Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

TOKYO, Nov 17 (NNN-NHK) – Japan logged a 2.16 trillion yen (15.47 billion U.S. dollars) trade deficit in Oct, a record for the month, and marking a 15th straight month of red ink, as prices for energy and raw material imports soared, amid the yen’s steep decline, the government said here today.

According to the Finance Ministry, the country’s imports rocketed 53.5 percent from a year earlier, to 11.16 trillion yen (79.98 billion U.S. dollars), the highest since record keeping began, pushed up by rising costs for crude oil, liquefied natural gas and coal.

SEOUL, Nov 17 (Reuters) - North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Thursday as it warned of "fiercer military responses" to U.S. efforts to boost its security presence in the region with its allies, saying Washington is taking a "gamble it will regret."

North Korea has conducted a record number of such tests this year, and also fired hundreds of artillery shells into the sea more recently as South Korea and the United States staged exercises, some of which involved Japan.

BEIJING, Nov 17 (Reuters) - China's foreign ministry on Thursday said Chinese President Xi Jinping was not criticising Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a day after Xi was seen confronting him at the G20 summit over alleged leaks from a meeting they held.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular media briefing that Beijing supports having frank exchanges as long as they are held on an equal basis, and said China hopes Canada will take action to improve bilateral ties.

TOKYO (AP) — Global shares mostly declined Thursday amid concerns about the impact of China’s “zero-COVID” strategy mixed with hopes for economic activity and tourism returning to normal.

France’s CAC 40 added 0.4% in early trading to 6,631.06. Germany’s DAX rose 0.9% to 14,367.89. Britain’s FTSE 100 sank 0.3% to 7,328.30. U.S. shares were set to drift higher with Dow futures up 0.3% to 33,694.00. S&P 500 futures rose 0.4% to 3,984.50.

Benchmarks fell in Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong and Shanghai, while gaining in Sydney. Oil prices fell.

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese authorities faced more public anger Thursday after a second child’s death was blamed on overzealous anti-virus enforcement, adding to frustration at controls that are confining millions of people to their homes and sparked fights with health workers.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hoped for greater cooperation with Saudi Arabia — including on its $500 billion futuristic desert city project — as he met the kingdom’s powerful crown prince Thursday, Seoul officials said.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman flew to South Korea earlier Thursday for talks with Yoon and business tycoons in his first visit to South Korea since June 2019.

TOKYO (AP) — European stock benchmarks mostly edged higher in early trading Wednesday after Asian shares finished generally lower.

Investors have been jittery over global risks after Poland said a Russian-made missile killed two people there.

France’s CAC 40 edged up 0.1% in early trading to 6,650.25, while Germany’s DAX slipped nearly 0.2% to 14,354.27. Britain’s FTSE 100 gained 0.3% to 7,388.77.

U.S. shares were set to drift higher, with Dow futures rising 0.3% to 33,712.00. S&P 500 futures gained 0.3% to 4,012.50.

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese authorities locked down a major university in Beijing on Wednesday after finding one COVID-19 case as they stick to a “zero-COVID” approach despite growing public discontent.

Peking University students and faculty were not allowed to leave the grounds unless necessary and classes on the main campus — where the case was found — were moved online through Friday, a university notice said. Still, some people could be seen entering and leaving the main campus Wednesday in the Chinese capital’s Haidian district.

NUSA DUA, Indonesia (AP) — Members of the Group of 20 leading economies ended their summit Wednesday with a declaration of firm condemnation of the war in Ukraine and a warning that the conflict is making an already delicate world economy worse.

The summit’s closing statement was noteworthy because world leaders managed to highlight a denunciation of the war despite the divisions among the group, which includes not only Russia but also countries such as China and India that have significant trade ties with Moscow and have stopped short of outright criticism of the war.

TOKYO, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- Japan's daily COVID-19 cases on Tuesday surpassed the threshold of 100,000 for the first time in two months, local media reported.

This came after the government scrapped COVID-19 border controls and introduced a domestic travel subsidy program in a bid to spur inbound and local tourism last month, Kyodo News reported.

As the nation braces for the eighth wave of infections, the figure recorded on Tuesday was the highest since Sept. 14, when the daily caseload stood at 100,260, the report said.