Top Asia Pacific Breaking News: Morning Edition

The "Life in Venice" housing development, a multibillion-dollar replica of the Italian city on the Chinese coast, stands silent. Many of the tens of thousands of homes are hollow husks of concrete and alabaster. But in recent years the remote, partially abandoned complex has drawn unlikely new residents like Sasa Chen, a burned-out young Chinese woman who until recently worked a high-earning finance job in Shanghai, China's bustling commerce hub. The appeal? Chen pays just 1200 RMB, or $168, a month for her apartment in faux Venice in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu. It's so cheap that it's allowed Chen to retire at the tender age of 28.

QIDONG, China (AP) - After China's debt-fueled real estate bubble popped, vast housing developments across the country were left partially abandoned - including "Life in Venice," a sprawling residential complex perched on China's east coast. Just an hour and a half drive away from China's bustling commercial hub of Shanghai, "Life in Venice" was inspired by the famed Italian city, featuring European style sculptures and buildings connected by canals and bridges. It was once advertised as the garden of Shanghai, promising a luxurious, relaxing, resortlike lifestyle by the sea. But property prices faltered a few years ago, and in 2024 the complex's developer, Evergrande, declared bankruptcy.

Pakistan's president on Monday defended his country's ongoing military strikes in neighboring Afghanistan, saying Islamabad tried all forms of diplomacy before targeting militants operating from Afghan territory, and called on the Taliban government in Kabul to disarm groups responsible for attacks in Pakistan. Pakistan earlier said it is in "open war" with Afghanistan, alarming the international community. The border area remains a stronghold for militant organizations including al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. "(The Afghan Taliban) must choose to dismantle the terror groups that survive on conflict and its war economy," Asif Ali Zardari said during a speech to lawmakers, adding that "no state accepts serial attacks on its soil." Afghanistan on Thursday launched attacks in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes the previous Sunday.

BANGKOK (AP) - The head of Myanmar's military government granted amnesty to thousands of prisoners, mostly political detainees, and activists being prosecuted or in hiding, state-run media reported Monday. There was no sign former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was ousted in the military takeover in 2021 and has been held virtually incommunicado since then, would be freed. However, according to independent online media reports, those freed included former members of her government and her National League for Democracy party, including Myo Aung, a former mayor of the capital, Naypyitaw. The amnesty, which coincides with Peasants' Day, a national holiday honoring farmers, comes two weeks before parliament is set to convene for its first session in more than five years, following the recent election that critics said was neither free nor fair.

NEW DELHI (AP) - India and Canada on Monday agreed to strengthen their economic partnership, in a move aimed at boosting ties after two years of strained relationship. Speaking after talks with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the two countries would soon finalize a "comprehensive economic partnership" which is expected to increase bilateral trade to $50 billion by 2030. India and Canada began advancing negotiations on a long-pending trade agreement last year, as Carney moved to re-engage with New Delhi, restore diplomatic channels and stabilize ties between the two countries. Carney said the two sides were aiming to conclude the deal by the end of the year.

ISLAMABAD (AP) - Pakistani authorities deployed troops and imposed a three-day curfew before dawn Monday in the northern cities of Gilgit and Skardu after several people died and tens were injured in violent protests following the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in U.S.-Israeli strikes, officials said. Thousands of Shiite demonstrators on Sunday attacked the offices of the U.N. Military Observer Group, which monitors the ceasefire along the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, and the U.N. Development Program in Skardu city. Protesters also burned a police station and damaged a school and the offices of a local charity in Gilgit, according to officials.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Afghanistan thwarted attempted airstrikes on Bagram Air Base, the former U.S. military base north of Kabul, authorities said Sunday, while cross-border fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan stretched into a fourth day. The fighting has been the most severe between the neighbors for years, with Pakistan declaring that it's in "open war" with Afghanistan. The conflict has alarmed the international community, particularly as the area is one where other militant organizations, including al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, still have a presence and have been trying to resurface. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan's Taliban government of harboring militant groups that stage attacks against it and also of allying with its archrival India.

BANGKOK (AP) - Airstrikes by Myanmar's military on a trading junction in the central Magway region killed more than two dozen people and wounded 20 others, a resistance group and independent online media said Sunday. The attack is the latest in a series of frequent and deadly aerial strikes targeting armed pro-democracy forces and ethnic armed groups in the country. The strikes often cause civilian casualties. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, 2021, triggering widespread popular opposition. After peaceful demonstrations were put down with lethal force, many opponents of military rule took up arms, and large parts of the country are now embroiled in conflict.

ISLAMABAD (AP) - Pakistan is in an "open war" with Afghanistan, Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif said Friday, with fighting escalating into the most serious armed confrontation between the two uneasy neighbors since a Qatari-mediated ceasefire in October. The two countries share a long, complicated history harking back to Pakistan's creation in 1947. Bound by traditional social, ethnic and economic ties, relations have nonetheless been volatile and have often descended into armed conflict. Over the last few months, the two have occasionally skirmished along their winding, porous frontier as tension has escalated. The latest confrontation is by far the most serious.

BEIJING (AP) - China's legislature has dismissed 19 members, including nine who are military officers, one week ahead of the start of its annual meeting. The late Thursday announcement did not say why the deputies had been removed, but such removals are generally tied to corruption investigations. An anti-corruption campaign launched by Chinese leader Xi Jinping shows no sign of letting up after more than a decade. The military has been targeted in recent years, including the removal of its top general last month, as Xi seeks to reform and modernize the armed forces. Analysts say the campaign is also a way for Xi, who is in his 14th year in power, to remove potential rivals and ensure loyalty among his subordinates.