Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 26 (NNN-Bernama) — Peace is not just the absence of war, said Poland’s Ambassador to Malaysia Krzysztof Dobrowolski, highlighting the importance of peace and cooperation in the world today.

Dobrowolski made the remarks at the International Day of Peace celebrations in Taiping on Saturday, said Poland’s Embassy in Kuala Lumpur in a statement sent to Bernama.

“It is a positive state of affairs that requires active effort to maintain. We must all work together to build a more peaceful world,” Dobrowolski was quoted as saying in the statement.

MANILA, Sept 26 (Reuters) - The Philippines vowed on Tuesday not to back down in the face of a Chinese effort to block its fishermen from a fiercely contested shoal in the South China Sea, while Beijing warned the Southeast Asian nation not to "provoke and cause trouble".

The comments came a day after Manila cut a floating 300-m (980-ft) barrier installed by Beijing at the shoal, one of Asia's most contested maritime features, making use of coastguard personnel posing as fishermen in a small boat.

BEIJING, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.4 jolted off the coast of Michoacan, Mexico at 0621 GMT on Tuesday, the U.S. geological Survey said.

The epicenter, with a depth of 10.0 km, was initially determined to be at 15.06 degrees north latitude and 104.47 degrees west longitude.

JAKARTA, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese telecom giant Huawei has participated in developing an integrated networking system for the newly launched high-speed rail (HSR) connecting Indonesia's national capital Jakarta and West Java's provincial capital Bandung.

Together with China Railway Communications and Signaling Co., Ltd. (CRSC) and China Telecom, Huawei has built real-time communication and control systems and organized train trips with technical support to create smart, safe, and efficient operations for the railway.

PETALING JAYA (Malaysia), Sept 25 (NNN-Bernama) — Malaysia has secured over RM37.4 billion (US$7.98 billion) in investment commitments in the digital technology sector as of August 2023, promising the creation of at least 15,895 high-value jobs, said Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil.

He said that this remarkable achievement reflects foreign investors’ confidence in Malaysia Digital (MD), the national strategic initiative driving the digital economy.

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 25 (NNN-Bernama) — The Asia Pacific (Apac) remained a multi-speed region, with its developed economies undergoing soft landings and seeing low but positive growth, while the emerging market economies are poised for robust expansions, said S&P Global Ratings.

S&P said it expected China to continue to contain its macroeconomic stimulus following a property-driven downturn.

The research house cut China’s growth forecast for 2023 to 4.8 per cent from 5.2 per cent and to 4.4 per cent from 4.8 per cent in 2024.

TOKYO, Sept 25 (Reuters) - The United States Space Force has had internal discussions about setting up a hotline with China to prevent crises in space, U.S. commander General Chance Saltzman told Reuters on Monday.

The chief of space operations said a direct line of communication between the Space Force and its Chinese counterpart would be valuable in de-escalating tensions but that the U.S. had not yet engaged with China to establish one.

MANILA, Sept 25 (Reuters) - The Philippines said on Monday it executed a "special operation" to remove a floating barrier installed by China at a prime fishing patch in the South China Sea, a move that could stoke tension after a years-long detente in Asia's most disputed waters.

The Philippines expressed outrage on Sunday and shared images of Chinese coastguard policing a long, ball-buoy barrier near the Scarborough Shoal, a rocky outcrop 200 km (124 miles) from the Philippines and the site of years of intermittent flare-ups over sovereignty and fishing rights.

MANILA, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Monday said it has approved a loan of 500 million U.S. dollars to support Indonesia's development agenda and business reform priorities.

The Manila-based bank said Indonesia has undertaken various actions to improve the investment climate, including enabling environment for investments, easing trade barriers, and upscaling enterprises.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea on Monday called South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol “a guy with a trash-like brain” and “a diplomatic idiot” as it blasted him for using a U.N. speech to issue a warning over the North’s deepening military ties with Russia.

In a speech at the U.N. General Assembly last week, Yoon said South Korea “will not sit idly by” if North Korea and Russia agree to weapons deals that would pose a threat to the South.