Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

BANGKOK, Jul 15 (NNN-TNA) – Thailand’s parliament will hold its second vote for a new prime minister on Jul 19, after the previous nomination failed to secure majority support, National Assembly President, Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, confirmed yesterday.

This came after Move Forward Party leader, Pita Limjaroenrat, the only candidate nominated as prime minister in a joint sitting of parliament, received only 324 votes in favour on Thursday, short of the simple majority required to become prime minister.

PHNOM PENH, Jul 15 (NNN-AKP) – Cambodia advised travellers and fishermen not to venture out to sea from tomorrow to Jul 20, as the kingdom is suffering from the impact of a typhoon.

Cambodia will be affected by a typhoon in the Philippines, which will brew over the South China Sea before moving on to northern Vietnam, the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology said. Such a situation will cause low-to-moderate rainfall in the lowlands and the highlands in Cambodia, the statement said.

BEIJING, July 15 (Reuters) - The European Union must further "clarify" its position on its strategic partnership with Beijing, China's top diplomat Wang Yi told European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, as EU leaders called for reduced dependence on China.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Days of heavy rain in South Korea have left at least 26 people dead and 10 others missing in landslides, floods and other incidents, the government said Saturday.

The 26 fatalities were reported on Friday and Saturday, all in the central and southeastern regions, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said in a report.

KUALA LUMPUR, July 14 (NNN-Bernama) — Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that the collaboration between the Malaysian Government and the founder and chief executive officer of Tesla Inc and SpaceX, Elon Musk, will create tens of thousands of skilled job opportunities in the country.

He said this comes after Musk agreed to make significant investments in Malaysia, including setting up Tesla headquarters in Cyberjaya.

SINGAPORE, July 14 (Reuters) - A Singapore government minister and a property tycoon were arrested this week, the anti-graft body said on Friday, without giving details of what prompted the rare high-level probe that has gripped the city state.

Transport Minister S. Iswaran and managing director of Hotel Properties Ong Beng Seng were arrested on Tuesday and subsequently released on bail, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said in an emailed response to a Reuters query.

The CPIB said on Wednesday that it had launched an investigation into Iswaran.

HONG KONG, July 14 (Reuters) - China's financial regulators have invited some of the world's biggest investors to a rare symposium next week, three sources said, seeking to encourage foreigners to keep investing in the world's second-largest economy despite its recent weakness and rising geopolitical tensions.

The meeting in Beijing next Friday will focus on the current conditions of U.S. dollar-denominated investment firms in China and the main challenges facing them, according to the sources who have direct knowledge of the matter and invitation documents reviewed by Reuters.

TOKYO, July 14 (Reuters) - Japan called on China to approach the release of radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in a "scientific manner" at a meeting held between Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi on Friday.

TOKYO (AP) — The highest-ranking U.S. military officer on Friday encouraged Japan’s commitment to doubling its defense spending over the next five years, calling Tokyo’s controversial push for a stronger military crucial to confront rising threats from North Korea and China.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met China’s top diplomat to discuss thorny issues as part of efforts to nurture talks on the sidelines of regional diplomatic meetings in Indonesia, whose president called on rival powers Friday to avoid turning the region into a “competition arena.”