President Donald Trump campaigned on keeping the United States out of foreign wars, but it didn’t take long to convince him to come to the direct aid of Israel.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has expressed determination to defend rules-based, free and multilateral trade systems and work to expand the main Asia-Pacific trade group at a time of tension over U.S. tariffs.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, struggling to stabilize his minority government, says he will seek to maintain regional security and prepare for tough negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump to win his commitment to maintain a strong American presence in the Asia-Pacific.

The NFL will expand its international search for talent by opening an academy in rugby-mad Australia to develop promising teenagers in the Asia-Pacific region into college and pro prospects.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is visiting the tiny kingdom of Tonga as the United States continues to increase its diplomatic efforts in the Pacific while China’s influence in the region grows.

The Asian Development Bank says it is devoting at least $14 billion through 2025 to help ease a worsening food crisis in the Asia-Pacific.

A top State Department official says the American diplomatic push aimed at countering China’s increasing influence in the Asia-Pacific region appears to be paying dividends, with many nations showing a willingness to partner with the United States.

For more than two years, the isolation of the Pacific archipelago nation of Tonga helped keep COVID-19 at bay.

A senior international aid official says Afghanistan is being hit by multiple crises that are “progressively getting worse,” with drought, economic collapse and displacement all pushing the population into catastrophic hunger.

Officials say that after months of study, the Pentagon has decided no immediate major changes are needed in the global positioning of U.S. forces.

After slow starts, vaccination campaigns in several countries in the Asia-Pacific region now boast inoculation rates that rank among the world’s best.

China has applied to join an 11-nation Asia-Pacific free trade group in an effort to increase its influence over international policies.

Officials in Thailand have announced a seven-hour curfew and other restrictions for the capital and nine other provinces to try to slow a growing number of cases and deaths in a coronavirus surge that began in early April.

Asian shares are mostly lower as investors await a much watched U.S. jobs report for indications of how the recovery from the pandemic is faring.

FILE - In this Sept. 20, 2010, file photo, Samoa Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi addresses a summit at the United Nations headquarters. Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi addressed the nation live on television and radio, urging people to remain vigilant with their virus precautions. Samoa was among a dwindling handful of nations to have not reported a single case of the virus. He said the sailor returned a positive test four days after arriving, but then a second test on Thursday returned a negative result. — India has recorded 45,576 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours as authorities battle to slow a surge of infections in its capital by increasing testing.

Secretary for Food and Health, Sophia Chan, left, and other officials attend a press conference in Hong Kong Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020. Hong Kong and Singapore will launch an air travel bubble at the end of the month, allowing travelers in both cities to visit the other without having to serve quarantine. The bubble will be suspended for two weeks if either Hong Kong or Singapore reports a seven-day moving average of more than five untraceable coronavirus infections, according to the Hong Kong government. “Hong Kong and Singapore are similar in terms of epidemic control. However, the exemption from quarantine is only one-way, and Hong Kong residents travelling to the mainland must still serve 14 days of quarantine on arrival.

Infections from the two clusters have grown to 6,945 by Saturday, bringing to over 10,000 the number of confirmed cases in the country including 19 deaths. — India has registered 48,268 new confirmed coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours. The figure raises the country’s total virus tally to over 8.1 million, behind only the U.S. Over 7.4 million people have recovered. — China has reported six new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in an outbreak in Xinjiang, bringing the total in the far-west region to 51. The total number of confirmed cases has reached 85,973, including 4,634 who have died.

HONG KONG Renewed restrictions took effect in Hong Kong on Wednesday, with restaurants limited to takeout after 6 p.m., as the Asian financial center battles a resurgence of the coronavirus. Mask-wearing has been made compulsory on public transport for the first time, with fines of up to 5,000 Hong Kong dollars ($650). Hong Kong Disneyland, which had reopened last month, shuttered again in accordance with the renewed restrictions. Its two new cases recorded Wednesday and all 27 of its active cases are people quarantined after foreign travel. South Korea requires two-week quarantines on all passengers arriving from overseas.

Esper's Asia visits illustrate the central feature of a revamped U.S. defense strategy: Focus first on China as a threat to U.S. global predominance, rather than remain bogged down in a generation-long fight against extremist groups. Esper was flying to South Korea on Wednesday for consultations on jointly defending against North Korea, whose nuclear arsenal remains a key focus for Pentagon war planners. With China's disputed territorial claims in the South China Sea in mind, Esper also will visit Vietnam, a former U.S. enemy, as well as the Philippines, a longtime ally. The Vietnamese, who contest some of China's claims in the South China Sea, have increasingly looked to Washington as a security partner, despite political differences. Esper says that implementing the new defense strategy, which he inherited from his predecessor, former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, is a work in progress.

Scott Olson/Getty ImagesDEERFIELD, Ill. - The United States and China are holding fire in their trade war. Caterpillar said Wednesday that sales in its Asia-Pacific unit plummeted 22% from a year ago, largely because of weak demand in China. Sales in North America, mainly the United States, are still holding up strong with one notable exception. However, Caterpillar said sales for oil-and gas-related equipment were down 11%, in part because of "lower demand for new equipment in the Permian Basin." But with sales slumping around the rest of the world, trouble in one of its key business segments in the United States is the last thing Caterpillar needs.