Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

YANGON, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar's new Union Election Commission (UEC) on Friday met representatives of political parties in capital city of Nay Pyi Taw, state-run media reported.

The commission has been reviewing the electoral process of last year's election since Feb. 5.

The commission will continue updating the public on its further findings after completing the first task of roadmaps and the voter lists will be collected and will cooperate with political parties to hold free and fair new election successfully under the constitution, according to the commission.

BEIJING, Feb 26 (APP): India’s policy toward China recently has undergone swings and regression, and the cooperation between the two countries has been affected and disrupted, which is not in the interests of both parties, China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a phone call with Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

SEOUL, Feb 26 (NNN-YONHAP) – South Korea’s quarantine authorities said today, it will extend the country’s five-tier social-distancing rules, at the third-highest level in the Seoul metropolitan area for two weeks.

The Level 2 social-distancing guidelines will be kept in place for two more weeks, till Mar 14, in the greater Seoul area, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters.

Crowded facilities, such as cafes, restaurants and fitness centres, will be allowed to open until 10:00 p.m. in Seoul, and its Gyeonggi province.

BEIJING, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- China and India should firmly follow the right path of mutual trust and cooperation between neighboring major countries, and not go astray with suspicion and distrust nor fall back on a road of negative retrogression, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Thursday.

Wang made the remarks in a telephone conversation with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, stressing that the two sides should maintain the strategic consensuses reached by their leaders.

SEOUL, Feb 25 (NNN-YONHAP) – Twelve more U.S. soldiers and two civilians in South Korea tested positive for COVID-19, the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said today.

The USFK, said that, 14 USFK-affiliated individuals were confirmed with the COVID-19, after arriving in South Korea between Feb 3 and 22.

Five service members arrived at Osan Air Base, on U.S. government-chartered flights from the United States, on Feb 3, 20 and 22. The Osan Air Base is located in Pyeongtaek, 70 km south of Seoul.

JAKARTA, Feb 25 (NNN-ANTARA) – Indonesia started its mass COVID-19 vaccination for journalists this morning, with President Joko Widodo observing the activity in Jakarta.

The president said, around 5,500 people have been vaccinated, after observing the vaccination for journalists, which was scheduled to take place from Thursday to Saturday.

“We hope this (vaccination) will provide protection for media persons, especially those in the fields, who often interact with the public, often interact with sources,” he said earlier, at the National Press Day.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Facebook on Thursday said it had banned the Myanmar military from using its Facebook and Instagram platforms with immediate effect, as weeks of mass demonstrations continue in the Southeast Asian country after the military seized power.

“Events since the February 1 coup, including deadly violence, have precipitated a need for this ban,” Facebook said in a blog post. “We believe the risks of allowing the Tatmadaw (Myanmar army) on Facebook and Instagram are too great.”

BEIJING (AP) — Global stock markets followed Wall Street higher Thursday after the Federal Reserve chairman said the U.S. central bank is in no hurry to withdraw support for the economy.

London and Frankfurt rose in early trading. Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Seoul closed higher. U.S. futures were mixed.

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Members of a group supporting Myanmar’s military junta attacked and injured people protesting Thursday against the army’s Feb. 1 seizure of power that ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. At least several people were injured in the attacks in Myanmar’s largest city.

The chaos complicates an already intractable standoff between the military and a protest movement that has been staging large-scale demonstrations daily to have Suu Kyi’s government restored to power.

BEIJING, Feb 24 (NNN-XINHUA) – Naval forces of China and Singapore are scheduled to conduct a joint drill, in waters near Singapore today, according to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy.

Joint operations of fleet rendezvous, communication, formation movement and joint salvage, will be conducted as part of the drill, said Gao Xiucheng, a PLA Navy spokesperson.

The Chinese participants are from the PLA Navy’s 36th escort fleet, which is currently in the relevant waters, the spokesperson added.