Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

BEIJING (AP) — China on Wednesday called comments by President Joe Biden describing Chinese leader Xi Jinping as a dictator “extremely absurd and irresponsible.”

The new clash of words comes just over a day after Secretary of State Antony Blinken concluded a visit to Beijing that sought to break the ice in a relationship that has hit a historical low.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Biden’s comments at a fundraiser in California “go totally against facts and seriously violate diplomatic protocol, and severely infringe on China’s political dignity.”

DHAKA, Jun 20 (NNN-BSS) – Bangladesh has formally requested to join BRICS, an acronym of five major emerging economies, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

The request was put forward, following a meeting between Bangladeshi Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, and South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, in Geneva last Wednesday, Bangladeshi newspaper, Dhaka Tribune, reported yesterday.

This year’s BRICS summit, scheduled to take place in South Africa in Aug, might include discussions about new membership, according to media.

June 20 (Reuters) - China and Cuba are negotiating to establish a new joint military training facility on the island, sparking alarm in the U.S. that it could lead to the stationing of Chinese troops and other security operations just 100 miles off Florida's coast, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday citing current and former U.S officials.

HONG KONG/SHENZHEN, China, June 20 (Reuters) - Psst! Where can a Chinese buyer purchase top-end Nvidia (NVDA.O) AI chips in the wake of U.S. sanctions?

Visiting the famed Huaqiangbei electronics area in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen is a good bet - in particular, the SEG Plaza skyscraper whose first 10 floors are crammed with shops selling everything from camera parts to drones. The chips are not advertised but asking discreetly works.

SINGAPORE, June 20 (Reuters) - Singapore-based Grab Holdings (GRAB.O), Southeast Asia's leading ride-hailing and food delivery app, is cutting 1,000 jobs or 11% of its workforce, its CEO said on Tuesday, citing the need to manage costs and ensure more affordable services long term.

In a letter sent to employees late on Tuesday and seen by Reuters, chief executive Anthony Tan said the cuts, the biggest since the start of the pandemic, were not "a shortcut to profitability" but a strategic reorganisation to adapt to the business environment.

BEIJING (AP) — The United States and China may be back to talking at a high level, but their battle for global power and influence remains unchecked and mutual suspicion still runs deep.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken set low goals for his visit to Beijing this week, and he met them. About the most the rivals can hope for these days is to stop things getting much worse.

Blinken pointed to difficult days ahead, while China’s foreign ministry warned the relationship was in a downward spiral.

HONG KONG (AP) — China’s Alibaba Group has announced a major management reshuffle as the e-commerce giant restructures into six different business divisions to adapt to fast-changing technologies.

The moves also are aimed at spurring growth at a time when the Chinese economy is slowing despite an end to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions a half-year ago.

Eddie Wu, chairman of its e-commerce group, will succeed Daniel Zhang as CEO, the company said in a statement Tuesday.

CALBAYOG, Philippines (AP) — Delfina Guiwan’s heart was pounding as she snuck back to her village, now abandoned and eerily quiet, in the fertile foothills of gently erupting Mayon volcano in the northeastern Philippines.

When patrolling police spotted her, they warned that the village is off-limits because of the danger of a violent eruption at any time. Guiwan, 47, said she knew the risks but begged to stay a few minutes more to get her daughter’s school uniform from their shack and feed her pigs.

MANILA, June 19 (Xinhua) -- At least 628 people have fallen ill after being displaced in shelters due to the eruption of Mayon Volcano, the most active volcano in the Philippines, a government agency reported on Monday.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council recorded at least 10 kinds of sickness affecting the evacuees aged between 2 to 64, including coughs, colds, fever, gastroenteritis, acute respiratory infection, and skin disease.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Top North Korean officials vowed to push for a second attempt to launch a spy satellite as they called their country’s first, and failed, launch last month “the most serious” shortcoming this year and harshly criticized those responsible, state media reported Monday.

In late May, a North Korean rocket carrying a military reconnaissance satellite crashed soon after liftoff, posing a setback to leader Kim Jong Un’s push to acquire a space-based surveillance system to better monitor the United States and South Korea.