Asia Pacific

FILE- Attendants sit next to a field contaminated with dioxin before a ceremony marking the start of a project to clean up dioxin left over from the Vietnam War, at a former U.S. military base in Danang, Vietnam, Aug. 9, 2012. (AP Photo/Maika Elan, File)

Agent Orange cleanup and other efforts critical to ties with Vietnam jeopardized by USAID cuts

A multi-year cleanup at a former U.S. air base in Vietnam was abruptly halted when the Trump administration cut funding, leaving tons of dioxin-contaminated soil exposed.

FILE- Attendants sit next to a field contaminated with dioxin before a ceremony marking the start of a project to clean up dioxin left over from the Vietnam War, at a former U.S. military base in Danang, Vietnam, Aug. 9, 2012. (AP Photo/Maika Elan, File)

Takeaways from the AP’s report on how USAID cuts are imperiling Agent Orange cleanup

Taliban fighters stand near the closed Torkham border with Pakistan, where Pakistani and Afghan forces exchanged fire overnight, in Torkham, Afghanistan, Monday, March 3, 2025.(AP Photo/Shafiullah Kakar, file)

Rights group says Pakistan steps up pressure on Afghans to return home where they risk persecution

Taiwan’s president hails Arizona chips project in meeting with visiting governor

Policemen watch as vehicles are torched during communal clashes sparked by protests demanding removal of the tomb of 17th-century Muslim Mughal ruler Aurangzeb in Nagpur, India, Monday, March 17, 2025. (AP Photo)

Indian city sets curfew after Hindu groups demand demolition of 17th century Muslim ruler’s tomb

Bangladesh security officials arrest commander of Rohingya armed group

Security officials in Bangladesh arrested the leader of a Rohingya insurgent group on charges of illegal entry, sabotage and terrorist activities in the South Asian nation, where there are more than 1 million Rohingya refugees from neighboring Myanmar.

Cranes load a cargo ship at the Panama Canal's Balboa Port in Panama City, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File)

Hong Kong’s leader swipes at Trump but avoids criticism of tycoon’s deal to sell Panama Port assets

Hong Kong’s leader says his government opposes coercion by foreign governments, an allusion to comments by U.S.

Cambodian navy crew stand on a patrol boat at the Ream Naval Base in Sihanoukville, southwest of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, July 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith, File)

Cambodia says expanded port funded by China opening next month - with first call from Japanese navy

A Cambodian naval port expansion funded by China that has raised concerns over Beijing’s growing military reach has been completed and a Japanese vessel will be the first foreign warship to make a port call.

Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney, right, meets with Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok at the Nunavut Commissioner's official residence in Iqaluit, Nunavut, on Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canada’s new leader announces $4.2 billion Australian radar purchase

Canada’s new leader has announced a radar purchase from Australia and an expansion of military operations in the Arctic while visiting Canada’s far north in an effort to assert sovereignty over the increasingly contested region.

This photograph released by Taiwan Ministry of National Defense taken from a Taiwan Air Force F-16V, shows a Chinese CAIG Wing Loong II drone near Taiwan, Monday, March 17, 2025. (Taiwan Ministry of National Defense via AP)

China conducts air and sea drills near Taiwan in response to US and Taiwanese statements

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry says an unusually large number of Chinese military ships, planes and drones entered the airspace and waters surrounding the self-governing island between Sunday and Monday.

The Voice of America building, Monday, June 15, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

Trump’s cuts to Voice of America may be welcomed by China’s government

The recent move by U.S. President Donald Trump to make cuts at Voice of America and other U.S. government-run media may be welcome news for China’s ruling Communist Party.

Pakistani soldiers arrive at the railway station to assist victims and survivors rescued by security forces from a train attacked by insurgents in Quetta, Pakistan, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Arshad Butt)

Pakistani leader calls for unity to combat militants after a surge in attacks

Pakistan’s prime minister has called on country’s political leadership to unite in its resolve to combat militants following a surge in deadly violence.

United States Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, left, shakes hand with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a meeting in New Delhi, India, Monday, March 17, 2025. (Government of India Press Information Bureau via AP)

Gabbard says Trump is committed to ensuring peace and security through ‘realism and pragmatism’

U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said President Donald Trump is committed to ensuring peace and security through “realism and pragmatism,” in remarks Tuesday before the U.S. leader speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

This image made from video provided by Australian Broadcasting Corp., shows foam washing up on beach Monday, March 17, 2025, in Waitpinga, near Adelaide. (Australian Broadcasting Corp via AP)

Strange foam and dead fish wash ashore at 2 Australian beaches as surfers fall sick

An Australian state has closed two beaches after surfers reported feeling unwell while dead fish and unusual foam washed ashore.

People break their Ramadan fast at Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia, Saturday, March 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Mass iftar brings together thousands of Muslims at Jakarta’s Istiqlal mosque

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A mass iftar at Jakarta’s Istiqlal Grand Mosque, the largest in Southeast Asia, draws thousands every year during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

A Japanese man handed 7-year sentence in Belarus on charges of working for Japanese intelligence

A Japanese man in Belarus has been convicted of working for Japan’s intelligence and sentenced to seven years in prison.

Henderson Land Development's founder and chairman Lee Shau Kee attends a news conference as he announces his retirement after the company's general meeting in Hong Kong, Tuesday, May 28, 2019. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, file)

Hong Kong billionaire property developer Lee Shau Kee dies at 97

Hong Kong billionaire property developer Lee Shau Kee had died. He was 97. Lee led one of the biggest real estate empires in the former British territory.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hugs visiting New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon before their meeting in New Delhi, India, Monday, March 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

India and New Zealand look to bolster ties after reviving free trade talks

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon have held wide-ranging discussions seeking to deepen their defense and economic ties.

Chinese jet fighter crashes during training mission

Chinese state media say a Chinese fighter jet has crashed during a training mission, with the pilot parachuting to safety.

A Chinese shipyard completes a second submarine for ally Pakistan

A Chinese shipyard has completed a second submarine for the Pakistan navy, further strengthening military ties between the two countries.

A paramilitary soldier examines a damaged bus at the site of a suicide bombing, in Naushki, a district in southwestern Pakistan's Balochistan province, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo)

Suicide car bomber hits buses carrying security forces, killing 7 in southwestern Pakistan

At least five officers and two civilians have been killed and 10 wounded when a suicide car bomber targeted a convoy of buses carrying security forces in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province.

A farmer holds an opened cocoa pod at a plantation in Tanjung Rejo, Lampung province, Indonesia, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Indonesia’s cocoa farmers work with businesses to fight the bitter impact of climate change

Thousands of cocoa farmers across Indonesia are working with businesses and other organizations to protect their crops against the bitter impacts of climate change.

This handout photo provided by the Mandalay People's Defence Force shows a firefighter and men douse fire after an airstrike by the ruling military in Let Pan Hla village in Singu township in Mandalay region, Myanmar, Friday, March 14, 2025. (Mandalay People's Defence Force via AP)

An airstrike in Myanmar kills nearly 30 people, an opposition group says

An opposition group in military-ruled Myanmar says an airstrike on a central village under the control of resistance forces has killed at least 27 civilians and injured 30 others.

At least 11 dead after separate security operations against militants in restive northwest Pakistan

Pakistan’s military says troops acting on intelligence have raided two militant hideouts in the country’s restive northwest, triggering gun battles that left at least two soldiers and nine militants dead.

Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally to oppose his impeachment in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, March 15, 2025. The letters read "Yoon Suk Yeol's immediate return and dissolution of the National Assembly." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Huge crowds march in rival rallies for and against South Korea’s impeached president

Thousands of South Koreans have filled the streets of downtown Seoul in massive rival rallies for and against impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Children who are to become Buddhist nuns ride on decorated cow carts during a processional parade as part of a celebration of a novitiation or “Shinbyu,” ceremony, Saturday, March 15, 2025, at Hlegu township, outside of Yangon, Myanmar. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw)

AP Photos: “Shinbyu,” a rite of passage for young Buddhists in Myanmar

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Brightly dressed boys and girls mounted on horses and carts, accompanied by their guardians, make their way to a Buddhist monastery in southern Myanmar, as they prepare to enter a period of monkhood that can last anywhere between a few days to months.

From left, Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas attend the G7 foreign ministers meeting in La Malbaie, Canada, Friday March 14, 2025. (Saul Loeb, Pool Photo via AP)

‘Filled with arrogance': China lashes out at G7 over statements on maritime security

China has lashed out at accusations it is endangering maritime safety made by top diplomats from the Group of 7 industrialized democracies.

Thai rescue workers work the scene after an elevated road being built collapsed in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Panumas Sanguanwong)

Elevated road under construction in Bangkok collapses, killing at least 5 people

An elevated road being built in Thailand’s capital Bangkok collapsed, killing at least five people. Offiicals said that the collapse, which happened in the early morning in southwestern Bangkok, also injured 24 other people at the construction site, said Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit.

A worker carries a box of supplies for a Mixue store in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Make room Starbucks and McDonald’s. China’s Mixue and other brands win fans in Southeast Asia

Chinese food and beverage brands are gaining fans across Southeast Asia, offering alternatives to big name American chains and expanding Beijing’s commercial and cultural sway in neighboring economies.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with reporters following the G7 foreign ministers meeting in La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada, on Friday, March 14, 2025. (Saul Loeb, Pool Photo via AP)

US imposes sanctions on Thai officials after Uyghur men are deported to China

The U.S. State Department has announced sanctions on an unknown number of current and former Thai officials for their role in deporting at least 40 Uyghur men to China despite worries that they could be jailed or even face death there.

Rescue workers gather around coffins containing the bodies of victims following a train attack upon arrival at a hospital in Quetta, Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, Thursday March 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Arshad Butt)

Pakistan’s army accuses India of sponsoring terror after 26 hostages were killed in a train attack

Pakistan’s military accuses neighboring India of sponsoring militants in the restive southwestern Balochistan province, which saw an unprecedented attack this week by armed separatists.

A woman has her face smeared with coloured powder as they celebrate Holi, the festival of colours, in Chennai, India, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

With a kaleidoscope of colors and music, the Hindu festival of Holi signals the arrival of spring

INDIA (AP) — Millions of Indians on Friday celebrated the Hindu festival of Holi, dancing to festive music, exchanging food and drink, and smearing each other with red, green, blue and pink powder, turning the air into a joyful kaleidoscope of color.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, left, and Bangladesh's Chief Adviser and Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, stand together before they broke fast with Rohingya refugees at the Ukhiya camp in Cox's Bazar, in Bangladesh, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)

UN chief describes aid cuts as ‘a crime’ during visit to Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres has described humanitarian aid cuts by the United States and other countries as “a crime.”

A Rohingya woman travels with a bag of rice that her family received through World Food Program close to Bawda Pa refugee camp, outskirts Sittwe, Rakhine state, Myanmar, Jan. 15, 2014. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe, File)

UN World Food Program to cut food aid for over 1 million people in Myanmar

The United Nations food agency says that more than 1 million people in the war-torn nation of Myanmar will be cut off from food assistance due to critical funding shortfalls.

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is seen on a screen in the courtroom of the International Criminal Court (ICC) with his lawyer Salvador Medialdea seated left, in The Hague, Netherlands, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)

Philippine ex-President Duterte appears by video link at International Criminal Court hearing

Jailed former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has appeared by videoconference before judges at the International Criminal Court.

Holi festival Holi celebration at the Lord Jagannath temple in Ahmedabad, India, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

Millions of people celebrate Holi, the Hindu festival of colors

Millions of people in South Asia are celebrating Holi, the Hindu festival of colors, by smearing each other with brightly colored powder, dancing to festive music and feasting on traditional sweets prepared for the occasion.

Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba attends a cabinet meeting at the prime minister's office in Tokyo, Japan, Friday, March 14, 2025.(Kyodo News via AP)

Japan’s Ishiba criticized over gifts to lawmakers months after a scandal-fueled election loss

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is being criticized for distributing gift certificates to 15 first-year lawmakers in his party in a scandal shaking his already weak grip on power.

Japanese police investigators work near the scene of a stabbing of a woman in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (Kyodo News via AP)

Police arrest man in fatal knife attack on a YouTuber during livestreaming on Tokyo street

Police in Japan say they have arrested a suspect in the fatal stabbing of a YouTuber while she was livestreaming on a downtown Tokyo street.

A vial of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is on display at the Lubbock Health Department Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in Lubbock, Texas. (AP Photo/Mary Conlon, File)

Measles cases in Europe and Central Asia doubled last year to the highest reported level since 1997

There were 127,350 reported cases of measles, including 38 deaths, in Europe and Central Asia last year, marking the highest total in nearly 30 years, according to figures from UNICEF and the World Health Organization.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte checks the scope of a Chinese-made CS/LR4A sniper rifle during the presentation of thousands of rifles and ammunition by China to the Philippines at Clark Airbase in northern Philippines on June 28, 2017. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez, File)

Duterte refused fingerprinting and threatened lawsuits during chaotic arrest, Philippine police say

A Philippine general says that ex-Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte threatened him with lawsuits, refused to be fingerprinted and told law enforcers “you have to kill me to bring me to The Hague.”