Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

BEIJING, April 16 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland Friday reported 3,867 locally-transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases, of which 3,590 were in Shanghai, according to the report of the National Health Commission (NHC) Saturday.

Apart from Shanghai, 14 other provincial-level regions on the mainland saw new local COVID-19 cases, including 195 in the northeastern province of Jilin.

Shanghai also reported 19,923 locally-transmitted asymptomatic infections of the novel coronavirus Friday, out of a total of 20,813 local asymptomatic carriers newly identified on the mainland.

BEIJING (AP) — Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth on Saturday after six months aboard their country’s newest orbital station in the longest crewed mission to date for China’s ambitious space program.

The Shenzhou 13 space capsule landed in the Gobi desert in the northern region of Inner Mongolia, shown live on state TV.

During the mission, astronaut Wang Yaping carried out the first spacewalk by a Chinese woman. Wang and crewmates Zhai Zhigang and Ye Guangfu beamed back physics lessons for high school students.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended a massive civilian parade in the capital, Pyongyang, celebrating a milestone birth anniversary of his state-founding grandfather in which thousands marched in a choreographed display of loyalty to the Kim family, state media said Saturday.

The reports didn’t mention any speech or comments made by Kim during Friday’s event and it appeared the country passed its biggest holiday without showcasing its military hardware, amid heightened tensions over its nuclear program.

BEIJING, Apr 15 (APP): Smart Classrooms, a project under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), is growing vigorously in 50 universities across Pakistan, which may inject new life into Pakistan’s education system in the near future.

According to Chen Chun, project manager from China Railway Signal and Communication Shanghai Engineering Bureau Group Co. Ltd , in the smart classrooms, teaching can be realized both offline and online at the same time, overstepping the boundaries of time and space, and interaction between teachers and students will be much more enhanced.

MANILA, Apr 15 (NNN-PNA) – The death toll from tropical storm Megi that battered the Philippines last weekend rose to 138, the authorities said yesterday.

Central and southern parts of the Philippines were hit by flooding and massive landslides, with the central Leyte province being the worst affected with 132 deaths.

JAKARTA, Apr 15 (NNN-ANTARA) – Police in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, have deployed personnel to secure the city’s cathedral for the Easter commemoration being held till Sunday, to prevent criminal or terror acts.

Situated in Central Jakarta’s sub-district of Sawah Besar, the cathedral will be safeguarded by at least 100 joint security personnel, including those from the police and the military, Chief of the Sawah Besar Police, Commissioner Maulana Mukarom, told reporters yesterday.

SEOUL, April 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. envoy for North Korea will visit Seoul next week for meetings with South Korean counterparts to discuss the international response to the North's recent intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) launches, the State Department said.

U.S. Special Representative Sung Kim has said he is open to talks with North Korea at any time and without preconditions, but Pyongyang has so far rebuffed those overtures, accusing Washington of maintaining hostile policies such as sanctions and military drills.

BEIJING, April 15 (Reuters) - Sun Jian, a 37-year-old master's degree student in the Chinese city of Yantai, for months staged a solo campaign against his university's COVID-19 prevention measures, including blistering criticism on social media.

The last straw for authorities came on March 27, when Sun walked around his campus carrying a placard that read "lift the lockdown on Ludong".

Police detained him and on April 1 Ludong University expelled him, according to a letter from the university seen by Reuters.

BEIJING, April 15 (Xinhua) -- China firmly opposes any form of official exchange between the United States and Taiwan, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Friday, adding that China will continue to take effective measures to resolutely protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks in response to a question regarding the visit to Taiwan by certain U.S. lawmakers including Senator Lindsey Graham.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea will remove most pandemic restrictions, including indoor gathering limits, as it slowly wiggles out of an omicron outbreak officials say is stabilizing.

People will still be required to wear masks indoors, but authorities could remove an outdoor mask mandate if the coronavirus further slows over the next two weeks, Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol said in a government briefing Friday.