Xinhua Asia-Pacific news summary at 1600 GMT, Nov. 7

KABUL — Seven people were killed and 20 others injured as a blast rocked the Dasht-e-Barchi area of Afghanistan’s capital Kabul on Tuesday, Kabul’s police spokesman Khalid Zadran said.

The blast ripped through a mini-bus on Tuesday evening, claiming the lives of seven civilians and injuring 20 others, Zadran said, adding that all the victims were civilians. (Afghanistan-Blast)

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MANILA — The Philippines’ House of Representatives on Tuesday stripped Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of the title of deputy speaker, demoting the former president to an ordinary member of the house.

At the plenary session, the members voted to replace Arroyo, who represents a district in Pampanga province, with a representative from Isabela province. (Philippines-Arroyo-House-Deputy Speaker)

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TOKYO — More than 100 Japanese citizens protested in central Tokyo, where the Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers met on Tuesday, condemning the bloc for escalating the crisis in Gaza while demanding its immediate action to call an end to the deadly Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip.

The Gaza crisis is expected to top the agenda at the meeting scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday at the Iikura House of Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tokyo. The meeting, chaired by Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, was also attended by top diplomats, including U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. (Japan-G7-Gaza)

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YANGON — A huge fire destroyed 63 houses and displaced about 303 people in northern Myanmar’s Kachin state on Tuesday, the state-run Myanmar Digital News reported.

The fire occurred in the wee hours of Tuesday in Shein Hkawn village in Khounlanphu town, the media report said. (Myanmar-Fire)