Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

SEOUL, Nov 27 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country's intends to have the world's most powerful nuclear force as he promoted dozens of military officers involved in the recent launch of a new ballistic missile, state media reported on Sunday.

The announcement comes after Kim inspected a Nov. 18 test of the Hwasong-17, North Korea's largest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and pledged to counter what he called U.S. nuclear threats.

SHANGHAI/BEIJING, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Hundreds of demonstrators in Shanghai shouted and jostled with police on Sunday evening as protests over China's stringent COVID restrictions flared for a third day following a deadly apartment fire in the country's far west.

The wave of civil disobedience, which has spread to other cities including Beijing, is unprecedented in mainland China since President Xi Jinping assumed power a decade ago and comes amid mounting frustration over his signature zero-COVID policy.

JAKARTA, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian government plans to rebuild hundreds of houses in a new safer ground for the victims of the quake striking the country's West Java province, the chief of the country's disaster agency said Sunday.

Head of the National Disaster Management and Mitigation Agency Suharyanto told a press conference that the construction of new houses would start next week on a two-hectare land, carried out by the ministry of public works and public housing.

SEOUL, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- Five people were killed as a helicopter crashed in the eastern coastal county of Yangyang, Gangwon province, South Korea on Sunday, Yonhap news agency reported.

The fire authorities have found five bodies after extinguishing the fire, according to Yonhap.

The chopper crashed around 10:50 a.m. local time and burst into flames.

The helicopter, which was jointly leased by local governments of Sokcho, Goseong and Yangyang, crashed when conducting activities against forest fires. 

BEIJING (AP) — Protests against China’s pervasive anti-virus controls that have confined millions of people to their homes spread to Shanghai and other cities after complaints they might have worsened the death toll in an apartment fire in the northwest.

Shanghai police used pepper spray against about 300 protesters, according to a witness. They gathered Saturday night to mourn the deaths of at least 10 people in an apartment fire last week in Urumqi in the Xinjiang region in the northwest.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s daughter made a public appearance again, this time with missile scientists and more honorific titles as her father’s “most beloved” or “precious” child. She’s only about 10, but her new, bold photos are deepening the debate over whether she’s being primed as a successor.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A protest against China’s strict “zero-COVID” policies resurfaced in Shanghai on Sunday afternoon even after police cleared away hundreds of demonstrators in the early morning with force and pepper spray.

Crowds stood and filmed as police started shoving at people who had gathered in the street and shouted, “We don’t want PCR tests, we want freedom!” according to an witness who did not want to be named for fear of retribution.

ASTANA, November 26. /TASS/: Kazakhstan will focus on relations with Russia and China as it will continue to pursue a balanced and constructive foreign policy, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said at his inauguration ceremony on Saturday.

HANOI, Nov 26 (NNN-NEWVISION) — President Yoweri Museveni attended and addressed the first-ever Uganda-Vietnam business summit and trade exhibition at the International Convention Centre, Hanoi, Vietnam, under the theme “Unlocking investment opportunities.”

Speaking to participants, Museveni invited investors from Vietnam to come and invest in Uganda, which has got the best investment environment with raw materials and skilled manpower.

BEIJING, Nov 26 (NNN-ACN) — Cuban president Miguel Diaz-Canel said Friday on his last day in China that the visit was a successful one, with a high level of understanding and commitment from Chinese leaders.

Before concluding the official visit, the president met in Beijing with Asian authorities of the Assembly and the Government, and paid tribute to the heroes of the Chinese people. China was the last stop of an international tour of countries in Asia, Africa and Europe.