Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

MANILA, Aug 6 (Reuters) - The Philippines on Sunday accused China's coast guard of blocking and water-cannoning a Philippine military supply boat in the South China Sea, condemning the "excessive and offensive actions" against its vessels.

China's coast guard countered that it had implemented necessary controls in accordance with the law to deter Philippine ships, which it accused of trespassing and carrying illegal building materials.

BEIJING, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Nearly 1 million people in China's northern Hebei province were relocated after record rains forced authorities to channel water from swollen rivers to some populated areas for storage, sparking anger online over the homes sacrificed to save Beijing.

The vast Hai River basin covers an area the size of Poland that includes Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin. Over a span of one week from late July, the region with a population totalling 110 million experienced its most serious flooding in six decades, with Hebei, particularly Baoding prefecture, the worst hit.

BEIJING, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- China and the European Union (EU) should conduct more institutional dialogues to inject new and strong impetus into the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Sunday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks during a phone conversation with High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell.

BEIJING, Aug 5 (APP): China’s special envoy Li Hui will make a visit to Jeddah to attend an international conference on Ukraine at the invitation of Saudi Arabia, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Saturday.

The meeting is reported to take place on August 5 and 6, with representatives of some 30 countries in attendance.
China is willing to work with the international community to continue to play a constructive role in promoting a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, Wang said in a statement.

JAKARTA, Aug 5 (NNN-ANTARA) – A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck off North Sulawesi province in central Indonesia, last night, but did not trigger a tsunami, the country’s meteorology, climatology and geophysics agency said.

The quake happened at 18:48 p.m. Jakarta time (1148 GMT), with its epicentre being 117 km south-east of Bolaang Mongondow Timur (East Bolaang Mongondow) district, and a depth of 10 km under the seabed, the agency reported.

The earthquake did not have the potential to trigger giant waves, it said.

BANGKOK, Aug 5 (NNN-TNA) – Eight people were killed and four others injured, after a freight train collided with a pickup truck that was crossing the railway tracks, in eastern Thailand yesterday, authorities said.

The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) reported that, the accident occurred at around 2:20 a.m. local time, when the cargo train struck the pickup truck carrying workers at the railway crossing in Chachoengsao province.

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia’s electoral body on Saturday announced the final results of last month’s election, sealing a landslide victory for the ruling party of long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen and a mandate for the next five years.

In an announcement on TVK state television and government social media platforms, the country’s National Election Committee said Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party won 120 of 125 available seats in the July 23 general election.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Rain continued to pelt northeastern China in the wake of Typhoon Doksuri Saturday, as authorities reported more fatalities and missing people while evacuating thousands more.

One person died and five went missing in the city of Shulan in Jilin province, which has seen five straight days of rainfall, according to state media.

HANOI, Aug 4 (NNN-VNA) – Vietnam will consider a direct power purchase agreement (DPPA) mechanism, between renewable power generators and large electricity users, without going through its state utility EVN, local media reported today.

If approved, the buying and selling of electricity would be conducted through a private transmission line invested by the private sector, local newspaper Vietnam News reported, citing the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

BEIJING, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Chinese Special Envoy for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui will visit Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for international talks on the peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis, China's foreign ministry said on Friday.

"China is willing to work with the international community to continue to play a constructive role in promoting a political solution to the crisis in Ukraine," Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson at the Chinese ministry, said in a statement.