Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

BEIJING, Oct 22 (APP): China has urged an immediate halt to military operations in the Gaza Strip that further aggravate the situation and the opening of humanitarian relief channels, a Chinese envoy said at a summit held in Cairo on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

The international community should be objective, impartial and practical in promoting a comprehensive, just and permanent solution to the Palestinian issue as early as possible, Special Envoy of the Chinese Government on the Middle East Issue Zhai Jun said at the summit, CGTN reported on Sunday.

SEOUL, Oct 22 (NNN-YONHAP) – South Korea, yesterday, confirmed two more cases of lumpy skin disease (LSD) at local cattle farms, after reporting the country’s first-ever case on the previous day.

The additional LSD cases were confirmed at a beef cattle farm in Dangjin, around 80 km south-west of Seoul, and a milk cow farm in Pyeongtaek, about 60 km south of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

The ministry cordoned off the farms, planning to cull some 40 heads of cattle in Dangjin and about 100 milk cows in Pyeongtaek.

SEOUL, Oct 22 (Reuters) - South Korea, together with Japan and the United States, held a joint aerial exercise near the Korean peninsula on Sunday, the South Korean military said, marking the first such collaboration between the three countries.

The drill aimed to expand the countries' response capabilities against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, South Korea's air force said in a statement.

It involved a U.S. B-52 strategic bomber as well as fighter jets of the three nations.

BEIJING, Oct 22 (Reuters) - China's top spy agency said on Sunday a Chinese citizen who worked for a defense institute had been accused of spying for the United States and his case had been transferred to a court in the southwestern city of Chengdu for trial.

The case is the latest to underscore Beijing's heightened commitment to national security, its expanded anti-spying laws and crackdown on domestic corruption.

MANILA, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- A fire broke out on a motor tanker while anchored off Batangas province, south of Manila, on Sunday, killing two people, officials said.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) initially reported that one died from the blaze that razed the vessel Motor Tanker Sea Horse at around 9 a.m. local time. The fire raged for two hours before firefighters extinguished it.

Joselito Sinocruz, the manager of Port of Batangas, said in an updated report that two died and two others were still missing from the accident.

ONJUKU, Japan (AP) — Scientists from the U.N. nuclear agency watched Friday as Japanese lab workers prepared samples of fish collected at a seafood market near the Fukushima nuclear plant to test the safety of treated radioactive wastewater released from the damaged plant into the sea.

The discharge of wastewater began on Aug. 24 and is expected to continue for decades. It has been strongly opposed by fishing groups and neighboring countries, including China and Russia, which have banned all imports of Japanese seafood.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Chinese coast guard ship and an accompanying vessel rammed a Philippine coast guard ship and a military-run supply boat Sunday off a contested shoal, Philippine officials said, in an encounter that heightened fears of an armed conflict in the disputed South China Sea.

A top Philippine security official told The Associated Press there were no injuries among the Filipino crew members and an assessment of the damage to both vessels was underway.

BEIJING, October 20. /TASS/: Russian-Chinese trade turnover is rapidly increasing and this year could reach $215-220 bln, according to Russia’s Minister of Economic Development of Maxim Reshetnikov.

"We will undoubtedly surpass the $200 bln mark this year. Some estimates range from $215 to $220 bln. We'll see closer to the end of the year," he told reporters.

YANGON, Oct 20 (NNN-MNA) – Two people were killed in a firework explosion, in eastern Myanmar’s Shan State, an official from the Fire Services Department of Langkho said, yesterday.

The blast occurred around 8:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday, in Langkho township.

A man started a motorcycle sidecar, which leaked oil, causing the engine to heat up. Meanwhile, the sidecar, loaded with fireworks, caught fire and resulted in an explosion.

SEOUL, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- The United States has made "intentional nuclear war provocations" due to "internal troubles and external woes" as its nuclear-capable B-52H Stratofortress bomber made a first-ever landing in South Korea, and indicated a possible preemptive nuclear strike on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a commentary on Friday.