Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

BEIJING, Oct 13 (APP):The Chinese Government and people attached great sympathies and concern to the suffering people in wake of the unforeseen catastrophic floods in Pakistan, Xu Xianbiao, Department of Flood Control and Drought Relief, Ministry of Emergency Management of China.

Xu Xianbiao, a member of Chinese expert team on disaster management, said that the Chinese Government has dispatched the delegation to work fast and accurately with experts from Pakistan to tackle the challenges.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 (NNN-Bernama) — The number of live births in Malaysia sees the highest decrease in a decade with 439,744 births recorded in 2021 compared to 471,504 births in 2020, according to Vital Statistics report released by the Department of Statistics Malaysia Thursday.

Chief Statistician Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the Crude Birth Rate (CBR) has declined from 14.5 births in 2020 compared to 13.5 births in 2021 per thousand population.

BANGKOK, Oct 13 (NNN-Bernama) — Thailand had abstained in a United Nations (UN) vote on Russia’s “attempted illegal annexation” of four partially occupied regions in Ukraine because the vote took place during “extremely volatile, and emotionally charged atmosphere and situation”.

Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Thailand to the United Nations Dr. Suriya Chindawongse said Thailand chose to abstain because such condemnation would marginalise the chance for a crisis diplomacy and may push the world towards the brink of nuclear war and global economic collapse.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 (NNN-Bernama) — The Cabinet has agreed for Malaysia to proceed with legal action at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the dispute involving sovereignty over Pedra Branca, Middle Rocks and South Ledge, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said.

He said the matter was agreed upon after hearing the presentation and proposals by the special task force to review laws relating to sovereignty over the disputed islets on Oct 7. 

ASTANA, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed to his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday that Moscow could export more gas via Turkey and turn it into a new supply "hub", bidding to preserve Russia's energy leverage over Europe.

At a meeting in Kazakhstan, Putin said Turkey offered the most reliable route to deliver gas to the European Union, and the proposed platform would allow prices to be set without politics.

BEIJING (AP) — President Xi Jinping, China’s most influential figure in decades, gets a chance to install more allies who share his vision of an even more dominant role in the economy for the ruling Communist Party and tighter control over entrepreneurs at a party meeting that starts this weekend.

The only question, economists and political analysts say, is whether China’s economic slump might force Xi to temper his enthusiasm for a state-run economy and include supporters of the markets and private enterprises that generate jobs and wealth.

TOKYO (AP) — For decades North Korea has threatened to turn enemy cities into a “sea of fire,” even as it doggedly worked on building a nuclear weapons program that could back up its belligerent words.

Now, as North Korea conducts another torrid run of powerful weapons tests — and threatens pre-emptive nuclear strikes on Washington and Seoul — it may be taking inspiration from the fiery rhetoric of the leader of a nuclear-armed member of the U.N. Security Council: Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea early Friday launched a short-range ballistic missile toward its eastern waters and flew warplanes near the border with South Korea, the South’s military said, further raising animosities triggered by the North’s recent barrage of weapons tests.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement the missile lifted off from the North’s capital region at 1:49 a.m. (12:49 p.m. EDT Thursday).

It said South Korea boosted its surveillance posture and maintains military readiness in close coordination with the United States.

BEIJING, Oct 12 (APP): As the flash floods recede in Pakistan, the country welcomes the first smart IoT farm in Pakistan. Satellite navigation autopilot, robotic fertilizer applicator, agricultural UAV, climate and soil monitoring stations, solar-powered water pump. The deluge-ravaged land is recovering by virtue of digital solutions.

ASTANA, October 12. /TASS/: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in the Kazakhstan capital city of Astana with a state visit, where he will participate in the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) summit on October 13. The Turkish leader was met in the airport by President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, according to the presidential press office’s live stream on social media.