Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

MANILA, July 5 (Reuters) - The Philippines on Wednesday accused China's coast guard of harassment, obstruction and "dangerous manoeuvres" against its vessels, after another incident near a strategic feature of the South China Sea that has become a flashpoint between them.

Philippine coast guard boats were assisting a naval operation on June 30 when they were "constantly followed, harassed, and obstructed by the significantly larger Chinese coast guard vessels", Philippine coast guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela, said in a Tweet.

July 4 - Monday, July 3, was the hottest day ever recorded globally, according to data from the U.S. National Centers for Environmental Prediction.

The average global temperature reached 17.01 degrees Celsius (62.62 Fahrenheit), surpassing the August 2016 record of 16.92C (62.46F) as heatwaves sizzled around the world.

The southern U.S. has been suffering under an intense heat dome in recent weeks. In China, an enduring heatwave continued, with temperatures above 35C (95F). North Africa has seen temperatures near 50C (122F).

TOKYO, July 4 (Xinhua) -- The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) does not endorse the Japanese government's decision with its safety review report on Japan's plan to release nuclear-contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea, the report presented Tuesday here by the IAEA chief showed.

BEIJING (AP) — Global stock markets fell Wednesday as traders awaited a U.S. jobs update and notes from the latest Federal Reserve meeting for guidance on interest rates.

London, Shanghai, Paris and Tokyo declined. Wall Street futures were lower as U.S. markets prepared to reopen after a holiday. Oil prices were mixed.

BEIJING (AP) — China on Wednesday dismissed criticism of racially tinged comments by its top diplomat, who said Westerners are incapable of distinguishing among Chinese, Koreans and Japanese.

BEIJING (AP) — China has imposed export curbs on two metals used in computer chips and solar cells, expanding a squabble with Washington over high-tech trade ahead of Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s visit to Beijing this week.

The controls on gallium and germanium are intended to “safeguard national security,” the Commerce Ministry said late Monday. It said exports will require official permission once the rules take effect Aug. 1 but did not say what restrictions might be applied.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China has abruptly canceled a visit to Beijing by the European Union’s top diplomat, the EU said Wednesday, amid ongoing disagreements between the two powers over trade, human rights and the Ukraine war.

BEIJING, July 4 (APP): Iran on Tuesday officially became a member state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

The flag of Iran was raised at the SCO Secretariat during an impressive ceremony attended by Secretary General SCO, Zhang Ming, Iranian Ambassador Mohsen Bakhtiar and the envoys and senior officials of the SCO member states.

BEIJING, July 4. /TASS/: The countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) should counteract hegemonism and power politics on the international stage, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday.

"It is necessary to implement multilateralism and fine-tune global management; we must stand up for shared human values, defend the UN-centric international system and world order based on international law, counteract hegemonism and power politics," he said during the 23rd session of the SCO Heads of State Council held in an online format under India’s chairmanship.

MANILA, Jul 4 (NNN-PNA) – The erupting Mayon volcano, approximately 500 km south-east of the Philippine capital, has increased seismic activities, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology warned, today.

The institute said that, alert level 3 on a scale of 5, remains, at the most active volcano in the country, despite the persistence of “a continuous tremor-like series of weak volcanic earthquakes that steadied and increased in strength.”