Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

MOJIANG, China (AP) — Deep in the lush mountain valleys of southern China lies the entrance to a mine shaft that once harbored bats with the closest known relative of the COVID-19 virus.

The area is of intense scientific interest because it may hold clues to the origins of the coronavirus that has killed more than 1.7 million people worldwide. Yet for scientists and journalists, it has become a black hole of no information because of political sensitivity and secrecy.

29 Dec 2020; MEMO: A senior Indonesian MP has said that his country will never normalise relations with Israel, confirming that the US offered it $2 billion to make such a move, Shehab news agency reported yesterday.

SEOUL (Reuters) - American troops stationed in South Korea received the first doses of coronavirus vaccine to be administered in the country on Tuesday, as health officials in Seoul reported a daily record of 40 deaths amid a surge in new cases.

U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), which includes around 28,500 American military personnel as well as thousands of other workers and family members, gave the first doses to military and civilian healthcare workers and first responders in the force as well as USFK’s top officers, the command said in a statement.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Oil rose on Tuesday for the third time in four sessions on expectations for rising fuel demand, as the United States moved towards expanding its pandemic aid payments and with a final Brexit deal set to stabilize trade between Europe and the UK.

Brent crude was up 49 cents, or 1%, at $51.35 a barrel by 0756 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures added 41 cents, or 0.9%, to $48.03 a barrel.

BEIJING, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- China will build more than 600,000 5G base stations next year, said Xiao Yaqing, minister of industry and information technology at a working conference on Monday.

In 2021, the ministry will promote the construction and application of 5G networks in an orderly manner, accelerate the 5G coverage in major cities and advance co-construction and sharing.

BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Facing unprecedented headwinds from COVID-19, China's foreign trade sector has delivered better-than-expected performance this year, providing a much-needed positive impact on world trade, which is still caught in a recession.

"China's total foreign trade and its share in the international trade market this year have both notched a historic high," the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Saturday, projecting that the combined export and import value for 2020 will reach around 32 trillion yuan (about 4.9 trillion U.S. dollars).

BEIJING, Dec 28 (APP): Pakistan Ambassador to China, Moin ul Haque on Monday said that enhanced media cooperation between Pakistan and China would help two countries to evolve a correct and objective narrative of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) for both domestic and international audience.

It is imperative for media organizations and opinion-makers of the two countries to devise a concerted and sustained media strategy to expose ill intentions of adversaries and highlight success and significance of CPEC.

SEOUL, Dec 28 (NNN-YONHAP) – South Korea’s health authorities said today that, it detected the country’s first cases of more transmissible COVID-19 variant infections from entrants from Britain.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), said that, three South Korean nationals, who stayed in London and arrived here on Dec 22, tested positive for the new COVID-19 strain.

The three were confirmed with the virus when they took tests on arrival, and have been under quarantine.

BEIJING (AP) — Global stock markets and U.S. futures rose Monday after President Donald Trump signed a $900 billion economic aid package, helping to reduce uncertainty as governments re-impose travel and business curbs in response to a new coronavirus variant.

London and Frankfurt opened higher as traders returned to work following a three-day Christmas weekend. Shanghai and Tokyo also advanced.

BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese court on Monday sentenced a former lawyer who reported on the early stage of the coronavirus outbreak to four years in prison on charges of “picking fights and provoking trouble,” one of her lawyers said.

The Pudong New Area People’s Court in the financial hub of Shanghai gave the sentence to Zhang Zhan following accusations she spread false information, gave interviews to foreign media, disrupted public order and “maliciously manipulated” the outbreak.