Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

 MANILA, June 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A US navy destroyer sunk during World War II has been found nearly 7,000 metres (23,000 feet) below sea level off the Philippines, making it the world’s deepest shipwreck ever located, an American exploration team said.
 
  The USS Samuel B Roberts went down during a battle off the central island of Samar on Oct 25, 1944 as US forces fought to liberate the Philippines — then a US colony — from Japanese occupation.
 

SEOUL, June 25 (Reuters) - North Korea on Saturday condemned "aggression moves" by Washington and Seoul, vowing to take revenge as it marked the 72nd anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War at a time of rising tension on the Korean Peninsula.

Amid concerns North Korea could be preparing to conduct its first nuclear test in five years, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed in May to deploy more U.S. weapons if it was necessary to deter the North. 

24 June 2022; MEMO: China has urged the US to respond to Iran on resuming compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the historic nuclear deal with Tehran which is stalled, Anadolu News Agency reports.

Insisting on diplomatic efforts to end the deadlock, China's Foreign Minister, Wang Yi said: "The US side should earnestly recognise its responsibilities and respond positively to reasonable demands of the Iranian side."

BEIJING, Jun 24 (APP): China delivered the second of four powerful Type 054 A/P frigates to the Pakistan Navy, highlighting the friendship between the two neighboring countries, which serves as a pillar of peace and stability in the region.

The PNS Taimur was commissioned at the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai, the Global Times learned from the Pakistan Navy.

TOKYO, Jun 24 (NNN-NHK) – An unknown liquid was released in a train today, in Japan’s Chiba Prefecture, close to Tokyo, local media quoted investigators as saying.

While the investigators said the liquid smelled similar to vinegar and didn’t appear to look dangerous, two teenage girls who were near the liquid complained of pains and were taken to the hospital.

According to local reports, at around 6:15 a.m. local time today, firefighters received an emergency call alerting them to the incident on the train.

BANGKOK (AP) — Shares were higher in Europe and Asia on Friday despite data suggesting some economies are slowing.

U.S. futures also advanced after a rally Thursday on Wall Street, where the market is headed for its first weekly gain after three weeks of punishing losses.

Market players are looking ahead to U.S. inflation data due next week and hoping that the moderation in prices of oil and some other commodities this week is a sign inflation might be abating.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un doubled down on his nuclear arms buildup to overwhelm “hostile forces” at a key meeting where military leaders approved unspecified new operational duties for frontline army units.

Members of the ruling Workers’ Party’s Central Military Commission decided to supplement an “important military action plan” on the duties of frontline troops and further strengthen the country’s nuclear war deterrent, state media said Friday.

KUALA LUMPUR, June 23 (NNN-Bernama) — United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Thomas Andrews, has expressed his appreciation for Malaysia’s increasing leadership on the crisis in Myanmar.

Speaking at a press conference in conjunction with his visit to Malaysia, here Thursday, he also urged other Southeast Asian states to adopt a similar approach to address the human rights catastrophe in Myanmar.

JAKARTA, June 23 (NNN-Bernama) — The construction of Indonesia’s central government area in Nusantara, Borneo will begin in August, according to the country’s Ministry of Public Works and Housing.

In a statement, Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said the initial phase of construction will be focused on the State Palace and infrastructures including clean water, drainage, sanitation and toll roads.

Basuki joined President Joko Widodo who on Wednesday visited the proposed site of the new US$34 billion (US$1=RM4.40) capital city.

TOKYO, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Japan's southernmost prefecture of Okinawa on Thursday repeated its call on the Japanese government to scrap plans to relocate a U.S. military base within the prefecture.

Governor Denny Tamaki made the remarks in a "peace declaration" at a ceremony observing the 77th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Okinawa, a bloody World War II ground battle that saw more than 200,000 lives lost on the island.