Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

YEREVAN/BAKU (Reuters) - Armenia and Azerbaijan accused each other of swiftly and seriously violating the terms of a ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh on Saturday, raising questions about how meaningful the truce, brokered by Russia, would turn out to be.

The ceasefire, clinched after marathon talks in Moscow advocated by President Vladimir Putin, was meant to halt fighting to allow ethnic Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh and Azeri forces to swap prisoners and war dead.

MANILA (Reuters) - The foreign ministers of Philippines and China reaffirmed their countries’ strong relations on Saturday, Manila’s foreign ministry said, amid bilateral tensions over the South China Sea.

China, which has for years been locked in maritime disputes with other coastal states in the South China Sea, has in recent months held exercises in disputed parts of the strategic waterway, at a time when other claimants are battling coronavirus outbreaks.

10 Oct 2020; MEMO: Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh were due to halt hostilities later on Saturday after a deal was struck in Moscow between Baku and Armenia to allow prisoners and the bodies of the dead to be exchanged.

It was not immediately clear how long the ceasefire, due to enter into force at midday local time, would last, and there were reports from both sides on Saturday morning of continued fighting.

Beijing, Oct 10 (AP/PTI) China said it dispatched ships and planes to track the US guided-missile destroyer John S McCain as it passed near Chinese-held islands in the South China Sea.

The People's Liberation Army accused the US warship of trespassing into Chinese territorial waters on Friday near the Paracel Islands called Xisha by China during the latest freedom of navigation missions by the US Navy aimed at defying China's vast claims in the strategic waterway.

BEIJING, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- China's Mars probe Tianwen-1 successfully conducted a deep-space maneuver on Friday night (Beijing time), according to the China National Space Administration.

The probe completed the maneuver at 11 p.m. after its main engine worked for over 480 seconds.

The maneuver took place 29.4 million km from Earth, aiming to help the probe achieve a sound rendezvous with Mars.

Going forward, the probe will travel along the Earth-Mars transfer orbit for about four months and complete two or three mid-course orbital corrections.

BEIJING, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- China urges the United States to stop slandering Beijing, and make real contributions to protecting the global environment instead of creating trouble, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said Friday.

Hua made the remarks at a press briefing in response to recent U.S. accusations over China's environmental issues.

BISHKEK, October 9. /TASS/: Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov on October 9 signed an executive order imposing a state of emergency in the capital, Bishkek, starting with 8 pm local time.

"To introduce a state of emergency in the city of Bishkek of the Kyrgyz Republic between 8 pm on October 9 and 8 am on October 21, 2020," Jeenbekov’s press service reported Friday.

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Koreans wearing medical masks have gathered in the capital of Pyongyang, state media reported this week, ahead of what is expected to be a big military parade on Saturday, possibly featuring the country’s latest ballistic missiles.

The holiday marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, and events include concerts, art and industry exhibitions, a light show, visits to monuments and ceremonies to mark the completion of construction projects.

Jakarta, Oct 9 (AP/PTI) Protests in many Indonesian cities turned violent Thursday as thousands of enraged students and workers criticized a new law they say will cripple labour rights and harm the environment.

Clashes between rock-throwing demonstrators and riot police broke out near Jakarta's presidential palace as police tried to disperse the protesters, including workers and high school and university students.

President Joko Widodo is visiting Central Kalimantan province and was not in the palace.

Beijing, Oct 9 (AP/PTI) China says Iran's foreign minister will visit the country from Friday to Saturday, a day after the Trump administration blacklisted virtually all of Iran's financial sector in the latest step aimed at the oil-rich country's economy.

In a brief announcement, China's foreign ministry said only that Foreign Minister Javad Zarif was visiting at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.