Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

HANOI, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- The bodies of all 22 military personnel who were buried by a landslide in central Vietnam's Quang Tri Province have been found, Vietnam News Agency reported on Monday.

Early on Sunday, their base in the province's mountainous Huong Hoa District was engulfed by a landslide caused by continuous downpours in the region.

The accident marked the second time in the past few days that military personnel suffered from landslides.

BEIJING, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- The global COVID-19 caseload surpassed the milestone of 40 million on Monday, reaching 40,040,902, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

The number of victims who have succumbed to the disease worldwide totaled 1,113,750, the data showed.

The United States has suffered the most from the pandemic, with 8,154,936 cases and 219,674 fatalities, the tally showed.

Countries with more than 1,000,000 cases also include India, Brazil and Russia, according to the center's website.

Bangkok, Oct 19 (AP/PTI) Thailand's embattled prime minister said on Monday that there were no plans to extend a state of emergency outside the capital, even as student-led protests calling for him to leave office spread around the country.

Police, however, indicated they were working to censor coverage of the demonstrations.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha's government has already issued a decree that bans public gatherings of more than four people in Bangkok, outlaws news said to effect national security and gives authorities broad power to detain people.

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s exports fell at a slower pace in September in a sign that trade damage from the coronavirus pandemic is easing, according to Finance Ministry data released Monday.

The report showed Japan’s exports in September declined 4.9%, better than the nearly 15% drop in August. The nation’s imports fell 17.2% overall, compared with 20.8% in August.

Exports to China jumped 14% while shipments to the U.S. inched up 0.7%, in another possible sign of a gradual rebound. By sector, computer exports to the world surged nearly 45%.

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Despite a second attempt at a cease-fire, Armenia and Azerbaijan traded accusations Sunday of violating the new truce in their destructive conflict over the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

BEIJING (AP) — China’s shaky economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic is gaining strength as consumers return to shopping malls and auto dealerships while the United States and Europe endure painful contractions.

The world’s second-largest economy expanded by 4.9% over a year ago in the three months ending in September, official data showed Monday. Retail spending rebounded to above pre-virus levels for the first time and factory output rose, boosted by demand for exports of masks and other medical supplies.

BEIJING, Oct 18 (APP): Pakistani students showcased their talent and won prizes in the speech, photography, music, singing and sand painting competitions during the annual 3rd Silk Road and Young Dreams Award Ceremony held here.

The ceremony hosted by Silk Road Cities Alliance, China Friendship Foundation for Peace and Development, Beijing Belt and Road Cooperative Community and Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies of Renmin University was attended by participants from more than 30 countries.

BAKU, October 18. /TASS/: Azerbaijan’s Air Force destroyed an Armenian Su-25 attack plane, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said on Sunday.

"On October 18 at 12:30 (11:30 Moscow Time) Azerbaijan’s Air Force downed another Su-25 attack plane of Armenia’s Armed Forces, which tried to carry out air strikes on the Azerbaijani army’s positions in the Jabrayil direction," the ministry said.

Armenian Defense Ministry Press Secretary Shushan Stepanyan dismissed Azerbaijan’s statement. "This statement is a blatant lie, we don’t have any downed plane," she told TASS on Sunday.

PHNOM PENH, Oct 18 (NNN-AKP) – Flash floods in Cambodia so far left 20 people dead and forced the evacuation of 26,608 people, Seak Vichet, a spokesman for the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM), said yesterday.

Tropical storm-triggered rains caused floods in 19 of the kingdom’s 25 cities and provinces, since the beginning of the month, he said, adding that, 245,428 people have also been affected.

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha is concerned about spreading protests and fears they could be used by troublemakers seeking to instigate violence, his spokesman said on Sunday as thousands of people defied a ban on protests for a fourth day.

“The government wants to talk to find a way out together,” spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri told Reuters.