Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai police fired water cannon and teargas at protesters marching on parliament on Tuesday, and at least 18 people were hurt in the most violent confrontation since a youth-led protest movement emerged in July.

The protests have become the biggest challenge to Thailand’s establishment in years.

Demonstrators converged on parliament to put pressure on lawmakers discussing changes to the constitution. Protesters also want the removal of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former army ruler, and to curb the powers of King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares rose Tuesday, after the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit a record high on optimism that a vaccine may soon control the coronavirus and the economic destruction it’s caused.

Moderna said its COVID-19 vaccine appears to be 94.5% effective, according to preliminary data. It’s the second time this month that a company unveiled such encouraging numbers about a vaccine, boosting hopes that the global economy can return to some semblance of normal next year.

BEIJING, Nov 16 (APP): In recent years, India has been making enemies on all sides, creating regional tensions. In the north, India illegally crosses the Line of Actual Control and frequently invades Chinese territory.

In the west, India opts for resorting to unprovoked and indiscriminate fire of all calibers including artillery and heavy mortars along the Line of Control in various sectors of AJ&K, resulting in a large number of civilian casualties.

BEIJING, Nov. 16 (APP): China’s cold chain technology may help Pakistan reduce loss of agricultural products and increase the added value, said Chen Lin, vice president of Hefei Lianhui Refrigeration Equipment Co., Ltd.

There is close cooperation between Chinese and Pakistani rice seed companies. To meet the needs of seed storage in Pakistan, Chen Lin started to build an 800-square-meter seed cold storage warehouse with a rice company in Karachi, Pakistan, in 2017.

MANILA, Nov 16 (NNN-PNA) – An earthquake, with a magnitude of 6.0, shook Surigao Del Sur province, in the southern Philippines today (Monday), the Philippine Institute of Seismology and Volcanology (Phivolcs), said.

The institute said, the offshore quake, which struck at 6:37 a.m. local time, hit at a depth of 33 km, 29 km south-east of the town of San Agustin, Surigao Del Sur.

The institute said, the quake, which was tectonic in origin, will trigger aftershocks and that damages are expected.

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 16 (NNN-Bernama) — Economic growth in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) region declined by 3.7 per cent in the first six months of 2020 as consumption, trade and investments reversed to bigger-than-expected contractions, said the APEC Policy Support Unit.

For the whole year, the region’s economy is expected to contract by 2.5 per cent or equal to an output loss of US$1.8 trillion (US$1=RM4.11), the regional economic forum’s research and analysis arm said.

16 Nov 2020; MEMO: Ethnic Armenian have set fire to their homes in the Kalbajar district in Azerbaijan ahead of their planned withdrawal from the region following a ceasefire agreement signed under Russia auspices.

Russian news sites and social media reported on Saturday images of Armenians setting fire to their homes before leaving them and sabotaging public facilities in the province including schools and trees.

Tpkyo, Nov 16 (AP-PTI) Japan's economy grew at an annual rate of 21.4 per cent in the last quarter in a recovery from the shocks of the pandemic driven by both private spending and exports.

The world's third largest economy had logged three straight quarters of contraction and was already in recession by the time the crisis hit.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said he looked forward to working closely with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to host the Tokyo Olympics next year, following a meeting with Thomas Bach, the president of the IOC.

Bach is in Japan on a two-day visit to meet with Game organisers and discuss a variety of issues facing the event, which was postponed to next year due to the global pandemic.

BISHKEK, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- Sixty-three people submitted documents to the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Kyrgyzstan to participate in early presidential elections, the press service of the CEC said Sunday.

The deadline for submitting documents to the CEC was Nov. 14.

The commission received documents from 65 people, while two of them withdrew the application. Among the applicants, there are eight women and 55 men, the CEC said.