Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

Hong Kong leader Lam won’t seek new term after rocky 5 years

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said Monday she wouldn’t seek a second term after a rocky five years marked by huge protests calling for her resignation, a security crackdown that has quashed dissent and most recently a COVID-19 wave that overwhelmed the health system.

Her successor will be picked in May and the city’s security chief during the 2019 protests is among the possible choices.

5.5-magnitude quake hits 51 km ENE of La Paz, Philippines -- USGS

HONG KONG, April 3 (Xinhua) -- An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.5 hit 51 km ENE of La Paz, the Philippines at 10:24:56 GMT on Sunday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The epicenter, with a depth of 28.72 km, was initially determined to be at 9.2256 degrees north latitude and 126.6692 degrees east longitude.

China: COVID-19 cases rise in Shanghai with millions under lockdown

BEIJING (AP) — COVID-19 cases in China’s largest city of Shanghai are still rising as millions remain isolated at home under a sweeping lockdown.

Health officials on Sunday reported 438 confirmed cases detected over the previous 24 hours, along with 7,788 asymptomatic cases. Both figures were up slightly from the day before.

While small by the standards of some countries, the daily case numbers are some of the largest since the virus was first detected in the central city of Wuhan in late 2019.

South Korea: Kim’s sister enraged by Seoul’s preemptive strike comments

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called the South Korean defense minister a “scum-like guy” for talking about preemptive strikes on the North, warning Sunday that the South may face “a serious threat.”

S. Korea’s incoming president nominates his prime minister

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol on Sunday announced his intent to name a seasoned former prime minister and economic expert to serve as the country’s No. 2 official under his incoming government.

Yoon’s pick of Han Duck-soo for prime minister is the first major nomination in his government, which is set to be inaugurated on May 10.

Pakistan-China playing key role in providing substantive assistant to Afghan people

BEIJING, April 2 (APP): As close neighbors of Afghanistan and important forces in maintaining world peace and international order, China and Pakistan have always been playing key roles in the Afghan issue and providing substantive assistance to the Afghan people within their capabilities.

These views were expressed by Cheng Xizhong, Visiting Professor of Southwest University of Political Science and Law and Senior Fellow of the Charhar Institute in a statement on Saturday.

Int’l Tourists To Cambodia Up 114 Percent In Q1: Official

PHNOM PENH, Apr 2 (NNN-AKP) – Cambodia received a total of 151,680 foreign visitors in the first quarter of 2022, an increase of 114 percent from 70,901 arrivals, recorded in the same period last year, a senior tourism official said yesterday.

Kong Sopheareak, director of Tourism Statistics Department, at the Ministry of Tourism, said that, of the total, 86,588 of them arrived in the country by air, during the Jan-Mar period, up 158 percent year-on-year.

Japan To Further Ease Border Controls, Allow Up To 10,000 Arrivals Daily

TOKYO, Apr 2 (NNN-NHK) – Japan plans to raise its daily cap on foreign arrivals to around 10,000, starting from Apr 10, up from the current 7,000, as the country further relaxes border controls, a top government spokesman said yesterday.

“Japan plans to increase international movements of people in stages, by taking into account the infection situation at home and abroad, and border control measures that other major nations have taken,” Chief Cabinet Secretary, Hirokazu Matsuno, said at a press conference.

S.Korea Reports 264,171 New COVID-19 Cases

SEOUL, Apr 2 (NNN-YONHAP) – South Korea reported 264,171 new COVID-19 cases as of midnight, compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 13,639,915, the health authorities said today.

The daily caseload was down from 280,273 the previous day, hovering below 300,000 for two days, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

The spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant and its subvariant BA.2, drove the recent resurgence, especially in the Seoul metropolitan area.

China: Xi, Azerbaijani president exchange congratulations on 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties

BEIJING, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, exchanged on Saturday congratulatory messages to celebrate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

In his message, Xi pointed out that China and Azerbaijan are partners of traditional friendly cooperation.

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