Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

(Reuters) --- Myanmar authorities detained a Japanese journalist in Yangon on Sunday evening, Japan's government said on Monday, adding that it was trying to seek his release.

BBC Burmese quoted a witness as saying freelance journalist Yuki Kitazumi was picked up from his home and taken into custody by troops on Sunday night. He was asked to raise both hands and was taken away in a car, it said.

Japan's government spokesman described the journalist as a man in his forties, without naming him.

(Reuters) --- South Korea's government on Monday said it had proposed a law to require its citizens to get official permission before using the internet to exchange digital material such as movies, music, scanned books, or artwork with anyone in North Korea.

If approved by parliament, the measure would be the first major amendment to South Korea's Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act in three decades and is part of its recent efforts to improve relations with North Korea.

BEIJING, April 19 (Xinhua) -- China will announce the name of its first Mars rover on the Space Day of China, which falls on April 24, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

Nanjing, capital city of east China's Jiangsu Province, will host the main events marking this year's Space Day of China, Lyu Bo, a CNSA official, told a press conference on Monday.

The events include the opening ceremony, bilateral talks on the international lunar research station, and the fourth China Space Conference.

Tokyo, Apr 19 (AP-PTI) Japan's government said on Monday it is asking Myanmar to release a Japanese journalist who was arrested by security forces in its largest city of Yangon the previous day.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told reporters Monday that his government is asking Myanmar authorities to explain the arrest and provide other details while asking for his release as soon as possible.

BEIJING, April 18 (APP): India should restore original special status of Jammu and Kashmir, withdraw its military and security forces from Jammu and Kashmir to pave way for peaceful and meaningful negotiations for settlement of Kashmir issue.

These views were expressed by Cheng Xizhong, Visiting Professor at Southwest University of Political Science and Law and former Defense Attaché in South Asian countries said on Sunday.

Pfizer (PFE.N) CEO Albert Bourla has agreed to Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s request to supply additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, the vaccine minister of Japan said on Sunday.

"They have agreed on the essentials of the matter," vaccine tzar Taro Kono said during a live interview on Fuji TV, adding that further details including the shipment schedule will be discussed.

(Reuters) --- South Korea raised concerns over Japan’s decision to release contaminated water from its crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea with visiting U.S. climate envoy John Kerry, its foreign ministry said, but Kerry reaffirmed Washington’s confidence in the plan’s transparency.

Kerry arrived in Seoul on Saturday to discuss international efforts to tackle global warming on a trip that included a stop in China ahead of President Joe Biden’s virtual summit with world leaders on climate change on April 22-23.

(Reuters) --- Myanmar's neighbours have to negotiate with a newly formed government of national unity if they want to help resolve the turmoil triggered a by a Feb. 1 military coup and they should not recognise the junta, a unity government official said.

The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been trying to find a way out of the bloody crisis that has racked member Myanmar since the military ousted an elected government led by democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi.

HONG KONG, April 18 (Xinhua) -- The Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Sunday voiced its strong disapproval of and opposition against some foreign politicians' trampling upon both the rule of law of Hong Kong and international law.

BEIJING, April 17 (Xinhua) -- China on Saturday urged the United States and Japan to immediately stop meddling in China's domestic affairs and harming Chinese interests.

"We urge the U.S. and Japan to take China's concern seriously, abide by the one-China principle, and immediately stop meddling in China's domestic affairs and harming Chinese interests," a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said in a statement. "China will take all necessary measures to resolutely defend its sovereignty, security and development interests."