Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

DHAKA, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh has been elected as a member of the executive board of three United Nations bodies for the term 2021-2023, starting from Jan. 1 next year, Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday.

Bangladesh secured the highest votes (53 out of the 54 votes with one abstention) to become member of the executive board of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).

BANGKOK (AP) — Divers have found what they believe is the wreck of a U.S. Navy submarine lost 77 years ago in Southeast Asia, providing a coda to a stirring but little-known tale from World War II.

The divers have sent photos and other evidence from six dives they made from October 2019 to March this year to the United States Naval History and Heritage Command for verification that they have found the USS Grenadier, one of 52 American submarines lost during the conflict.

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Parliament elected Yoshihide Suga as prime minister Wednesday, replacing long-serving leader Shinzo Abe with his right-hand man.

Suga had been chosen as leader of the ruling party on Monday, virtually assuring he would succeed Abe, who resigned earlier in the day because of ill health. Suga, who was chief Cabinet secretary in Abe’s government, is to launch his own Cabinet later Wednesday.

Suga has stressed his background as a farmer’s son and a self-made politician in promising to serve the interests of ordinary people and rural communities.

BEIJING, Sep 15 (APP): India’s current neighborhood policies, especially the ones concerning China and Pakistan, has plunged the country into an unfavorable situation.
Apart from disputes with China and Pakistan, India also has border disputes with other neighboring countries, such as Nepal.

The Indian army might boast that it is fully prepared for a two and a half front war-against China, Pakistan and the internal security threats – it’s as a matter of fact not capable of meeting such a challenge.

BEIJING, Sep 15 (APP): The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of National Coordinators held in-depth discussions on essential topics of the upcoming SCO summit and coordinated the drafts of the final documents and decisions that would be submitted to the Heads of State Council.

SEOUL, Sept 15 (NNN-YONHAP) — South Korea aims to secure enough new coronavirus vaccines to administer to 30 million people, or roughly 60 percent of the country’s population, the health ministry said Tuesday.

Under the COVID-19 vaccine plan discussed at the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, the country will seek to get vaccines for 10 million people from the COVAX Facility, set up by the World Health Organization and global vaccine alliance Gavi, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare said.

BEIJING, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 jolted 13 km NW of Esso, Russia at 0341 GMT on Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The epicenter, with a depth of 329.73 km, was initially determined to be at 55.9569 degrees north latitude and 158.4936 degrees east longitude. 

BEIJING, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- China's economic recovery continued picking up steam last month, with major economic indicators further improving as the country's efforts to boost growth amid the COVID-19 slowdown gradually paid off.

Industrial output increased 5.6 percent year on year in August, accelerating from the rise of 4.8 percent registered in July, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

On a month-on-month basis, industrial output rose 1.02 percent in August, also quickening from July's 0.98-percent increase.

Taipei, Sep 15 (AP/PTI) China warned the United States on Monday of potential serious damage to their relations if it does not withdraw from an upcoming economic meeting with Taiwan that is expected to be attended by a senior American official.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin urged the US at a daily briefing to "stop all forms of official exchanges with Taiwan, so as to avoid serious damage to China-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

BEIJING (AP) — The U.S. on Tuesday issued a sweeping new advisory warning against travel to mainland China and Hong Kong, citing the risk of “arbitrary detention” and “arbitrary enforcement of local laws.”

The advisory is likely to heighten tensions between the sides that have spiked since Beijing’s imposition on Hong Kong of a strict new national security law in June that has already been met with a series of U.S. punitive actions.