Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said Thursday it will ignore a U.S. offer for talks unless it withdraws its hostile policy, after Washington reached out to Pyongyang in a bid to resume nuclear negotiations.

The statement by Choe Son Hui, the first vice foreign minister, came hours before the U.S. and South Korean foreign and defense chiefs met in Seoul for their first joint talks in five years to discuss North Korea’s nuclear program.

TOKYO (AP) — Imported American beef in Japan has proved so popular it’s topped the annual limits called “safeguards,” and the U.S. Meat Export Federation on Thursday urged Tokyo to raise the threshold.

Japan’s import limit for American beef of 242,000 metric tons was reached in early March, and so tariffs will be raised from 25.8% to 38.5% for a month, starting Thursday through April 16, according to the Japanese Finance Ministry.

MANDALAY, Myanmar (AP) — A Myanmar construction magnate with links to military rulers claimed he personally gave more than half a million dollars in cash to deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a broadcast on state television aimed at discrediting the ousted civilian government.

The statement by Maung Waik could pave the way for more serious charges against Suu Kyi, who has been detained since the Feb. 1 military takeover while security forces increasingly use lethal force against a popular uprising demanding the restoration of democratically elected leaders.

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — At least two people protesting last month’s military coup were reported shot and killed by Myanmar security forces Tuesday after a morning of peaceful marches.

Security forces have killed scores of their countrymen in recent days, and the U.N. has put the death toll at 149 since the Feb. 1 coup that toppled Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government.

The independent Assistance Association for Political Prisoners said 183 people have been killed since the coup.

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mixed Wednesday as world markets cautiously awaited the U.S. central bank’s latest comments on the economic outlook.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 inched up nearly 0.1% to 29,948.69. South Korea’s Kospi slipped 0.8% to 3,041.72. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 dipped 0.8% to 6,772.60. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng edged up 0.1% to 29,057.59, while the Shanghai Composite was little changed, recouping early losses, gaining less than 0.1% to 3,448.53.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Fresh off a stop in Tokyo, President Joe Biden’s top diplomat and defense chief traveled to South Korea on Wednesday, a day after North Korea made sure it had their attention by warning the United States to “refrain from causing a stink” amid deadlocked nuclear negotiations.

How to get North Korea to return to talks will be a major focus when Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin meet South Korean officials this week.

HONG KONG (AP) — The U.S. sanctioned an additional 24 Chinese and Hong Kong officials over Beijing’s ongoing crackdown on political freedoms in the semi-autonomous city, including a decision to overhaul Hong Kong’s electoral system.

The sanctions announced Tuesday in Washington were introduced under the Hong Kong Autonomy Act and list people who are deemed to contribute to the failure of China in meeting its obligations under Hong Kong’s mini-constitution.

(Reuters) - The U.N. food agency said on Tuesday rising food and fuel prices in Myanmar since a Feb. 1 military coup risk undermining the ability of poor families to feed themselves.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military ousted the elected government and detained its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, with protests and a civil disobedience campaign of strikes paralysing parts of the economy.

SHENZHEN, China (Reuters) - Huawei Technologies announced royalty rates for the use of its 5G phone technology for the first time, in a move its chief legal officer said was an effort to increase transparency at an event on Tuesday.

The company was put on an export blacklist by former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2019 and barred from accessing critical technology of U.S. origin, affecting its ability to design its own chips and source components from outside vendors.

PYONGYANG, March 16 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Monday slammed the ongoing military exercises jointly held by South Korea and the United States, and warned of possible retaliation, the official Korean Central News Agency reported on Tuesday.