Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 14 (NNN-Bernama) — Malaysia has expressed its intention to continue regional cooperation and smart partnerships on the climate change agenda among policymakers, scientists, private sector and agro community of the D-8 countries.

Agriculture and Food Industries Minister Ronald Kiandee said Malaysia also shared on specific strategies taken to support the climate change agenda including encouraging the use of technology and automation in smart farming approaches and creating a conducive ecosystem for industry.

Jan 14 (Reuters) - China will release crude oil from its national strategic stockpiles around the Lunar New Year holidays that start on Feb. 1 as part of a plan coordinated by the United States with other major consumers to reduce global prices, sources told Reuters.

The sources, who have knowledge of talks between the world's top two crude consumers, said China agreed in late 2021 to release an unspecified amount of oil depending on price levels.

SEOUL, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) fired two short-range projectiles eastward, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Friday.

The JCS said in a statement that the South Korean military detected two projectiles, presumed to be short-range ballistic missiles, which were launched eastward from an inland area in the DPRK's western North Pyongan Province in the afternoon.

BEIJING, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Time and again U.S. politicians have played the U.S. tradition of "passing the buck," scapegoating others for their own fault and shifting responsibilities onto others.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea on Friday fired what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles in its third weapons launch this month, officials in South Korea said, in an apparent reprisal for fresh sanctions imposed by the Biden administration for its continuing test launches.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were fired 11 minutes apart from an inland area in western North Pyongan province, where North Korea is known to operate key missile bases and has frequently conducted test launches in recent years.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A powerful earthquake shook parts of Indonesia’s main island of Java on Friday, damaging buildings and houses and sending people into the streets, but there were no immediate reports of casualties. Officials said there was no danger of a tsunami.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 6.6 quake was located in the Indian Ocean about 88 kilometers (54 miles) southwest of Labuan, a coastal town in Banten province. It was centered at a depth of 37 kilometers (23 miles), it said.

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 13 (NNN-Bernama) — Some 97.8 per cent of the adult population in the country, or 22,893,234 individuals, have completed their COVID-19 vaccination as of Wednesday.

Based on the Health Ministry’s COVIDNOW portal, 99 per cent or 23,175,181 individuals of the adult population have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

ULAN BATOR, Jan 13 (NNN-XINHUA) – Mongolia recorded 2,279 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the national count to 401,761, the country’s health ministry said today.

Meanwhile, the viral disease has so far claimed 2,006 lives, after three new deaths were reported.

The country confirmed its first imported and local cases of the Omicron variant last week, which indicates the beginning of the fourth wave of pandemic, health authorities said, urging the public to follow all relevant health guidelines.

BANGKOK, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Thailand is planning to collect a 300 baht ($9) fee from foreign tourist from April to develop attractions and cover accident insurance for foreigners unable to pay costs themselves, senior officials said on Wednesday.

Thailand, one of Asia's most popular travel destinations, has been badly hit by a pandemic-induced tourism slump, with about 200,000 arrivals last year, compared to nearly 40 million in 2019.

Recent efforts to revive the sector have been complicated by the rapid global spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

TOKYO, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- As a neighboring country with close relations with China, Japan should not blindly cooperate with the U.S.-led Western countries to contain China, but seek communication with China, a Japanese newspaper said in a recent opinion piece.

In a commentary released on Monday, Mainichi Shimbun said China and Japan face the challenge of rebuilding mutually beneficial relations as 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan relations.