Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

HANOI, November 19. /TASS/. The trade war is already underway bringing certain fruit to its initiators but there will be no winners at the end of the day, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told reporters on Monday.

"It [the trade war] has already been waged. It is underway. All of us evidence that this war in general terms is already bringing certain fruit to specific countries attempting to press on their course. On the other hand, it brings costs to the whole global trade. Certainly, there will be no winners eventually, like in any war of such kind," Medvedev said.

19 Nov 2018; AFP: Japan's politically sensitive trade surplus with the United States shrank further in October, the fourth consecutive monthly decline, official data showed Monday.

The figure also showed an overall global trade deficit, as increases in imports of crude oil and liquefied natural gas overwhelmed a rise in exports of cars and engines.

The surplus with the US came in at 573.4 billion yen ($5 billion) in October, a year-on-year decline of 11.0 percent.

19 Nov 2018; AFP: China will expand its ban on imports of solid waste, local media reported Monday, almost a year after its first curbs caused havoc in countries that sent their rubbish to the Asian giant.

The regulatory action -- which expands the prohibition to 32 categories of solid waste from the 24 banned last year -- will go into effect from December 31, according to official news agency Xinhua, citing four Chinese government agencies.

19 Nov 2018; AFP: Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn faces being fired this week after being arrested in Japan over allegations of financial misconduct, the firm said Monday, in a stunning fall from grace for one of the world's best-known businessmen.

Ghosn's arrest and his likely dismissal from Nissan, as well as possibly from Mitsubishi and Renault, sent shockwaves through the auto industry, where he is a towering figure, credited with turning around several major manufacturers.

17 Nov 2018; AFP: Two top leaders of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge regime were found guilty of genocide on Friday, in a landmark ruling almost 40 years after the fall of a brutal regime that presided over the deaths of a quarter of the population.

The Khmer Rouge's former head of state Khieu Samphan, 87, and "Brother Number 2" Nuon Chea, 92, are the two most senior living members of the ultra-Maoist group that seized control of Cambodia from 1975-1979.

17 Nov 2018; AFP: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has overseen the testing of a "newly developed ultramodern tactical weapon", Pyongyang's state media reported Friday, a move seen by analysts as more of a political message than a serious provocation.

It marked the first official report of a weapons test by North Korea since it began a delicate diplomatic process with Washington over its nuclear and missile programme.

Beijing, Nov 15 (PTI) Top officials of India and China held the ninth Annual Defence and Security Dialogue here after a one-year gap due to the Doklam standoff, as both countries agreed to enhance military exchanges and interactions.

The dialogue on November 13 was held between the two defence delegations headed by Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra and China's Deputy Chief of Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission.

14 Nov 2018; AFP: China is touting itself as the new defender of global commerce as it works with Asia-Pacific leaders to hammer out the world's largest trade deal -- with the United States relegated to the sidelines.

World leaders gathered in Singapore this week for a summit where a massive Beijing-backed agreement covering half the world's population has dominated discussions.

SINGAPORE (AP) — Leaders from Southeast Asia, China and other neighboring countries met in Singapore on Wednesday and cited progress on keeping peace in the contentious South China Sea as evidence that the region is managing to handle such issues on its own.

Both the Singapore meeting and a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum later in the week have drawn China’s leaders, Russian President Vladimir Putin and heads of other regional powers, but not President Donald Trump, who sent Vice President Mike Pence instead.

Singapore, Nov 13 (AFP) US National Security Advisor John Bolton vowed Tuesday to "squeeze" Iran "until the pips squeak", a week after a tough new round of sanctions came into force.

President Donald Trump has dramatically increased pressure on Tehran, withdrawing from an international agreement aimed at ending its nuclear programme and introducing several rounds of unilateral US sanctions.