Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

BEIJING, Feb 2 (APP): A five-member Pakistani squad arrived here on Wednesday to participate in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games scheduled to be held from February 4.

“Pakistani contingent comprises one athlete and four officials,” Agha Hunain Abbas Khan, Olympic Attach, Embassy of Pakistan Beijing told APP.

He informed that Pakistani athlete and officials had completed all the Covid-19 requirements before travelling to Beijing.

SEOUL, Feb 2 (NNN-YONHAP) – South Korea’s daily number of COVID-19 cases hit a new record high, amid the spread of the Omicron variant, the health authorities said today.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country reported 20,270 more cases of COVID-19 for the past 24 hours, raising the total number of infections to 884,310.

The daily caseload was up from 18,342 the previous day, surpassing 20,000 for the first time.

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Archaeologists from the APSARA National Authority (ANA) have almost completed excavations at the ruined Prohm Kel temple in the Angkor Archaeological Park in northwest Cambodia's Siem Reap province, the authority said in a news release on Wednesday.

The excavations were made to study the temple's entire structure before proceeding to restore it, the news release said, adding that the sandstone temple was one of the hospital chapels around the Angkor Thom temple during the reign of King Jayavarman VII at the end of the 12th century.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — For Taiwan, every appearance on the global stage is fraught with politics — and even more so when that stage is China.

The four Taiwanese athletes competing in Beijing for the Winter Olympics, which open Friday, can’t use Taiwan’s flag. They have long competed under a name — Chinese Taipei — that is rarely used and was forced on the team by a geopolitical divide that predates the Cold War.

VIENTIANE, Feb 1 (NNN-KPL) – A total of 58 solar power plants have been completed or under construction across Laos, with a total installed capacity of 7,656 MW, local daily, Vientiane Times, reported today.

Eight of these plants have been completed and 50 are under construction, said the report.

The Ministry of Energy and Mines reported the progress made in this area of development, at a recent meeting, to discuss the direction of solar power development with authorities at the central and local levels.

TOKYO, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Japan's parliament adopted a rare resolution on Tuesday on what it called the "serious human rights situation" in China, and asked the government to take steps to relieve the situation.

Japan has already announced it will not send a government delegation to the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics, following a U.S.-led diplomatic boycott over concerns about China's human rights condition, although Tokyo avoided explicitly labelling its move as such.

TOKYO, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks finished higher Tuesday to close out a three-day winning streak as U.S. shares rose overnight and Japanese firms continued to report robust earnings.

The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average added 76.50 points, or 0.28 percent, from Monday to close the day at 27,078.48.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, inched up 0.13 points, or 0.01 percent, to finish at 1,896.06.

BEIJING, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland reported 27 new locally-transmitted COVID-19 infections on Monday, down from 40 on Sunday.

Of the new local cases, 13 were reported in the province of Zhejiang, seven in Tianjin, four in Hebei, two in Beijing, and one in Guangdong, according to the National Health Commission on Tuesday.

Besides, a total of 39 new imported COVID-19 cases were reported across the Chinese mainland on Monday.

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares gained Tuesday, mirroring broad overnight gains on Wall Street, while trading in China and most other regional markets was closed for Lunar New Year holidays.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 edged up 0.3% to finish at 27,078.48. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.5% to 7,006.00.

Wall Street closed a tumultuous January wracked by worries that interest-rate hikes will make everything in markets more challenging. Shares closed higher but still logged their worst monthly loss since the early days of the pandemic.

BANGKOK (AP) — Opponents of military rule in Myanmar marked the one-year anniversary of the army’s seizure of power with a nationwide strike Tuesday to show their strength and solidarity amid concern about what has become an increasingly violent contention for power.

The “silent strike” sought to empty the streets of Myanmar’s cities and towns by having people stay home and businesses shut their doors from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

In Yangon, the country’s largest city, and elsewhere, photos on social media showed normally busy streets were almost empty.