Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

MOSCOW, August 19. /TASS/. An 8.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded on Sunday in the Pacific Ocean, off the Fiji coast, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported.

Initial reports put the earthquake’s magnitude at 7.8.

The epicenter was located at the depth of 560 kilometers, 282 kilometers northeast of the city of Levuka.

According to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, there is no threat of a tsunami, because the epicenter of the quake was located too deep under the seabed.

BEIJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese companies are confident in securing overseas supplies of soybeans and soybean meal substitutes to counter the fall in imports of U.S. soybeans, according to industry insiders.

A survey of related firms points to widespread readiness and proactiveness in the industry as Chinese firms turn to more competitive suppliers from South America and other parts of the world.

During the May-August period, over 36 million tonnes of South American soybeans arrived in China, with more to come in November.

By Maecy Alviar

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines; 18 Aug 2018; AA: President Rodrigo Duterte lashed out Friday at the United States after one of its top defense officials cautioned the Philippines against buying military equipment from Russia.

He slammed Washington for blocking the Philippine military’s modernization and only giving Manila used and refurbished military equipment, including rusted choppers from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) that crashed and killed Filipino soldiers.

BEIJING, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Work has begun on the building of 4.07 million homes in rundown urban areas during the first seven months of the year, official data showed.

This marks a 70-percent completion of the annual target with an investment of over 990 billion yuan (about 143.6 billion U.S. dollars), according to the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

China will launch a new three-year renovation plan to address housing in rundown urban areas, with 5.8 million units to be constructed this year, according to this year's government work report.

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 16 (NNN-NST) -- The national fertility rate this year is expected to decline to the lowest level recorded since the formation of Malaysia in 1963, with 15.8 births per 1,000 people compared to 16.1 in 2017.

According to the 2018 Malaysia's Selected Demographic Indicator, the overall fertility rate of Malaysian women aged 15 to 49 is estimated at 19.1 children, which is below the replacement level of 2.1 children.

TOKYO, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks closed lower Wednesday on growing concerns over the possibility of Turkey's retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports amid heightening tensions between the two sides.

The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average lost 151.86 points, or 0.68 percent, from Tuesday to finish the day at 22,204.22.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, dropped 12.92 points, or 0.76 percent, to close at 1,698.03.

BEIJING, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday launched the World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement procedure over U.S. safeguard measures on imported photovoltaic products and subsidies for its renewable energy products, the Ministry of Commerce said.

"As the U.S. measures severely damaged Chinese trade interests, China's choice to resort to the WTO dispute settlement mechanism is a necessary move to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests and multilateral trade rules," a spokesperson with the ministry said.

BEIJING, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- China Tuesday expressed strong dissatisfaction with the U.S. government as it passed and signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2019, which includes negative China-related contents, in disregard of China's opposition.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday signed the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2019 into law. The bill includes clauses such as directing a whole-of-government strategy on China and submitting the assessment and plan on strengthening Taiwan's force readiness.

SEOUL, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) agreed Monday to hold a third summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang in September.

The agreement was reached after the senior-level talks between the two sides at Tongilgak, a DPRK building in the border village of Panmunjom.

The joint statement, issued after the talks, said the two Koreas agreed to hold the Moon-Kim summit in Pyongyang before the end of September.

Jakarta, Aug 13 (AP) The death toll from the earthquake that rocked the Indonesian island of Lombok a week ago has passed 400 and the government is estimating economic losses of at least several hundred million dollars.

The national disaster agency said Monday the August 5 quake killed 436 people, most of whom died in collapsing buildings.