Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippines’ interior secretary announced Wednesday he has asked all police generals and full colonels to submit their courtesy resignation to clean the ranks of ties to illegal drugs.

Around 300 officers are covered by the directive, which was recommended by the national police chief, who will also submit his courtesy resignation, Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. said in a news conference.

BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s ruling military leader pardoned over 7,000 prisoners, including some political detainees, and detailed plans for an election later this year during a ceremony Wednesday marking the 75th anniversary of independence from Britain.

Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing urged other nations and international organizations, as well as his country’s own people, to support “the genuine, discipline-flourishing multiparty democratic system,” a concept the ruling military has defined as its goal since it ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.

SEOUL, Jan 3 (Reuters) - South Korea's antitrust regulator said it would impose a 2.85 billion won ($2.2 million) fine on Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) for failing to tell its customers about the shorter driving range of its electric vehicles (EVs) in low temperatures.

The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) said that Tesla had exaggerated the "driving ranges of its cars on a single charge, their fuel cost-effectiveness compared to gasoline vehicles as well as the performance of its Superchargers" on its official local website since August 2019 until recently.

SINGAPORE, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Singapore purchasing managers' index (PMI), an early indicator of manufacturing activity, decreased 0.1 points from the previous month to post a fourth month of continuous contraction at 49.7 in December 2022.

A PMI reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below 50 indicates contraction.

HONG KONG, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Britain should decouple from the United States when it comes to China and develop a more constructive relationship with China, according to an opinion piece recently published by the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's first foreign policy statement in November last year differed in tone from his predecessor, Liz Truss, who was expected to label China "a threat," the article said.

BANGKOK, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- There's a dearth of foreign visitors at Jim Thompson Farm, the reopening get-away tourist spot three hours drive away from Bangkok, despite the weather cooling and festive bells tolling.

Open for only six weeks of the year, the farm attracts visitors with its stunning flower fields and local cultural experiences. However, the farm remains a hidden gem for foreign visitors though the country has been fully open to international travelers since last July.

BEIJING (AP) — The Chinese government sharply criticized COVID-19 testing requirements imposed on passengers from China and threatened countermeasures against countries involved, which include the U.S. and several European nations.

“We believe that the entry restrictions adopted by some countries targeting China lack scientific basis, and some excessive practices are even more unacceptable,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a daily briefing Tuesday.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea confirmed Tuesday that Seoul and Washington are discussing its involvement in U.S. nuclear weapons management in the face of intensifying North Korean nuclear threats, after President Joe Biden denied that the allies were discussing joint nuclear exercises.

BEIJING, Jan 2 (APP):Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has introduced a special package to facilitate Pakistani and other Muslims pilgrims who plan to travel from China to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah.

Under the package, the pilgrims travelling on PIA from Beijing and Chengdu would be provided connecting flights from Islamabad to Saudi Arabia and back.

However, Pakistani passengers could enjoy a stopover of over one week in Pakistan while returning to China, a senior official told APP here on Monday.

ULAN BATOR, Jan 2 (NNN-XINHUA) – An outbreak of a highly contagious animal disease, affecting sheep and goats, has been reported in Mongolia’s capital city here, local media reported today, citing the municipal government.

“Suspected cases of Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), also known as sheep and goat plague, have been confirmed in Baganuur district of Ulan Bator, by lab test results,” the municipal government said, in a statement.

The government has taken quarantine measures in the district for an indefinite period, it said.