Top Asian News 3:56 a.m. GMT

Massive quake rocks Myanmar and Thailand. Hundreds feared dead

BANGKOK (AP) — A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar on Friday, causing extensive damage across a wide swath of one of the world’s poorest countries and prompting officials to warn that the initial death toll — above 140 — was likely to grow in the days ahead. In neighboring Thailand, at least six died in Bangkok, where a high-rise under construction collapsed. The full extent of death, injury and destruction was not immediately clear — particularly in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war, and where information is tightly controlled. “The death toll and injuries are expected to rise,” the head of Myanmar’s military government, Senior Gen.

The Latest: Major earthquakes strike Myanmar and Thailand

Myanmar at a glance: Embroiled in civil war, now facing more devastation after powerful earthquake

Even before a powerful 7.7-magnitude quake hit Myanmar on Friday, more than 3 million people in the country had been displaced, and hundreds of thousands were cut off from vital food and health programs as a result of a destructive four-year civil war that international groups claim has indiscriminately targeted civilians. Social media videos depicted widespread destruction after the earthquake hit an epicenter near Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, and was followed by a strong 6.4-magnitude aftershock, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed. Information and movement throughout the country remain very tightly controlled, making it more difficult for any rescue efforts or even an assessment of the official death toll.

US, Japan, Philippines stage navy drills in disputed South China Sea as a Chinese ship keeps watch

ABOARD BRP JOSE RIZAL, South China Sea (AP) — The United States, Japan and the Philippines on Friday staged joint naval drills to boost crisis readiness off a disputed South China Sea shoal as a Chinese military ship kept watch from a distance. The Chinese frigate attempted to get closer to the waters, where the warships and aircraft from the three allied countries were undertaking maneuvers off the Scarborough Shoal in an unsettling moment, but it was warned by a Philippine frigate by radio and kept away. “There was a time when they attempted to maneuver closer but, again, we challenged them,” Philippine navy Commander Irvin Ian Robles told reporters on board the frigate BRP Jose Rizal.

Hegseth tells Philippines the Trump administration will ramp up deterrence against China threat

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday that the Trump administration would work with allies to ramp up deterrence against threats across the world, including China’s aggression in the South China Sea. Hegseth, who was visiting the Philippines, blamed the previous Biden administration for insufficient actions that emboldened aggressors like China over the years. He said the U.S. military was being rebuilt under President Donald Trump and was re-establishing its “warrior ethos” in the region, but did not elaborate. “What we’re dealing with right now is many years of deferred maintenance, of weakness, that we need to reestablish strength and deterrence in multiple places around the globe,” Hegseth told a news conference with his Philippine counterpart, Gilberto Teodoro, after meeting President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

China’s Xi makes strong push for greater foreign investment as economy continues to lag

BEIJING (AP) — In an address to major global business leaders, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged foreign investors to have faith in China’s business prospects, the latest move to revive the world’s second-largest economy that has been dragged down by a property bust and a loss of momentum. “China has always been and will certainly be an ideal, safe and promising investment destination for foreign investors,” Xi told executives, including Akio Toyoda, chairman of Toyota, Lee Jae-yong, chairman of Samsung Electronics and Stephen Allen Schwarzman, CEO of investment firm Blackstone. China remains a major exporter of products to countries around the world and boasts a domestic market of 1.4 billion people.

Australia to hold general elections on May 3 with inflation and a housing shortage major issues

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australians will go to the polls on May 3 for general elections with high costs of living and a shortage of housing likely weighing against the government as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese ‘s center-left Labor Party seeks a second three-year term. Albanese drove to Governor-General Sam Mostyn’s official residence on Friday to trigger the election and announced the date later at a news conference at Parliament House. “Over the last few years, the world has thrown a lot at Australia. In uncertain times, we cannot decide the challenges that we will face, but we can determine how we respond,” Albanese said.

South Korea’s worst wildfires are now almost contained following rain and cooler weather

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The most destructive wildfires ever to hit South Korea were almost contained, authorities announced Friday, after rain and cooler temperatures helped fire crew put out the blazes that have killed 28 people and razed vast swaths of land since last week. In a televised briefing, Korea Forest Service chief Lim Sang-seop said that all main fires at four of the hardest-hit areas in the southeast have been fully contained. The forest service’s website shows efforts to extinguish the wildfires remain at only one place as of Friday afternoon. The government’s disaster response team earlier said that wildfires at other sites have been put out.

Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh welcome $73 million in new U.S. financial aid

COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh (AP) — The U.S. government has confirmed it would provide $73 million in new financial aid for Rohingya refugees through the United Nations’ food agency, easing worries among more than 1 million refugees that essential food rations would be cut. Aid agencies, the U.N. and refugees have voiced concerns after the World Food Program warned it may be affected after U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration announced it was cutting international aid. The World Food Program said earlier this month that if it is not able to raise funds, it will have no option but to halve food rations to $6 a month from previous $12.50 in Bangladesh’s southern coastal district of Cox’s Bazar, where the Rohingya live in sprawling camps.

At least 2 dead in Nepal after pro-monarchy supporters clash with police during rally

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A television cameraman was among two people who died on Friday when supporters of Nepal ‘s former king clashed with police during a rally in the capital to demand restoration of the Himalayan nation’s abolished monarchy. Several protesters and police officers were injured in the clashes. The Home Ministry said an injured protester died while getting treatment at a hospital, while a local TV station said one of its staff was killed when a building he was filming from was set on fire. The government imposed a curfew in the areas where the clashes happened in Kathmandu after the police in riot gear used tear gas, batons and water canon against the protesters.