Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

BEIJING, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- A spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry on Thursday reiterated that China is committed to the principle of non-interference, noting that claims about China influencing U.S. presidential elections are "completely fabricated."

Spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a daily news briefing when asked to comment on a statement from the Office of the U.S. Director of National Intelligence John Radcliffe, saying a deadline to submit a classified report to Congress on foreign efforts to sway the Nov. 3 election will not be met.

SINGAPORE/LONDON (Reuters) -Oil climbed to a nine-month high on Thursday after government data showed a fall in U.S. crude stockpiles last week, while progress towards a U.S. fiscal stimulus deal and strong Asian demand also buoyed prices.

The U.S. dollar also set a 2-1/2-year low against major rivals on Thursday. Oil prices generally rise when the dollar falls because crude priced in the greenback becomes cheaper for buyers holding other currencies.

Brent crude futures was up 14 cents at $51.22 a barrel by 1110 GMT, having traded as high as $51.90.

BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese lunar capsule returned to Earth on Thursday with the first fresh rock samples from the moon in more than 40 years, offering the possibility of new insights into the history of the solar system and marking a new landmark for China’s rapidly advancing space program.

The capsule of the Chang’e 5 probe landed just before 2 a.m. (1800 GMT Wednesday) in the Siziwang district of the Inner Mongolia region, the China National Space Administration reported.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The World Health Organization said Thursday that countries in the Asia-Pacific region are not guaranteed to have early access to COVID-19 shots and urged them to adopt a long-term approach to the pandemic.

“The development of safe and effective vaccines is one thing. Producing them in adequate quantities and reaching everyone who needs them is another,” WHO Regional Director Dr. Takeshi Kasai told reporters in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta.

BEIJING, Dec 15 (APP): China has condemned the attack against a fuel transport ship anchored in the fuel terminal in Red Sea port city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

“China condemns the attack against the ship in Saudi Arabia,” Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said during his regular briefing on Tuesday.

“We are consistently opposed to all attacks on civilians and civil facilities and call on relevant sides to avoid taking actions that might lead to escalation in regional tensions,” he added.

BEIJING, Dec 16 (APP): President Dr. Arif Alvi has made a positive assessment on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) cooperation which has advanced despite the Covid-19 pandemic and the Chinese side fully agrees with him.

“The Chinese side fully agrees with the positive assessment made by President Dr. Arif Alvi on the CPEC cooperation,” Chinese Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Wednesday during his regular briefing in response to a question about the President’s recent interview to the Chinese media.

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 15 (NNN-Bernama) — ASEAN markets will miss out on gross domestic product (GDP) growth of roughly US$400 billion (US$1=RM4.05) in 2020 and 2021 as compared to 2019 due to the COVID-19 impact, according to latest publication by Malaysian Reinsurance Bhd (Malaysian Re).

The ASEAN Insurance Pulse 2020, which was launched virtually today, is the fourth edition of Malaysian Re annual regional Thought Leadership Publication.

TOKYO, Dec 16 (NNN-NHK) – An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.0, struck the Hokkaido region in Japan’s northernmost prefecture, the Japanese weather agency said today, but no tsunami warning was issued.

According to Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the temblor, which occurred at 10:28 a.m. local time (0128 GMT), was centred in the Kushiro Oki region of Japan’s northern prefecture, with its epicentre at latitude 42.7 degrees north and longitude 144.2 degrees east.

BEIJING, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- The year 2020 has been defined by COVID-19, a once-in-a-century pandemic that has caused an unfathomable amount of human loss.

Facing one of the most severe public health challenges in recent history, countries across the globe have come to realize that they share a common future and must join hands in building a global community of human health.

ONCE-IN-A-CENTURY PANDEMIC

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese ground crews are standing by for the return of a lunar probe bringing back the first fresh samples of rock and debris from the moon in more than 45 years.

The Chang’e probe is expected to land in the Siziwang district of the vast Inner Mongolia region late Wednesday or early Thursday. It fired its engines early Wednesday to put it on course before the orbiter separates from the return vehicle, with all systems functioning as expected, the China National Space Administration said.