Top Asia Pacific Breaking News: Latest Updates

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - Taiwan hasn't been notified of any pause in a planned $14 billion U.S. arms sale to the self-governing island, a government official said Friday, after the acting U.S. Navy secretary told a Senate committee in Washington that some foreign military sales were being delayed to ensure the American military has enough munitions for the Iran war. Days after U.S. President Donald Trump raised doubts about continuing arms sales to Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, acting U.S. Navy Secretary Hung Cao said Thursday that the sales would resume when the administration considers it appropriate.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - Indonesia is overhauling its trade policies for key commodities in a sudden move that some experts liken to a hostile takeover of major industries in the resource-rich nation, with global implications. The new regulation announced to parliament Wednesday by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto mandates that a recently set up state-owned enterprise will handle the country's exports of coal, palm oil and iron alloys by September. Prabowo said one aim is to increase tax revenues. That would help restore dwindling government reserves that have been exhausted by the energy shocks from the war in Iran. Given Indonesia's role as a major commodities exporter, the new rules likely will ripple across international supply chains.

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) - A renowned Mount Everest guide who this week scaled the peak a record 32nd time urged authorities on Friday to limit climbers on the summit. The number of climbers making the ascent on the 8,849-meter (29,032-foot) peak from the Nepalese side is higher this season because China has closed the route from Tibet. Everest can be scaled from either the southern side in Nepal or the northern side in China. On Wednesday, 274 climbers reached the summit, the highest number on a single day from the Nepal side. A total of 494 climbers have been issued permits by Nepal's mountaineering authorities and an equal number Sherpa guides are accompanying them.

GOTEMBA, Japan (AP) - With a burst of flame, followed by a thunderclap boom that broke the bucolic serenity of the training area in the foothills of Japan's Mount Fuji, the first rocket fired by the U.S. Marines from their mobile launcher screamed toward its target, the orange burn of its engine painting a streak across the blue sky. Another five rockets followed in rapid succession, before a second HIMARS truck drove out of its concealed position in a copse of evergreens, fired its salvo of six rockets, then retreated back to cover. The live-fire exercise this week at the U.S.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) - A Sri Lankan court on Friday released on bail a senior Buddhist monk who was arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing a minor, in a case that has stirred heated debate in a country where Buddhism is the main religion. Rev. Pallegama Hemarathana, 71, was arrested earlier this month on allegations of abusing a 14-year-old girl. A court ordered him to be kept in custody for questioning, but he spent his time in a hospital, citing health issues. He was arrested along with the girl's mother, who was accused of aiding the monk in his actions.

BEIJING (AP) - On the surface, Chinese leader Xi Jinping's back-to-back summits with U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin looked pretty similar, with formal handshakes in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, enthusiastic greetings from flower-waving children, and marching columns of soldiers with gleaming bayonets. But the visits also revealed how different China's relationship is with the two countries. During Trump's visit, China sought to stabilize ties with the United States, while Putin's trip served to deepen its strategic partnership with Russia. Xi emphasized ceremonial hospitality during Trump's visit, including a rare tour of Zhongnanhai, a former imperial garden that now serves as headquarters of China's top leadership.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) - The Philippine justice chief ordered authorities Thursday to enforce an International Criminal Court warrant for the arrest of a senator wanted on an alleged crime against humanity. He warned that anyone helping the senator evade a nationwide hunt would face criminal charges. Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa "is a fugitive from justice," Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida said in a news conference. "He should be brought to the ICC to face the charges." Dela Rosa is a former national police chief who enforced then President Rodrigo Duterte's bloody crackdown against illegal drugs that killed thousands of mostly petty suspects.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - The United Nations expressed "grave concern" on Thursday about a new law issued by Afghanistan's Taliban government on separation in marriage which includes provisions on child marriage, saying the code further entrenches discrimination against women and girls. The government rejected the accusations, saying the decree follows Islamic law and insisting the country has already banned the forced marriage of girls. Afghanistan's justice ministry published Decree No. 18 "on judicial separation of spouses" last week, which sets out rules for separation of a married couple. Among its most controversial provisions, it says that the silence of a girl reaching puberty can be interpreted as consent to marriage.

NEW DELHI (AP) - It began as a satirical online project. Now millions of young Indians are flocking to it as an outlet for their frustration. A parody political party called the Cockroach Janta Party, with the insect as its symbol, has exploded across India's social media by turning absurdist humor into protest. Memes and short videos mocking corruption, joblessness and political dysfunction have flooded social media sites, where millions of users are embracing the cockroach - known for its ability to survive harsh conditions - as a tongue-in-cheek symbol of endurance. The online movement's rise has been unusually rapid. The Cockroach Janta Party, or CJP, set up its website and social media accounts on Saturday.

NEW DELHI (AP) - Roads and markets have emptied during afternoons and some farmers have switched to nighttime work to avoid scorching temperatures as a heat wave grips large parts of India. The India Meteorological Department forecast maximum temperatures Thursday of around 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) in the capital, New Delhi, where authorities have opened temporary "cooling zones" to help people cope. The weather department warned conditions will likely persist across several northern regions in the coming days, with temperatures staying well above seasonal averages. Authorities urged people to stay indoors during the hottest hours and take precautions against heat-related illnesses.