Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

BEIJING, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- China on Friday refuted Lithuania's accusation of violating the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, saying it resolutely opposes the Lithuanian side spreading false information and shirking responsibilities.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks during a daily press briefing when answering a query on Lithuanian foreign minister's recent accusations against China.

Imphal, Dec 16 (PTI) The Myanmar government has deported five Manipuri insurgents belonging to the proscribed outfit People's Liberation Army (PLA) to India, police said on Thursday.

The militants were brought to the Bir Tikendrajit International Airport here aboard a special Indian Air Force flight on Wednesday.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea on Friday commemorated the 10th anniversary of former leader Kim Jong Il’s death with calls for greater public loyalty toward his son and current leader Kim Jong Un, who is struggling to navigate the country out of deepening pandemic-related hardships.

TOKYO (AP) — Twenty-seven people were feared dead after a fire broke out in a building in Osaka in western Japan, fire department officials said Friday, and police were investigating arson as a possible cause.

The fire started on the fourth floor of an eight-story building in the shopping and entertainment area of Kitashinchi, Osaka city fire department official Akira Kishimoto said.

Twenty-eight people were affected, 27 of whom were found in a state of cardiac arrest, Kishimoto said. So far 23 people have been taken to nearby hospitals, he said.

BEIJING, Dec 16 (APP): China stands ready to work with Pakistan to promote the high-quality development of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) so that it will drive growth and benefit people’s livelihood, and play a bigger role in promoting regional connectivity and economic integration, a Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson said on Thursday.

VILNIUS/BEIJING, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Lithuania is to ask European leaders for help against Chinese pressure after the Vilnius delegation and its dependents left China in a hasty departure and amid denials from Beijing there were concerns for Lithuanian diplomats' safety.

China downgraded its diplomatic ties with Lithuania last month after the opening of a representative office by Taiwan in Vilnius under its own name.

BEIJING, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Wednesday that companies from all over the world are welcome to further expand investment in China and deepen cooperation in various fields to achieve common development.

Li made the remarks when attending the virtual dialogue with business leaders of the Global CEO Council in Beijing.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Addressing a group of visiting French lawmakers, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen called Wednesday for greater unity among democratic nations in the face of rising authoritarianism.

Tsai also said the self-governing island republic would take on greater responsibilities to contribute to regional and global peace and stability.

“Democratic allies should strengthen cooperation when facing challenges such as swift changes in international affairs and expansion of authoritarianism,” Tsai said during the meeting at the Presidential Office Building.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia has detected its first case of the omicron variant of the coronavirus in a cleaning worker at a hospital in Jakarta, the country’s health minister said Thursday.

The patient has no symptoms and is being quarantined at the Athlete’s Village emergency hospital, where the patient worked. The government created the facility in March 2020 to treat COVID-19 patients and as a quarantine venue for Indonesians returning from abroad.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Tens of thousands of people were being evacuated to emergency shelters in the southern and central Philippines on Thursday as a powerful typhoon approached.

Crowding in evacuation centers was complicating efforts to keep people safely distanced after authorities detected the country’s first infections caused by the omicron variant of the coronavirus.