Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

BEIJING, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- As of Thursday, a total of 951,100 doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered in Beijing to the city's children aged between 3 and 11, said local authorities.

Starting from Oct. 28, the Chinese capital started COVID-19 vaccination for children aged between 3 and 11. More than 950,000 minors of this age group had been vaccinated as of Thursday.

As of Thursday, a total of 21.6 million residents in Beijing had received vaccinations, with nearly 50 million doses administered.

BEIJING, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- The General Office of the State Council has released guidelines for improving the medical insurance and assistance systems to ease the financial burden of patients with serious ailments.

Patients with serious illnesses will be included in a security net provided by the basic medical insurance system, special health plans for serious illnesses and the medical assistance system, according to a document that contains the guidelines.

Beijing, Nov 18 (PTI) China on Thursday slammed the US for designating it along with Pakistan and others as 'countries of particular concern' for the violation of religious freedom and accused Washington of frequently using religious issues to interfere in the internal affairs of other nations.

The US on Wednesday designated several nations, including China, Pakistan, Iran, North Korea and Myanmar, as countries of particular concern for having engaged in or tolerated systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom."

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s prime minister outlined Friday a record 56 trillion yen, or $490 billion stimulus package, including cash handouts and aid to ailing businesses, to help the economy out of the doldrums worsened by the coronavirus pandemic.

“The package has more than enough content and scale to deliver a sense of security and hope to the people,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters.

BEIJING, Nov 18 (APP): China and Pakistan have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly build an international innovative community of medical device and value chain for the purposes of benefiting the human health, serving the ‘Belt and Road (BRI) initiative, and contributing to the development of a community of shared future for mankind.

BEIJING, Nov 18 (APP): Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Zhao Lijian Thursday said that China was ready to work with all parties to advance high quality development of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and its synergy with other projects in the region aimed at contributing to economic recovery and development of the region.

MANILA, Nov 18 (Reuters) - The Philippines on Thursday condemned "in strongest terms" the actions of three Chinese coast guard vessels that it said blocked and used water cannon on resupply boats headed towards a Philippine-occupied atoll in the South China Sea.

Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin said no one was hurt during Tuesday's incident at the Second Thomas Shoal but the Philippines boats, which were transporting food to military personnel based there, had to abort their mission.

BANGKOK, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai on Thursday unveiled a new logo for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group in 2022, further emphasizing the theme of "Open. Connect. Balance."

Attending the launching event together with Prime Minister's Office Minister Anucha Nakasai, Don said that the new logo, with the shape of a woven bamboo basket, symbolizes Thailand's traditional agricultural trade.

HONG KONG, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government on Thursday strongly condemned and opposed the various unfounded allegations made by a report of the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC).

It said that in the 2021 USCC report, the commission made unfounded allegations on Hong Kong affairs ranging from the national security law in Hong Kong to the financial hub's business environment.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Chinese coast guard ships blocked and sprayed a powerful stream of water at two Philippine boats carrying supplies to troops at a disputed South China Sea shoal, prompting Manila to order Beijing’s ships to back off and warn that its supply vessels are covered by a mutual defense treaty with the United States, Manila’s top diplomat said Thursday.