Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

Kuala Lumpur, Oct 30 (AP/PTI) The key ally in Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's coalition has called for general elections to be held to establish a stable government once the coronavirus pandemic subsides, in a new snag to his fragile hold on power.

Muhyiddin, who took office in March, has only a two-seat majority in Parliament and is being challenged by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who recently alleged he has majority support of lawmakers to form a new government.

BEIJING (AP) — China will promote “technological self-reliance” under the ruling Communist Party’s latest five-year plan but will open further to trade, officials said Friday.

The comments reflect growing official urgency about nurturing Chinese producers of processor chips and other technology at a time when a tariff war with Washington and U.S. export curbs have reduced access to components needed by China’s fledgling tech industries.

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrapped up a five-nation, anti-China tour of Asia in Vietnam on Friday with a call for regional unity to counter Beijing’s growing assertiveness, as the fierce American presidential election race entered its final stretch.

BEIJING, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Wednesday refuted certain U.S. officials' move to force small and medium-sized countries to pick sides.

"It is so typical of some U.S. officials to force small and medium-sized countries to pick sides," said Wang Wenbin, the spokesperson, when commenting on U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's visit to Sri Lanka. Prior to his visit, it was reported that the United States might ask the south Asian nation to make difficult choices on its relations with China.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The flood of obituaries for Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-Hee since his death over the weekend have mostly shared his most defining quote: “Change everything except for your wife and children.”

Lee’s rant against what he saw as complacency during a senior management meeting in 1993 reflects the demanding leadership that helped the company grow from an obscure maker of cheap televisions into a technology giant.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s top court upheld a 17-year sentence on former President Lee Myung-bak for a range of corruption crimes in a final ruling Thursday that will send him back to prison soon.

Lee has been convicted of taking bribes worth millions of dollars from big companies including Samsung, embezzling corporate funds of a company that he owned and taking bribes from South Korea’s spy agency. The crimes occurred before and during his 2008-13 presidency.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo renewed the Trump administration’s rhetorical onslaught against China in Indonesia on Thursday as the American presidential election looms.

With China a central theme in President Donald Trump’s campaign to win a second term in just five days time, Pompeo took aim at Chinese aggressiveness in the South China Sea, where it has advanced maritime and territorial claims over the objections of its smaller neighbors, over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic and its repression of religious minorities.

NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (AP) — Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi cast her ballot Thursday in advance voting for general elections that are taking place during a surge of coronavirus illnesses.

The Southeast Asian country confirmed almost 1,500 new cases of infection on Wednesday alone.

Suu Kyi, whose title is state counsellor, and the country’s President, Win Myint, both wore masks and gloves as they voted in the capital Naypyitaw.

Measures are being taken to ensure social distancing at the polls on election day, Nov. 8.

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Typhoon Molave set off landslides that killed at least 15 people and left 38 missing in central Vietnam, where ferocious wind and rain blew away roofs and knocked out power in a region of 1.7 million residents, state media said Thursday.

The casualties from the landslides bring the death toll to at least 19 with about 64 missing, including 26 crew members from two fishing boats that sank Wednesday as the typhoon approached with winds of up to 150 kilometers (93 miles) per hour. Vietnamese officials say it’s the worst typhoon to hit the country in 20 years.

BEIJING, Oct 28 (APP): Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) special flight with around 245 Pakistani passengers on board will arrive at Shuangliu International Airport in Chengdu, the capital of China’s southwest Sichuan province on Friday.

In view of the disruption in commercial flight operations, it will be eleventh special flight of the national flag carrier to transport Pakistani nationals from Islamabad to China, Qadir Bux Sangi, PIA Country Manager for China said on Wednesday.