Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

ULAN BATOR, Jun 6 (NNN-XINHUA) – A dried lake in the northern Mongolian province of Khuvsgul, has been restored by engineering solutions, after several decades, the country’s Ministry of Environment and Tourism said, today.

“The Khodon River, changing its course due to a heavy flood in 1971, negatively impacted the ecosystem of a group of lakes in Darkhad Valley. Especially, the Tsoitson lake, connected to the Khodon River, ultimately evaporated completely,” the ministry said in a statement.

TOKYO, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The Japanese government on Tuesday approved a new strategy for the promotion of hydrogen, involving generating 15 trillion yen (107.76 billion U.S. dollars) of investment from both public and private sectors to accelerate its use in the country's push towards decarbonization.

Under the first revision in six years to the country's basic hydrogen strategy, it was also decided that the hydrogen supply would be increased sixfold.

This would significantly increase from the current 2 million tons to a supply of around 12 million tons by 2040.

TAIPEI/BEIJING, June 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy has released a video of what it called an "unsafe interaction" in the Taiwan Strait, in which a Chinese warship crossed in front of a U.S. destroyer in the sensitive waterway, a risky incident amid deteriorating Sino-U.S. ties.

The encounter comes as both countries trade blame for not holding military talks - with disagreements between the two over everything from trade and Taiwan to Russia's invasion of Ukraine - and raises the spectre of future face-offs that could spiral out of control.

YANGON, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Six people were injured on Monday in a bomb blast in Myanmar's largest city of Yangon, the Information Team of Myanmar's State Administration Council said.

The explosion occurred at around 12 p.m. local time on Monday at the third floor of a tax office of the Internal Revenue Department in Kyauktada Township in Yangon, it said.

The information team reported that a man came to the third floor of the tax office, left a package near the seats for the public before going downstairs. The package bomb blew off later on.

VIENTIANE, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Laos' central bank, the Bank of the Lao PDR (BOL), has set up a new department to help increase the flow of foreign currency through the banking system and effectively handle foreign currency reserves.

MANILA, June 5 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines looks forward to seeing Chinese investments pouring into renewable energy which remains to be the priority sector of the Philippine government, the Department of Trade and Industry said in a statement released over the weekend.

During a recent forum on offshore wind, Philippine Trade and Industry Secretary Alfredo Pascual expressed hope that the Southeast Asian country would attract more offshore wind power projects, especially from China.

SINGAPORE, June 4 (Reuters) - Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu told Asia's top security summit on Sunday that conflict with the United States would be an "unbearable disaster" but that his country sought dialogue over confrontation.

Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Li said the world was big enough for China and the U.S. to grow together - remarks made days after he refused to meet his U.S. counterpart for direct talks.

SINGAPORE, June 4 (Reuters) - Senior officials from about two dozen of the world's major intelligence agencies held a secret meeting on the fringes of the Shangri-La Dialogue security meeting in Singapore this weekend, five people told Reuters.

Such meetings are organised by the Singapore government and have been discreetly held at a separate venue alongside the security summit for several years, they said. The meetings have not been previously reported.

HANOI, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met with his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh on Sunday, discussing enhancing bilateral relations between the two nations, Vietnam News Agency reported.

During the meeting, Albanese, who paid a two-day official visit to Vietnam, announced a package of 105 million Australian dollars (69.5 million U.S. dollars) to aid Vietnam in combating climate change.

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong police detained eight people, including activists and artists, on the eve of the 34th anniversary of China’s Tiananmen Square crackdown, a move that signals the city’s shrinking freedom of expression.

Police said in a statement late Saturday that four people have been arrested for allegedly disrupting order in public spaces or carrying out acts with seditious intent. Four others were taken away for investigation on suspicion of breaching public peace.