Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

HONG KONG (AP) — Prominent Hong Kong democracy advocate and newspaper publisher Jimmy Lai was again denied bail on Thursday ahead of his April trial on charges of colluding with foreign forces.

Lai is one of several activists facing charges and possibly lengthy prison terms under the sweeping National Security Law that Beijing imposed on the semi-autonomous southern Chinese city last year following massive anti-government protests in 2019.

BEIJING (AP) — China lashed out at Canada on Thursday for joining the U.S. and 56 other countries in endorsing a declaration denouncing state-sponsored arbitrary detention of foreign citizens for political purposes.

The dispute is rooted in Canada’s campaign to free its nationals Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who were arrested more than two years ago by China in apparent retaliation for Canada’s arrest days earlier of a top Chinese tech executive, Meng Wanzhou, who is wanted in the U.S. on fraud charges.

TOKYO (AP) — Seiko Hashimoto has appeared in seven Olympics, four in the winter and three in the summer — the most by any “multi-season” athlete in the games.

She made even more history on Thursday in Japan, where women are still rare in the boardrooms and positions of political power.

BEIJING, Feb 17 (APP): Pakistan welcomes other countries to participate in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a key project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), as it is not only beneficial for Pakistan, but for the entire region, Pakistan Ambassador to China, Moin ul Haque said on Wednesday.

“CPEC has now been opened with the consensus of Pakistan and China to third country participation and we welcome other countries to participate in this transformational project,” he said in an interview with Phoenix TV.

PUTRAJAYA, Feb 17 (NNN-Bernama) — Prime Minister Muhyiddin’s decision to be the first to receive the COVID-19 vaccine is to boost public confidence over its safety and effectiveness.

Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said a risk assessment had also found that Muhyiddin’s duties as head of government and as a politician exposed him to the risk of being infected with COVID-19.

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Police in Myanmar filed a new charge against deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi, her lawyer said Tuesday, as the military authorities who seized power in a coup intensified their crackdown against their opponents.

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were lower Wednesday as investors sold to lock in profits from the recent rally driven by hopes economies will gradually return to a pre-pandemic normal.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 dipped 0.8% to 30,216.27, even as the vaccination drive against COVID-19 began, starting with medical workers. South Korea’s Kospi dropped 1.1% to 3,128.81. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.6% to 6,874.90. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was virtually unchanged at 30,746.88. Trading was closed in Shanghai for a holiday.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine president has approved an amnesty program for Muslim and communist rebels who would agree to surrender their weapons as they return to normal life in the latest such attempt to tame rural insurgencies that have raged for half a century.

Thousands of guerrillas belonging to two large Muslim groups in the country’s south and a communist rebel faction could apply for the amnesty within a year after it gets approved by Congress, according to President Rodrigo Duterte’s signed orders made public late Tuesday.

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — The U.N. expert on human rights in Myanmar warned of the prospect for major violence as demonstrators gather again Wednesday to protest the military’s seizure of power.

U.N. rapporteur Tom Andrews said he had received reports of soldiers being transported into Yangon, the biggest city, from outlying regions.

TOKYO (AP) — Months after other major economies, Japan began giving the first coronavirus vaccines to front-line health workers Wednesday. Many are wondering if the campaign will reach enough people, and in time, to save a Summer Olympics already delayed a year by the worst pandemic in a century.