Top Asian News 11:59 a.m. GMT

SE Asian leaders do little to raise pressure on Myanmar

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Southeast Asian leaders did little to ramp up pressure on Myanmar to comply with their plan for peace, agreeing Friday to a course of action that largely kicks the matter down the road. With violence in Myanmar spiraling out of control since the military seized power in 2021, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has been trying to implement a five-point plan for peace, so far with little effect. Already, the group has banned leaders of Myanmar, also known as Burma, from participating in its top-level events, such as the ongoing summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

US to buy South Korean howitzer rounds to send to Ukraine

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. will buy 100,000 rounds of howitzer artillery from South Korean manufacturers to provide to Ukraine, a U.S. official said Thursday, in a deal the two governments have been working on for some time. The agreement comes as Ukrainian leaders press for more weapons and aid to take advantage of a counteroffensive that is pushing Russian forces out of some areas they had taken over earlier in the war. And it relieves concerns within the U.S. military — particularly the Army and the Marine Corps — who are worried that persistent transfers of the Pentagon's howitzer ammunition to Ukraine are eating into their stockpiles.

China confirms Xi to attend G-20, APEC meetings

BEIJING (AP) — China on Friday confirmed President Xi Jinping will attend both the meeting of the Group of 20 industrialized countries and the gathering of Asian Pacific nations this month in his first major overseas trip since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Friday that Xi would meet with U.S. President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and other leaders on the sidelines of the twin summits, with the G-20 coming first in Indonesia followed immediately by the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Thailand. Xi has largely avoided foreign travel since the beginning of the outbreak while China adheres to its strict “zero-COVID” policy mandating lockdowns and quarantines.

Powerful earthquake hits Tonga; tsunami advisory issued

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A powerful underwater earthquake struck Friday off Tonga in the southern Pacific, prompting authorities to issue a tsunami advisory. The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 7.3 quake was centered 211 kilometers (132 miles) east-southeast of Neiafu, Tonga, at a depth of 24.8 kilometers (15 miles). It predicted strong shaking but said the probability of serious damage or casualties was small. The U.S. Tsunami Warning System issued a tsunami advisory, which is one step below a tsunami warning. An undersea volcano erupted in Tonga in January, killing three people, blanketing its main island with a thick layer of volcanic ash and shooting millions of tons of water vapor high up into the atmosphere.

China eases some quarantine for travelers even as cases rise

BEIJING (AP) — Travelers arriving in China will spend less time in quarantine under changes to sweeping anti-virus controls announced Friday to reduce disruption to the economy and society. The announcement came even as an upsurge in COVID-19 cases prompted Beijing to close parks and impose other restrictions. The country reported 10,729 new cases, and more than 5 million people were confined to their homes in the southern manufacturing hub Guangzhou and the western megacity Chongqing. With the bulk of Beijing’s 21 million people undergoing near daily testing, another 118 new cases were recorded in the sprawling city. Many city schools switched to online classes, hospitals restricted services and some shops and restaurants were shuttered, with their staff taken to quarantine.

Japan minister quits over execution remark, PM delays trip

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida delayed his departure Friday to Southeast Asia's three upcoming summits in order to sack and find a replacement for his justice minister over a remark he made about capital punishment that was criticized as inappropriate. Justice Minister Yasuhiro Hanashi told reporters he submitted his resignation Friday to Kishida, two days after he made a comment at a party meeting that his low-profile job makes lunchtime news only when he uses his “hanko” stamp to approve executions in the morning. The remark quickly sparked criticisms from the opposition and even within Kishida’s governing party and could further shake his government, which is already mired in a controversy over its decades-long ties with the Unification Church, a South Korea-based religious sect accused in Japan of problematic recruitment and brainwashing adherents into making huge donations.

Seoul court approves extradition of New Zealand suspect

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean court has approved the extradition of a 42-year-old woman facing murder charges in New Zealand over her possible connection to the bodies of two long-dead children found abandoned in suitcases in August. The Seoul High Court said Friday its decision came after the unidentified woman agreed in writing to be sent back to New Zealand. The court had previously planned to review her case on Monday to determine whether she should be extradited and now says that session is no longer necessary. With the court approving her extradition, it’s now up to South Korean Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon to make the final call on whether she’s sent to New Zealand.

Australian PM wants to ask China's Xi to lift trade barriers

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Friday he would ask Chinese President Xi Jinping to lift billions of dollars in trade barriers in the event that the two leaders hold their first bilateral meeting. Both leaders will attend a Group of 20 meeting in Indonesia and then an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum meeting in Thailand next week. Albanese was speaking in Sydney before departing Australia on Friday for an East Asia Summit in Cambodia, which Xi will not attend. A face-to-face meeting between the Chinese and Australian leaders would mark a major reset in a bilateral relationship that plumbed new depths under the nine-year rule of Australia’s previous conservative government.

Australia blames Russians for health insurance data theft

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Moscow must he held to account for Russian cybercriminals accused of hacking Australia’s largest health insurer and dumping customers’ personal medical records on the dark web, Australian officials said Friday. Australian Federal Police took the unusual step of attributing blame for the unsolved cybercrime that resulted in the personal data of 9.7 million current and former Medibank customers being stolen. A group of “loosely affiliated cybercriminals” operating like a business in Russia were likely responsible for the Medibank attack as well as other significant security breaches around the world, Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw said. “We believe we know which individuals are responsible, but I will not be naming them,” Kershaw told reporters.

Filipino troops, rebels forge truce after fighting kills 10

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine troops forged a ceasefire with Muslim guerrillas after 10 combatants were killed in clashes in a southern village and frantic efforts were made to prevent an escalation that could threaten a major peace accord, military commanders and the rebels said Friday. The sporadic clashes erupted Tuesday and Wednesday in Ulitan village on the island province of Basilan, where emergency talks arranged by government and rebel mediators led to an indefinite ceasefire agreement late Thursday between army forces and Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebel commanders. The clashes left three soldiers dead and 15 others wounded, regional military spokesman Lt.