Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

TOKYO, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- The death toll has climbed to 168 in Japan's Ishikawa on Monday after a series of earthquakes of up to 7.6 magnitude struck the central prefecture and its vicinity last week, as heavy snow and rain have hampered rescue operations.

The number of people currently unaccounted for surged to 323 in the hardest-hit prefecture as of 2 p.m. local time, while at least 565 people suffered injuries due to the quakes, according to local authorities.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea again fired artillery shells near its tense sea boundary with the South on Sunday, as the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un mocked the South’s ability to detect its weapons launches.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff dismissed Kim Yo Jong’s statement as “a comedy-like, vulgar propaganda” meant to undermine the South Korean people’s trust in the military and stoke divisions.

SEOUL, January 5. /TASS/: South Korea’s armed forces held firing drills in response to a North Korean shelling attack on the islands of Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeongdo, Yonhap reported, citing South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

It is noted that marine units stationed on these islands took part in the drills. The South Korean side shelled the adjacent waters using K9 self-propelled howitzers.

SEOUL, January 5. /TASS/: North Korean coastal artillery has fired over 200 shells in the direction of South Korean islands in the Yellow Sea, Yonhap reported, citing South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

According to it, there are no casualties among South Korean civilians or the military. The shells dropped north of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) which Seoul considers the de facto maritime border in the Yellow Sea. According to the news agency, the South Korean military "warned of its corresponding measures."

SEPANG (Malaysia), Jan 5 (NNN-Bernama) — Malaysia’s aviation industry is expected to see stronger growth this year, supported by the government’s ongoing initiatives to boost the sector, said Transport Minister Anthony Loke.

He cited the increase in both domestic and international travel, attributed to the government’s strategic steps particularly the relaxation of visa requirements for Chinese and Indian tourists, as a boon to the sector.

BEIJING, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday the most urgent task for Sino-U.S. relations is to establish a correct understanding and cooperation between the two sides, stressing it is "no longer an option ... but an imperative" for the world.

Cooperation is the "most correct choice for China and the United States to get along", Wang said in a keynote speech at an event to mark the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the U.S.

SEOUL, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Evacuation orders were issued Friday for residents in South Korean island of Yeonpyeong, Yonhap news agency reported.

The orders were issued at 12:02 a.m. local time (0302 GMT) and 12:30 a.m. each to evacuate residents in the island.

The island office sent out evacuation broadcasts at the request of a military unit.

SEOUL, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- The top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) inspected a major factory that produces strategic missile launching vehicles, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Friday.

Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the DPRK, inspected the factory's production of large strategic missile launching vehicles and other military vehicles, KCNA said, without specifying the exact date of the inspection tour.

WAJIMA, Japan (AP) — A woman was pulled carefully from the rubble 72 hours after a series of powerful quakes started rattling Japan’s western coast. Despite rescue efforts, the death toll Friday grew to at least 94 people, and the number of missing was lowered to 222 after it shot up the previous day.

BEIJING, Jan 3 (Reuters) - China's military will conduct routine patrols with its naval and air forces in the South China Sea from Wednesday to Thursday, the military's Southern Theater Command said, as ongoing tensions simmer in the region over disputed territories.

China's military did not say where exactly the patrols would be held but they were announced as the Philippines and the United States were carrying out a two-day joint patrol in the highly strategic waterway, a move that likely irked Beijing.