Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

SEOUL/BUSAN, South Korea, March 27 (Reuters) - North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast on Monday, South Korea's military said, just as a U.S. aircraft carrier staged combined naval exercises with South Korea in a warning to Pyongyang.

The missiles flew about 370 km (230 miles) after being launched from North Hwanghae province at 7:47 a.m. (2247 GMT on Sunday), South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

HANOI, March 27 (Reuters) - A Vietnamese ship monitored a Chinese Coast Guard vessel on Saturday in a Russian-operated gas field in Vietnam's South China Sea exclusive economic zone (EEZ), data show - the latest Chinese patrol in a pattern stretching more than a year.

Chinese coast guard ships have sailed directly into energy exploration blocks operated or owned by Russian firms in Vietnam's EEZ about 40 times since January 2022, according to vessel-tracking data from Vietnamese research organisation South China Sea Chronicle Initiative (SCSCI), an independent non-profit.

BANGKOK (AP) — Shares surged in Europe on Monday after a mixed session in Asia, with bank stocks mostly gaining after the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said it had agreed to the sale of troubled Silicon Valley Bank to North Carolina-based First-Citizens Bank & Trust Co.

The FDIC took control of Silicon Valley Bank after it collapsed on March 10, promising to protect all depositors. Nasdaq-traded stock of First Citizens BancShares, Inc., parent company of First-Citizens, was up 12.4% in pre-market trading early Monday.

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Malaysia and Cambodia signed two agreements on Monday on the employment of Cambodian migrant workers, as Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim made his first visit to Phnom Penh since becoming his country’s leader in November.

Anwar was accompanied by his ministers of foreign affairs, religious affairs and human resources, Malaysia’s foreign ministry said ahead of his one-day trip.

He held talks Monday morning with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and was to meet with King Norodom Sihamoni and top lawmakers later in the day.

TOKYO (AP) — Tokyo has demanded that China release a Japanese national who was detained in Beijing earlier this month on suspicion of spying, Japan’s top government spokesperson said Monday.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a news conference that Japan’s Embassy in China was informed by Chinese authorities that a Japanese man in his 50s was taken into custody in Beijing earlier in March.

TAOYUAN, Taiwan (AP) — Former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou departed for a tour of China on Monday, in what he called an attempt to reduce tensions a day after Taiwan lost one of its few remaining diplomatic partners to China.

The ex-president is visiting in a private capacity, bringing a delegation of academics and college students for exchanges, as well as members of his family, but the trip is loaded with political meaning.

BANGKOK (AP) — As Myanmar’s military put on an annual show of strength Monday, its top leader told its assembled ranks they need to take decisive action against those fighting army rule of the country.

Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing spoke at a military parade on Armed Forces Day. At sunrise, members of all service branches marched in mass formations onto a huge parade ground in the capital, Naypyitaw, backed by armored vehicles, missiles and artillery as well as fighter jets and helicopters flying overhead.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A nuclear-powered U.S. aircraft carrier and its battle group began exercises with South Korean warships on Monday, hours after North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles in an apparent protest of the allies’ expanding drills.

The seventh missile test this month underscored heightening tensions in the region as both the North’s weapons tests and the U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises have intensified in a cycle of tit-for-tat.

BEIJING, Mar. 26 (APP):The Pakistan-China joint exhibition being held at the Palace Museum to showcase the cultural heritage of Gandhara has attracted a large number of visitors.

The exhibition titled “Gandhara Heritage along the Silk Road” was jointly organized by the Palace Museum and Department of Archaeology and Museums, National Heritage and Cultural Division, Pakistan.

The exhibition featured a wide array of artifacts, sculptures, and other items that were representative of the Gandharan culture.

TOKYO, March 26 (Reuters) - A Japanese man detained in China is an employee of Astellas Pharma Inc (4503.T), a company spokesperson told Reuters on Sunday.

The company did not identify the employee and the spokesperson said it was not clear as to why he had been detained.

The Japanese pharmaceutical company was seeking information through Japan's foreign ministry, the spokesperson said.

Kyodo and other Japanese media reported on Saturday that a Japanese man in his 50s was taken into custody in Beijing this month for an alleged violation of Chinese law.