Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

SEOUL, Nov 25 (NNN-YONHAP) – South Korea’s central bank, today, expected the real gross domestic product (GDP), adjusted for inflation, to grow 4.0 percent this year.

The 2021 outlook was unchanged from the Bank of Korea (BOK)’s previous forecast, unveiled three months earlier.

The BOK raised its outlook for this year’s headline inflation by 0.2 percentage points, to 2.3 percent.

The central bank forecast that, the real GDP would expand 3.0 percent in 2022, and 2.5 percent in 2023.

TOKYO, Nov 25 (NNN-NHK) – A junior high school boy, who fatally stabbed a fellow student in central Japan yesterday, said, he had trouble with the victim and held a grudge against him, local media reported today.

The alleged attacker, whose name has been withheld, as he is a minor, also told investigators that, he bought a 20-centimetre-long kitchen knife online in advance, which he is believed to have used to stab Yuzuki Ito in the stomach.

BEIJING, Nov 25 (Reuters) - China's embassy in Lithuania has temporarily suspended consular services until further notice for "technical reasons", said a statement on the mission's website on Thursday that was taken down shortly after publication.

The suspension came after China on Sunday downgraded its diplomatic ties with the Baltic State, expressing strong dissatisfaction at the opening of a de facto Lithuanian embassy in Taiwan. 

The Chinese embassy's statement was published at 1336 GMT, a timestamp on its website showed, but had disappeared as of 1400 GMT.

BEIJING, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- China strongly protests U.S. sanctions imposed against 12 Chinese companies and will lodge solemn representations with the United States, according to the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) on Thursday.

The United States has overstretched the concept of national security and imposed sanctions arbitrarily, MOC spokesperson Shu Jueting told a press conference in response to questions regarding the U.S. blacklisting of Chinese companies.

"This action seriously lacks a factual basis, and its procedures are very opaque," she said.

BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets were mixed Thursday after Federal Reserve officials indicated they were ready to raise interest rates sooner than expected if needed to cool inflation.

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

Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index gained 0.2% before markets closed for a U.S. holiday. They reopen Friday for a shortened trading session.

BEIJING, Nov 24 (APP): Pakistan Ambassador to China, Moin ul Haque Wednesday said signing of memorandum of understanding (MoU) on export of onion from Pakistan to China was a very important step in promoting bilateral trade between the two countries.

“This is very welcome development because Pakistan and China are very important trading partners and the MoU will help promote bilateral trade,” he told APP.

BEIJING, November 24. /TASS/: The Chinese authorities have demanded that the United States halt its economic dialogue with Taiwan and point out that the Taiwan administration’s attempts at destabilization are bound to fail, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a briefing on Wednesday.

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 24 (NNN-Bernama) — All countries in Asia Pacific (APAC) inclusive of ASEAN have substantial room to improve on climate-smart trade investments following recommendations to achieve greater common smart policies, said an expert.

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- Post-COVID-19 socio-economic recovery, multilateralism and connectivity are expected to be high on the agenda for the 13th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit (ASEM13), which is due to be held via video link on Nov. 25 to 26, Cambodian experts said on Wednesday.

HONG KONG, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- China offers solutions to climate change, and the West would do well to emulate some of the country's environmental policies, rather than demonizing China, said a recent opinion piece published in the Asia Times.

"China leads in solutions -- in technology, policy, transition planning, and implementation. It is not only pulling its weight, it is showing the world a way forward," said the article.