Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

01 July 2022; MEMO: Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates today signed a free trade agreement, strengthening economic ties between Southeast Asia's largest economy and the major oil producer Gulf state, Reuters reports.

The Indonesian Trade Ministry's Director General of International Trade Negotiations Djatmiko Bris Witjaksono told the news agency the agreement had been signed in Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital.

KUALA LUMPUR, July 1 (NNN-Bernama) — International experts said Malaysia must aggressively communicate its palm oil sustainability initiatives, particularly the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification scheme, in order to remove the commodity’s high-risk status.

Declining to be named, these experts participated in a Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) webinar series “Meeting the Challenge of Improving Labour Rights in the Malaysian Palm Oil Supply Chain” today, conducted under the Chatham House rule.

KUALA LUMPUR, July 1 (NNN-Bernama) — International experts said Malaysia must aggressively communicate its palm oil sustainability initiatives, particularly the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification scheme, in order to remove the commodity’s high-risk status.

Declining to be named, these experts participated in a Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) webinar series “Meeting the Challenge of Improving Labour Rights in the Malaysian Palm Oil Supply Chain” today, conducted under the Chatham House rule.

BEIJING, July 1 (Reuters) - The United States must meet its international obligations on climate change and do more than "shout slogans", China's foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Friday following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling limiting Washington's ability to cut power sector emissions.

The Supreme Court voted to constrain the authority of the U.S.'s Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from existing coal- and gas-fired power plants under the Clean Air Act, sparking dismay among environmentalists. 

TOKYO, July 1 (Xinhua) -- The Japanese government for the first time in seven years requested Friday that businesses and households begin a three-month period of conserving electricity to avoid a power crunch as temperatures have hit record highs during a scorching heatwave.

The government did not specify an exact target for a reduction in power use through September, but urged people to lower power consumption levels without causing disruption to firms' operations or the daily lives of citizens.

BEIJING, July 1 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese spokesperson on Friday voiced firm opposition to false remarks on Taiwan made by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

"Taiwan is part of China, and Taiwan compatriots are our brothers and sisters," said Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office.

"We have taken actions in accordance with the law to punish separatist forces seeking 'Taiwan independence' and counter external forces' interference, which is a just move to safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity," she said.

TOKYO (AP) — Asian benchmarks were mostly lower on Friday, echoing a decline on Wall Street, after a quarterly report by Japan’s central bank rekindled worries about the world’s third largest economy.

Recent data suggest global growth is slowing as countries grapple with renewed waves of coronavirus outbreaks, soaring prices and the war in Ukraine.

Shares fell in Japan and South Korea, but rose slightly in Australia. Trading was closed in Hong Kong for a holiday.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea suggested Friday its COVID-19 outbreak began in people who had contact with balloons flown from South Korea — a highly questionable claim that appeared to be an attempt to hold its rival responsible amid increasing tensions over its nuclear program.

Activists for years have flown balloons across the border to distribute hundreds of thousands of propaganda leaflets critical of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and North Korea has often expressed fury at the activists and at South Korea’s leadership for not stopping them.

BEIJING, June 30. /TASS/: NATO itself is a systematic challenge to global peace and stability, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Thursday, commenting on the alliance’s new strategic concept.

"NATO itself is a systemic challenge to global peace and stability," the Chinese diplomat said at a regular news conference. The US-led organization, while positioning itself as a defensive bloc, has sought to advance into new areas and domains, he added. He also said "NATO has the blood of the global population on its hands."

TASHKENT, Jun 30 (NNN-XINHUA) – Uzbek President, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, has tasked the government, to generate an additional nine billion U.S. dollars in revenue per year, by processing yarn into finished products and attracting foreign brands, the president’s press service said, yesterday.

The Uzbek leader set a goal to attract 50 popular foreign brands to the country’s textile industry, and announced new subsidies and incentives for exporters of textile products.