Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

Myanmar should 'immediately' release Reuters reporters: Pompeo

4 Aug 2018; AFP; US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Saturday called on his Myanmar counterpart to release two Reuters journalists accused of breaking a draconian secrecy law during their reporting of a Rohingya massacre.

Myanmar nationals Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, have been detained since December and face up to 14 years in prison for possessing classified documents linked to security operations in crisis-hit Rakhine state.

China threatens new tariffs on $60 bn worth of US goods

Beijing, Aug 3 (AFP) Beijing warned today it was prepared to impose new tariffs on 60 billion worth of US goods if Washington ups the ante in the escalating US-China trade war.

The commerce ministry issued a statement saying the new duties would be applied if Washington pulled the trigger on President Donald Trump's threat to raise tariffs on 200 billion worth of Chinese goods.

The statement said China reserves the right to apply "other countermeasures".

China, EU vow to join hands to promote multilateralism, free trade

SINGAPORE, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- China and the European Union (EU) agreed here on Friday to join hands to promote multilateralism and support free trade.

The agreement came as Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Federica Mogherini, the high representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Council on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers' meeting and related meetings.

China, ASEAN arrive at single draft negotiating text of COC in South China Sea

SINGAPORE, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have arrived at a single draft negotiating text of the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday.

Wang made the remarks at the China-ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting.

The draft text will serve as the basis of future COC negotiations.

It is another significant progress on the negotiations of COC, Wang noted.

UN WELCOMES NEW LAW GIVING EXTRA AUTONOMY TO MUSLIMS IN SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES

UNITED NATIONS, July 30 (NNN-UNNS) -- The United Nations has welcomed a new law which grants extra autonomy to Muslim communities living in the Southern Philippines, describing it as a “landmark achievement on the road to lasting peace”.

Philippine President, Rodrigo Duterte, signed the new legislation, formally known as the Organic Law for Bangsamoro in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, on Thursday, raising hopes that years of separatist violence involving central Government troops and militants from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, can be brought to an end.

American, Chinese scientists develop preliminary universal vaccine

WASHINGTON, July 30 (Xinhua) -- American and Chinese scientists developed a new nanoparticle vaccine that could effectively protect mice against influenza A virus, according to a study published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The double-layered vaccine made with peptides showed strong potential for combating influenza viruses, providing a promising approach for developing universal influenza vaccines.

Moro Islamic Liberation Front evaluates autonomy law

By Mahmut Atanur  

COTABATO CITY, Philippines; 29 July 2018; AA: The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) held a meeting Sunday to evaluate the recent approval of a law on comprehensive autonomy for Moro Muslims. 

More than a hundred thousand Moro Muslims gathered in Darapanan Camp in Cotabato City to discuss the Bangsamoro Organic Law approved by President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday. 

China's software, IT sector picks up pace

BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- China's software and information technology sector posted faster growth in the first six months, official data showed.

The sector generated 2.9 trillion yuan (around 430 billion U.S. dollars) in revenue in the first half of 2018, up 14.4 percent year on year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said in a statement.

The growth rate was slightly higher than that in the first five months and more rapid than the 13.6-percent increase a year ago.

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