central American nation, triggering another fierce back-and-forth on Wednesday as the Chinese government called the Trump administration hypocritical. The most recent spat was triggered in early April when Rubio accused China of "bullying" by detaining or holding up dozens of Panama-flagged ships - though for a short period of time - after the Central American country seized control of two critical ports on the canal earlier this year from a subsidiary of a Hong Kong-based company. China denied the allegations.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - A French teen is facing mischief and public nuisance charges in Singapore after posting a video on social media of himself licking a straw from an orange juice vending machine and then putting it back. Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, 18, was charged April 24 and hasn't entered a plea, the city-state's largest English-language newspaper, The Straits Times, said. He allegedly committed the offense at a shopping mall on March 12, and his video spread rapidly when it surfaced, the report said. The teen was granted court permission Wednesday to travel to Manila from May 2-25 for a school trip required for his graduation, the Straits Times said.

SANTA MARTA, Colombia (AP) - A first-of-its-kind international conference on moving away from fossil fuels wrapped up in Colombia Wednesday with a clear message: the global conversation has shifted from whether to phase out oil, gas and coal to how to do it, with financing emerging as one of the biggest obstacles. Officials, climate advocates and financial experts from 56 countries gathered in the Caribbean coastal city of Santa Marta for several days of talks aimed at tackling one of the most politically sensitive issues in climate policy - transitioning away from fossil fuel production, the main driver of global warming.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) - A Philippine congressional committee ruled Wednesday there was "probable cause" to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte after hearing allegations of unexplained wealth, misuse of state funds and threats to have the president assassinated. The unanimous decision of the 53-member justice committee in the House of Representatives elevates the two impeachment complaints to deliberations and voting by the entire lower chamber, which has more than 300 lawmakers. The complaints centered on Duterte's alleged illegal use and mishandling of intelligence funds from the vice president's office and from her time as education secretary under Marcos. Duterte has denied wrongdoing but refused to answer specific allegations in detail.