Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets gained Thursday after the Federal Reserve said higher U.S. interest rates might be needed to cool inflation.

Shanghai, Tokyo and Sydney advanced. Hong Kong declined. Oil prices edged higher after falling below $100 per barrel this week.

Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index gained 0.4% on Wednesday after notes from the latest Fed meeting said “an even more restrictive stance could be appropriate” to get inflation back to its 2% target. Fed officials acknowledged that could weaken the economy.

BEIJING (AP) — The United States is “the biggest threat to world peace, stability and development,” China said Thursday, continuing its sharp rhetoric in response to U.S. accusations of Chinese spying and threats to the international order.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian’s comments came a day after the head of the FBI and the leader of Britain’s domestic intelligence agency raised fresh alarms about the Chinese government, warning business leaders that Beijing is determined to steal their technology for competitive gain.

BEIJING, Jul 6 (APP): China on Wednesday appreciated arrest of key suspect involved in the terrorist attack on the Confucius Institute at the University of Karachi (CIUK) by Pakistani authorities and expressed to continue its firm support for Pakistan’s counter-terrorism efforts.

TASHKENT, July 6 (Reuters) - Uzbekistan's president blamed "foreign forces" on Wednesday for inciting unrest in the Central Asian state's autonomous Karakalpakstan republic, where the government says 18 people were killed in violent clashes last week.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said the "unpleasant events" were a source of anguish, and the top state prosecutor would conduct a thorough investigation.

HANOI, July 6 (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday called on all parties in the world to make efforts to protect international laws as "the world is evolving in a complicated manner."

Lavrov was speaking though a translator at a meeting with his Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son in Hanoi.

BEIJING, July 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Wednesday censured the United States for pushing a Dutch supplier to stop selling chipmaking gear to China, calling the U.S. moves a typical example of "tech-terrorism."

Zhao made the remarks at a regular press briefing when answering a query on reports that the U.S. is pushing the Netherlands to ban ASML Holding NV from selling mainstream technology, the most advanced systems, or DUV to China.

KUALA LUMPUR, July 4 (NNN-Bernama) — Malaysian investors and business community are urged to explore new opportunities in all sectors in Algeria, including in the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) sector.

Algeria’s ambassador to Malaysia, Saad Maandi, said as the “New Algeria” proclaimed by its President Abdelmadjid Tebboune upon his election over two years ago offers ample investment opportunities today, Malaysian business players are most welcome to establish more cooperations in the country.

SEOUL, July 5 (Reuters) - North Korea appears to have released water from a dam near its border with South Korea, prompting vacationers in the neighbouring country to evacuate over rising water levels on the Imjin River, officials said on Tuesday.

The water level at a bridge at the river in the South's border county of Yeoncheon surpassed 1 metre on Monday afternoon, requiring visitors on the riverbank to evacuate, government data showed.

BEIJING, July 5 (Xinhua) -- The serious racial discrimination and injustice in the United States are reflections of the discrimination and injustice that the United States promotes around the world, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a press briefing when asked to comment on a report that Jayland Walker, an African-American citizen in Ohio, had been killed by eight police officers who fired more than 90 shots, sparking massive protests across the United States.

HONG KONG, July 5 (Xinhua) -- The Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has strongly disapproved, firmly rejected and roundly condemned gross interference in Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs that tramples on the basic norms of international relations.