Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A fire at a gasoline storage at the largest oil refinery on Indonesia’s Java island near Jakarta on Saturday prompted the evacuation of at least 80 residents living nearby, the national oil company Pertamina said.

Pertamina, Indonesia’s biggest state-owned enterprise and energy company, said the fire at the Cilacap refinery started at one of the 228 gasoline tanks used to accommodate crude at 7:20 p.m.

It said the cause of the fire was not known. There were no casualties reported.

BEIJING, Nov 12 (APP): One of the largest dairy group of China on Friday welcomed Pakistani milk to enter the Chinese market, which will benefit Pakistan’s economic development, industrial upgrading and industrial chain extension.

At the 4th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, Li Yunjie, Overseas Business Manager of Bright Dairy & Food co ltd said “We love to learn more about Pakistan’s dairy industry and active participation.”

TOKYO, Nov 12 (NNN-NHK) – The Japanese government today decided to secure 1.6 million doses of COVID-19 oral medication, and increase hospitalisation capacity for COVID-19 patients by 30 percent, compared to the peak level this summer, local media reported.

“By securing a medical system based on the worst-case scenario and enhancing early treatment, we will be able to continue our economic and social activities, even if infections spread,” Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, said, at a special task force meeting this morning.

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 (NNN-Bernama) — Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob will lead the Malaysian delegation at the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting (AELM) scheduled at 7 pm Friday.

Set to be chaired by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, all 21 APEC Economic Leaders are expected to participate in the meeting.

Themed “Join, Work, Grow, Together”, the APEC Economic Leaders are expected to deliberate on issues related to revitalising the region, socially and economically.

Nov 12 (Reuters) - A court in military-ruled Myanmar on Friday jailed American journalist Danny Fenster for 11 years, his lawyer and his employer said, despite U.S. calls for his release from what it said was unjust detention.

Fenster, 37, managing editor of online magazine Frontier Myanmar, was found guilty of incitement and violations of immigration and unlawful associations laws, his magazine said and described the sentences as "the harshest possible under the law".

BEIJING, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- The United States should correctly view the mutually beneficial nature of China-U.S. relations, and adopt a rational and pragmatic policy toward China, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday.

Wang Wenbin made the remarks when commenting on U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan's recent remarks that the U.S. is going to compete vigorously with China across multiple dimensions, and there's no reason that the competition has to turn into conflict or confrontation.

BEIJING, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, on Friday exchanged congratulations on the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

In his congratulatory message, Xi pointed out that since the founding of their diplomatic ties half a century ago, China and Rwanda have witnessed sound and steady development of their relations, and their traditional friendship has grown even stronger as time goes by.

TOKYO (AP) — The Japanese government’s preparations for the next virus surge include adding thousands more hospital beds to avoid a situation like last summer when COVID-19 patients were forced to stay home, even while dependent on oxygen deliveries.

BANGKOK (AP) — A court in military-ruled Myanmar on Friday sentenced detained U.S. journalist Danny Fenster to 11 years in prison after finding him guilty on several charges, including incitement for allegedly spreading false or inflammatory information.

Fenster, the managing editor of the online magazine Frontier Myanmar, was also found guilty of contacting illegal organizations and violating visa regulations, lawyer Than Zaw Aung said. He was sentenced to the maximum term on each charge.

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 11 (NNN-Bernama) — ASEAN must remain a strategic player as a bloc in the ever changing geopolitical landscape in light of new partnerships between powerful and influential countries, said Malaysian Senior Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein.

He said this can only be achieved when all nations continue to communicate and work as a united bloc, and as small nations, we must coalesce with those who share similar values that would be able to defend and promote ASEAN centrality, the region’s interests with external parties.