Top Asia Pacific Breaking News: Latest Updates

TOKYO (AP) - A law set to pass Friday by Japan's parliament could doom its 1,500-year-old hereditary institution by insisting that only men can be emperor, sparking worry about the shrinking, fast-aging imperial family. Emperor Naruhito 's 24-year-old daughter is hugely popular, and many Japanese want her to be his successor, but Princess Aiko is ineligible because she is a woman. Japan's male-only succession rule means the line must move to the emperor's younger brother, then to his 19-year-old nephew Prince Hisahito. Next in line after him is the emperor's 90-year-old uncle. In an imperial family that places a premium on male royal babies, Hisahito is the first such boy to be born in four decades.

SYDNEY (AP) - More than 500 people are feared dead after reports that two boats carrying members of Myanmar's persecuted Rohingya minority have capsized in the Bay of Bengal, officials said Thursday. According to preliminary information, the two boats left Myanmar's western state of Rakhine in late June carrying mostly Rohingya passengers, including some who had traveled from refugee camps across the border in Bangladesh, according to a statement from the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. One boat, believed to have been carrying around 250 people, lost contact shortly after departure. A second boat, reportedly carrying 280 people, is believed to have sunk off Myanmar's Ayeyarwady coast on July 8.

BANGKOK (AP) - Debates have stirred over Thailand's safety regulations and the legal loopholes that allow some venues to avoid stricter standards since a deadly fire at a Bangkok music bar killed more than 30 people and injured over 70 earlier this week. The capital of Thailand is renowned for its vibrant nightlife, with bars and clubs spread across the city. However, gaps in the country's licensing system have left many venues operating under regulations that may not match their activities. The fire that broke out Sunday night killed at least 33 people and injured dozens, with 27 people still hospitalized on Thursday, Erawan emergency services said.

NEW DELHI (AP) - The protest camp came to life as student demonstrators rolled up their bedding after another night under the open sky. At the heart of the camp, activist Sonam Wangchuk lay inside a tent, his weakened frame showing the toll of weeks on hunger strike. "If not fasting, what? Riots in the streets? That's what we don't want to do. So this is a peaceful way to take your voice to the government," Wangchuk said on a recent afternoon as worried supporters checked on him. The 59-year-old has become an unlikely symbol of India's Cockroach Janta Party, a youth-led movement that erupted online two months ago and gained momentum over alleged leaks on social media in the country's fiercely competitive college entrance exams.

NEW DELHI (AP) - A sudden crowd surge at a popular Hindu festival in eastern India's Odisha state on Thursday left at least one person dead and many hospitalized, a news agency reported. The incident occurred as tens of thousands of people gathered in the coastal town of Puri for the annual Rath Yatra chariot festival, according to the Press Trust of India. The festival is considered one of the world's oldest and largest religious processions. The centuries-old festival involves the idols of Hindu deities being taken out of the Jagannath Temple and carried through the streets in colorfully decorated chariots.

BANDA, India (AP) - Heat at all hours, even in the middle of the night. Long stretches without electricity, meaning some homes can't even use basic fans. And a constant search for relief, like being hosed down with water or sleeping outside. For many residents of Banda, a town in northern India that has recorded some of the country's highest temperatures, just getting through each day is a challenge. Global warming, caused mostly by the burning of fuels like gas, oil and coal, is making heat waves across India more frequent and intense. Uttar Pradesh, the state Banda is in, is among those most vulnerable to extreme heat.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - Actor Sam Neill died from pneumonia and will be honored at a private family memorial at his New Zealand farm later, his agent told The Associated Press on Thursday. Neill's family had earlier announced the actor known for "Jurassic Park," "The Piano" and other films died Monday in Sydney. His agent Philip Grenz said he was providing more information after speaking with Neill's family and following news reports "which contain inaccuracies and outright falsehoods," he said. "Sam passed away from pneumonia," Grenz said. "Prior to becoming sick, Sam had valiantly fought and beaten lymphoma through a new treatment called CAR-T therapy." He added that Neill had filmed four projects "back-to-back" during the past year that are due to be released in the coming months.

HONG KONG (AP) - Hong Kong 's top security official said Thursday that booksellers should ensure the titles they sell do not harm national security, a day after five people linked to two bookstores were arrested. The police operation on Wednesday was the third round of arrests targeting independent bookstores within four months. Critics have raised concerns over the city's freedom of expression under what they called a unclear red line. But Secretary for Security Chris Tang told reporters at the legislative building that the law is clear. "If you are a bookseller, you have the responsibility to make sure the books you sell won't endanger national security," he said.

LONDON (AP) - The U.K. government has nationalized British Steel to protect the nation's steelmaking capacity after the company's Chinese owners moved to shut the plant's blast furnaces. The Department for Business and Trade announced the move on Thursday, saying it would save thousands of jobs and protect the U.K.'s national interest by ensuring a supply of domestically produced steel for major construction projects and the defense industry. "British Steel now belongs to the British people, and our focus is on the future: stabilizing the business, backing the communities that rely on it and building a sustainable, competitive and decarbonized steel sector for the years ahead," Business Secretary Peter Kyle said in a statement.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The world has largely viewed the U.S. more favorably than China for years, but those opinions have flipped in Beijing's favor this year, according to a new poll by the Pew Research Center, a remarkable shift driven in part by tensions between the Trump administration and U.S. allies. More people have favorable views of China than the U.S. in 25 out of the 36 countries and territories that were surveyed, including Canada and Mexico. The poll was conducted from February to May, a period when the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran. In only six countries do people still see the U.S.