Top Asia Pacific Breaking News: Latest Updates

BANGKOK (AP) - Myanmar's parliament on Friday elected Min Aung Hlaing, a general who ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian government in 2021 and kept an iron grip on power for the past five years, as the country's new president. The move marks a nominal return to an elected government but is widely considered as an effort to keep the army in power after an election organized by the military that opponents and independent observers deemed neither free nor fair, and as civil war rages. Transitioning to an elected government is also seen as a way to improve frosty relations with some Southeast Asian neighbors following the military takeover.

BEIJING (AP) - Peace talks between Afghanistan's Taliban government and Pakistan are advancing, China's government said Friday, two days after those countries resumed conversations following weeks of fighting that have killed hundreds. "The consultation process is being steadily implemented and advanced," said China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning. Xi Jinping's government is mediating between Islamabad and Kabul, whose representatives resumed the talks on Wednesday in the western Chinese city of Urumqi. "The three parties have also reached consensus and arrangements on a specific operational mode, including media coverage," she added, without giving more details. "Since the recent escalation of the Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict, China has been mediating and promoting talks in its own way, maintaining close communication with both sides through multiple channels and at various levels, and creating conditions and providing platforms for dialogue", Mao said.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - French President Emmanuel Macron and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung agreed Friday to work together to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz and ease global economic uncertainties caused by the war in the Middle East. Their summit in Seoul came as U.S. President Donald Trump slammed allies for not supporting the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran. Macron was making his first visit to South Korea since taking office in 2017, as part of an Asian tour that already has taken him to Japan. Macron told Lee at the start of the meeting that the two countries can play a role in helping to stabilize the situation in the Middle East, including Iran's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, which has unleashed shock on global energy markets.

BANGKOK (AP) - The disciplinary body for China 's Communist Party said Friday it has placed the former Xinjiang party chief under investigation over suspected violations of discipline and law. Ma Xingrui is a member of the party's Central Committee and served as party secretary of the Xinjiang region in China's northwest from 2021-2025. He also previously served as director of the National Ethnic Affairs Commission and deputy party chief in Guangdong province. It was unclear what violations Ma allegedly committed. Ma is the latest senior official to be removed from power this year. China's Xi Jinping removed the top general in charge of the country's military in January.

WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday 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 Panama Canal earlier this year from a subsidiary of a Hong Kong-based company. China denies the allegations. Panama has been caught in a broader rivalry between the United States and China after U.S. President Donald Trump accused Beijing last year of running the Panama Canal. The Trump administration sees the critical maritime trade route as strategically important, both commercially and militarily, and Trump has talked about retaking the Panama Canal since his campaign.

ISLAMABAD (AP) - Pakistanis faced record fuel price increases Friday, as petrol and diesel prices rose by up to 54% driven by the war in the Middle East that has caused global oil prices to surge. The increase adds pressure to a cash-strapped nation already grappling with high inflation, as economists warned the hike would push up food prices and living costs. Pakistan's Petroleum Minister Pervez Malik said late Thursday that the increase was "unavoidable." He said the government was compelled to raise petrol prices by 137 rupees (49 cents) per liter, following a 20% increase last month. Diesel prices were increased overnight by 184.49 rupees (67 cents) per liter, a rise of about 54.9%.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - New Zealand and Cook Islands signed a defense and security pact Thursday, easing more than a year of tension between the Pacific nations over Cook Islands' deepening ties with China. The fraught diplomatic standoff that prompted Wellington to pause millions of dollars in aid to Avarua was hardly a clash of geopolitical heavyweights: New Zealand has a population of 5 million, while Cook Islands has 15,000 people. But the lengthy freeze gripped Pacific observers because it reflected the struggle confronting tiny island nations with close ties to Western countries such as New Zealand and Australia as they seek to balance their traditional alliances with overtures from Beijing.

ISLAMABAD (AP) - Pakistan on Thursday confirmed it was holding peace talks with Afghanistan's Taliban government in China, where Beijing is trying to broker a lasting ceasefire after weeks of fighting that have killed hundreds, disrupting trade and cross-border travel. The confirmation of the new round of talks came a day after officials from the two sides told The Associated Press that representatives from the countries had traveled to Urumqi in western China for them. It was unclear who is representing Pakistan in the talks. Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi said in a post on X that "a mid-level delegation" from his country had traveled to Urumqi for the negotiations following a request from China.

MANADO, Indonesia (AP) - An undersea magnitude 7.4 earthquake toppled buildings in parts of northern Indonesia, sent people fleeing from their homes, killed at least one person and generated a small tsunami Thursday. Strong shaking lasting 10 to 20 seconds was felt in Bitung in North Sulawesi province as well as in Ternate city in neighboring North Maluku province, according to the Disaster Management Agency. The provinces border the Molucca Sea, where the quake was centered. Initial assessments showed light to severe damage in parts of Ternate, including a church and two houses. In Bitung, damage assessments were still underway, the agency said.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A judge cleared the way Thursday for the potential release of an Indian citizen who was taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody last year after his Pennsylvania murder conviction was overturned following four decades in prison. The decision came the day after the four-hour hearing in which Subramanyam Vedam insisted he did not fatally shoot Thomas Kinser in 1980 and was questioned by a U.S. Department of Homeland Security lawyer. Vedam participated in the hearing Wednesday remotely from the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania. "I was young and stupid and did a lot of dumb things back then," Vedam said.