Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese authorities eased some anti-virus rules but affirmed their severe “zero COVID” strategy Monday after protesters demanded President Xi Jinping resign in the biggest show of opposition to the ruling Communist Party in decades.

The government made no comment on the protests or the criticism of Xi, but the decision to ease at least some of the restrictions appeared to be aimed at quelling anger. Still, analysts don’t expect the government to back down on its COVID strategy and note authorities are adept at stifling dissent.

TAIPEI, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Attention is turning to Taiwan's next presidential election in 2024 after the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was thrashed at local elections on Saturday, with President Tsai Ing-wen's move to focus on China backfiring with voters.

The main opposition party the Kuomintang, or KMT, romped to victory in the mayoral and county elections, winning 13 of the 21 seats up for grabs, including the wealthy and cosmopolitan capital Taipei, in line with expectations.

None of those elected have direct say in policy on China.

SEOUL, Nov 27 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country's intends to have the world's most powerful nuclear force as he promoted dozens of military officers involved in the recent launch of a new ballistic missile, state media reported on Sunday.

The announcement comes after Kim inspected a Nov. 18 test of the Hwasong-17, North Korea's largest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and pledged to counter what he called U.S. nuclear threats.

SHANGHAI/BEIJING, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Hundreds of demonstrators in Shanghai shouted and jostled with police on Sunday evening as protests over China's stringent COVID restrictions flared for a third day following a deadly apartment fire in the country's far west.

The wave of civil disobedience, which has spread to other cities including Beijing, is unprecedented in mainland China since President Xi Jinping assumed power a decade ago and comes amid mounting frustration over his signature zero-COVID policy.

JAKARTA, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian government plans to rebuild hundreds of houses in a new safer ground for the victims of the quake striking the country's West Java province, the chief of the country's disaster agency said Sunday.

Head of the National Disaster Management and Mitigation Agency Suharyanto told a press conference that the construction of new houses would start next week on a two-hectare land, carried out by the ministry of public works and public housing.

SEOUL, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- Five people were killed as a helicopter crashed in the eastern coastal county of Yangyang, Gangwon province, South Korea on Sunday, Yonhap news agency reported.

The fire authorities have found five bodies after extinguishing the fire, according to Yonhap.

The chopper crashed around 10:50 a.m. local time and burst into flames.

The helicopter, which was jointly leased by local governments of Sokcho, Goseong and Yangyang, crashed when conducting activities against forest fires. 

BEIJING (AP) — Protests against China’s pervasive anti-virus controls that have confined millions of people to their homes spread to Shanghai and other cities after complaints they might have worsened the death toll in an apartment fire in the northwest.

Shanghai police used pepper spray against about 300 protesters, according to a witness. They gathered Saturday night to mourn the deaths of at least 10 people in an apartment fire last week in Urumqi in the Xinjiang region in the northwest.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s daughter made a public appearance again, this time with missile scientists and more honorific titles as her father’s “most beloved” or “precious” child. She’s only about 10, but her new, bold photos are deepening the debate over whether she’s being primed as a successor.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A protest against China’s strict “zero-COVID” policies resurfaced in Shanghai on Sunday afternoon even after police cleared away hundreds of demonstrators in the early morning with force and pepper spray.

Crowds stood and filmed as police started shoving at people who had gathered in the street and shouted, “We don’t want PCR tests, we want freedom!” according to an witness who did not want to be named for fear of retribution.

ASTANA, November 26. /TASS/: Kazakhstan will focus on relations with Russia and China as it will continue to pursue a balanced and constructive foreign policy, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said at his inauguration ceremony on Saturday.