Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s leader on Wednesday said people’s movements may be restricted during mandatory testing this month of the entire population for the coronavirus, as health officials reported a record 55,353 daily infections and over a hundred deaths.

Chief executive Carrie Lam said authorities are still refining the plan, but that there would be no “complete” lockdown that would prevent entry and exit from the city.

“The extent of it must take into account Hong Kong’s circumstances and people’s needs,” she told reporters.

BANGKOK (AP) — Several top Myanmar celebrities who were detained for criticizing the army’s seizure of power were released from prison Wednesday under pardons issued by the military government, state-run television reported.

The celebrities released from Insein Prison in Yangon include prominent film industry figures Lu Min, Wyne, Pyay Ti Oo, his wife Eaindra Kyaw Zin, and popular male model and actor Paing Takhon, MRTV reported.

BEIJING, March 1 (APP): China and Pakistan have great potential in semiconductor cooperation and the two countries could work on designing chips for consumer goods like cellphones, mobile infrastructure networks, data centres and, IoT devices.

BEIJING, March 1 (APP): Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Wang Wenbin on Tuesday welcomed talks between Russia and Ukraine and hoped that the two countries would maintain their dialogue and negotiations, and work out a political solution to realize the common security of Europe.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Traffic jams and outdoor crowds are back in the Philippine capital and 38 other cities and provinces Tuesday after officials allowed businesses and public transport, including shopping malls, movie houses and restaurants, to operate at full capacity as COVID-19 cases continued to drop with more vaccinations, officials said.

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares mostly rose Tuesday as global investors eyed talks aimed at ending the Russian military assault on Ukraine, which so far have yielded just an agreement to keep talking.

Benchmarks were higher in early trading in Tokyo, Sydney and Shanghai. Hong Kong declined and markets were closed in South Korea for a holiday. U.S. futures edged lower and oil prices rose.

TOKYO (AP) — Toshiba’s Chief Executive Satoshi Tsunakawa is stepping down as the embattled Japanese technology giant seeks to restructure and restore its reputation.

Tsunakawa will be replaced by Taro Shimada, an executive officer and corporate senior vice president, under a decision made at a Toshiba board meeting Tuesday, the Tokyo-based company said.

Shimada was an executive at Siemens, both in Japan and the U.S., before joining Toshiba Corp. in 2018, working in its digital operations.

BEIJING, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- China has maintained its position as the world's largest manufacturing hub for 12 straight years, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said on Monday.

The value-added output of the manufacturing sector in 2021 increased 9.8 percent year on year to 31.4 trillion yuan (about 4.97 trillion U.S. dollars), accounting for 27.4 percent of the country's GDP, MIIT Minister Xiao Yaqing told a press conference.

BEIJING, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- China's State Council Information Office on Monday issued the Report on Human Rights Violations in the United States in 2021.

The report said the human rights situation in the United States, which has notorious records, worsened in 2021. Its political manipulation led to a sharp surge in COVID-19 deaths while shooting deaths in the country hit a new record.

Fake democracy trampled on people's political rights and violent law enforcement made life harder for migrants and refugees in the United States, it said.

SEOUL, Feb 28 (Reuters) - South Korea will tighten export controls against Russia by banning shipments of strategic items and join Western countries' moves to block some Russian banks from the SWIFT international payments system, Seoul's foreign ministry said on Monday.

"The Korean government condemned Russia's armed invasion of Ukraine and, as a responsible member of the international community, decided to actively participate in the international community's efforts, including economic sanctions, for a peaceful resolution of the situation," the ministry said in a statement.