Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares were mostly lower Monday after a retreat on Wall Street, as investors watched for developments in Ukraine after Russia rescinded earlier pledges to pull tens of thousands of its troops away from Ukraine’s northern border.

Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong and Shanghai declined while Sydney advanced.

The White House said President Joe Biden had agreed “in principle” to meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin if he refrains from launching an assault that U.S. officials say appears increasingly likely.

BEIJING (AP) — Warnings to use disposable “burner” phones and laptops. Privacy-protecting software. Concerns about a security flaw in an official Games smartphone app.

Such precautions fueled unease about data privacy for competitors and attendees at the Winter Olympics in Beijing. Not everyone heeded them.

“Honestly, I’ve been coming to China for 12 years or whatever, and I’m not that important,” Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris said. “Maybe if I was a diplomat or something, then I’d switch out my phone.”

BEIJING (AP) — At the height of the Cold War, U.S. President Richard Nixon flew into communist China’s center of power for a visit that, over time, would transform U.S.-China relations and China’s position in the world in ways that were unimaginable at the time.

BEIJING, Feb 20 (APP): Prime Minister Imran Khan’s upcoming official visit to Russia is historic and of great strategic significance, Cheng Xizhong, Visiting Professor of Southwest University of Political Science and Law and Senior Fellow of the Charhar Institute said on Sunday.

“It is particularly noteworthy that with a gap of 23 years, Russia has invited the Pakistani leader to visit Moscow, which reflected PM Imran Khan’s high-stature and leadership qualities.

BEIJING, Feb 20 (APP): Shanghai Electric has employed around 7,000 Pakistani workers in its coal mine and power plant projects in the Thar district of Sindh.

This was stated by Senior Directors of the company, Yao Fujun, and Gan Yongchao, the company said in a statement.

Shanghai Electric is the sponsor of Thar Coal Block I Integrated Mining and Power Plant projects through its subsidiaries, Sino-Sindh Resources Ltd. (SSRL) and Thar Coal Block I Power Generation Co. (TCB-1).

JAKARTA, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Group of 20 (G20) members has issued a joint commitment to ensure aid and support for poor and developing economies to assist their recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The commitment came on Friday night from the two-day G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting held here, with Indonesia serving as the host country.

HONG KONG (AP) — Stringent anti-virus controls that ban public gatherings in Hong Kong of more than two people might be tightened to stop a surge in infections, the territory’s top health official said Sunday, as 14 deaths and more than 6,000 new cases were reported.

Health Secretary Sophia Chan, speaking on a radio program, gave no details of possible new restrictions and called on the public to stay at home.

BEIJING, Feb 19 (APP): India unilateral action to change status of Occupied Kashmir has violated United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions. Therefore, the international community should call on India to immediately correct its historical mistake and restore Kashmir’s autonomy.

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 issued here.

BEIJING, Feb 19 (APP): As global climate change is intensifying, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSDC) and Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) are working together to establish a model through the study of the changes in climate characteristics and the corresponding changes in cotton and wheat production varieties, and to put forward breeding suggestions for climate change in the next 30-50 years.

Feb 19 (Reuters) - U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet can visit Xinjiang, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday, but China does not welcome any investigation based on the presumption of guilt.

Bachelet has long sought access to the western Chinese region to investigate accusations of abuse against ethnic Uyghurs. The issue has strained ties between Beijing and the West, sparking accusations of genocide from Washington and a U.S.-led diplomatic boycott by some countries of the Winter Olympics in Beijing.