Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Japan continued to push forward with its plan to discharge radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea despite a host of local and international opposition.

"The contaminated water released into the ocean will spread across the entire Pacific Ocean in 10 years and affect almost all of our sea," said South Korean Rep. Seo Sam-seok at a forum on Monday to seek ways of cooperating with neighboring countries to tackle Japan's plan to dump the nuclear wastewater next spring.

BANGKOK (AP) — World shares were mostly higher Thursday after China indicated its central bank will ease reserve requirements for lenders to counter the blow to its economy from pandemic shutdowns in big cities like Shanghai.

London slipped while Paris, Frankfurt, Tokyo and Shanghai gained. U.S. futures were mixed and oil prices fell.

Trading was relatively quiet with some Asian markets closed for holidays. Markets in the U.S. and Europe face a shortened week and will be closed on Friday for Good Friday holidays.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Ri Chun Hi, North Korea’s most famous state TV anchor, has announced major events for decades, including nuclear and missile tests and the death of a leader, with an instantly identifiable, passionate voice.

The anchor, dubbed the “pink lady” abroad for her bright traditional Korean attire, became the topic of official North Korean media herself Thursday after leader Kim Jong Un gave her a luxurious residence and asked her to continue to serve as the voice of his ruling Workers’ Party.

BEIJING, April 13 (APP): The Pakistani and Chinese experts discussed practical challenges in water governance at an online international conference titled Understanding Water Governance and Management Strategies: Finding Solutions for Common Challenges.

The conference was aimed at providing a premier interdisciplinary platform for relevant stakeholders and experts to discuss the most recent innovations, trends, and practical challenges in water governance in Pakistan and China.

BEIJING, April 13 (Xinhua) -- China on Wednesday said it deplores and firmly opposes the China-related content in the 2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices and relevant remarks by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, which have revealed hypocrisy and double standards of the U.S.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a regular press briefing when asked to comment on the report released by the U.S. Department of State on Tuesday, which attacked China's political system and human rights situation.

BEIJING, April 13 (Xinhua) -- China's foreign trade maintained its growth trajectory in the first quarter of 2022 despite increasingly complex internal and external challenges and risks.

The country's total imports and exports expanded 10.7 percent year on year to 9.42 trillion yuan in the first three months, data from the General Administration of Customs (GAC) showed Wednesday.

In U.S. dollar terms, total foreign trade came in at 1.48 trillion U.S. dollars in the period, up 13 percent year on year, the data showed.

TOKYO (AP) — As millions of Ukrainians fled their country, a longtime Tokyo resident did the opposite. Sasha Kaverina left her life in Japan and rushed to Ukraine to rescue her parents after a Russian missile hit their apartment building.

Kaverina’s main goal in returning was to get her parents out of their hometown of Kharkiv, the second-largest city in battered eastern Ukraine, to a safer place in western Ukraine. But Kaverina, who had organized fund-raising and antiwar rallies in Japan for her homeland, also delivered medicine, first-aid kits and other relief goods.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — As search and rescue efforts increased with the arrival of equipment, the death toll has risen to at least 56, with 28 others missing, after a summer tropical depression that unleashed days of pounding rain caused landslides and floods in the central and southern Philippines, officials said Wednesday.

SHANGHAI, April 12 (Reuters) - Some Shanghai residents were able to leave their homes for the first time in more than two weeks on Tuesday as the city took tentative steps towards easing a COVID-19 lockdown amid mounting worries over the economic impact of the strict curbs.

With a quarter of the population under what brokerage Nomura described as "full or partial lockdowns," China's leadership is taking increasing steps to ease the economic toll of its "zero-COVID" strategy, but remains reluctant to risk larger waves of infection.

SINGAPORE, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Singapore researchers have found that the overall risk of heart inflammation following COVID-19 vaccinations is comparable to or lower than that caused by non-COVID-19 vaccinations, the Straits Times reported on Tuesday.