Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

SEOUL, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- South Korea on Monday conducted the third test flight of its solid-fuel space rocket, the Ministry of National Defense said.

The launch was carried out in waters near the country's southern resort island of Jeju earlier in the day, and a commercial satellite was put into orbit.

It was the third of its kind to test-launch the homegrown solid-fuel space rocket.

During the second test flight in December 2022, the launch vehicle was mounted with a dummy satellite.

TOKYO (AP) — U.S. and Japanese divers have discovered wreckage and the remains of five crew members from a U.S. Air Force Osprey aircraft that crashed last week off southwestern Japan, the Air Force announced Monday.

The CV-22 Osprey carrying eight American personnel crashed last Wednesday off Yakushima island during a training mission. The body of one victim was recovered and identified earlier.

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 2 (NNN-BERNAMA) – The recent opening of a 30-day visa-free facility for Chinese nationals, is expected to see Malaysia receive an uptick in inbound Chinese tourists, the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) said, yesterday.

China is a lucrative market and a significant contributor to Malaysia’s tourism receipts and arrivals, the association said in a statement.

“It is hoped that with this exemption in place, we are able to gain the momentum needed to cement Malaysia’s standing, as the preferred destination for this discerning market,” it said.

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 2 (NNN-Bernama) — Malaysia could weigh in to activate Article 9 of the Genocide Convention as a potential avenue to pursue a definitive resolution to the protracted conflict in Gaza.

A Board Member at Law for Palestine (L4P), Hassan Ben Imran said that Malaysia’s involvement in various international platforms, coupled with its status as a state party to the Genocide Convention, could garner support from like-minded nations and bring justice to the Palestinians.

SHENZHEN, China, Dec 2 (Reuters) - China's surge in respiratory illness is caused by known pathogens and there is no sign of new infectious diseases, a health official said on Saturday as the country faces its first full winter since lifting strict COVID-19 restrictions.

The spike in illness in the country where COVID emerged in late 2019 attracted the spotlight when the World Health Organization sought information last week, citing a report on clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children.

SEOUL, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Ministry of National Defense of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) warned in a statement Saturday that "any attack against the country's space assets will be deemed as declaration of war," the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — France and the Philippines are considering a defense pact that would allow them to send military forces to each other’s territory for joint exercises, the Philippine defense chief said Saturday after holding talks with his French counterpart.

Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said in a joint press conference with French Minister for the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu that they were seeking authorization from their heads of state to begin negotiations.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 struck Saturday night off the coast of the southern Philippine island of Mindanao and Philippine authorities issued a tsunami warning.

The quake struck at 10:37 p.m. at a depth of 32 kilometers (20 miles), according to the U.S. Geological Survey. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said based on the magnitude and location, it expected tsunami waves to hit the southern Philippines and parts of Indonesia, Palau and Malaysia.

TAIPEI, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Beijing has sponsored cut-price trips to China for hundreds of Taiwanese politicians ahead of key elections on the island, according to Taiwan sources and documents, unnerving officials with a broad campaign that one called "election interference".

President Tsai Ing-wen and other Taiwan officials have warned that China might try to sway voters toward candidates seeking closer ties with Beijing in the elections, which could define the island's relations with China. But the scale of the Chinese activity has not previously been reported.

MANILA, Dec 1 (Reuters) - The Philippines has built a new coast guard station on the contested island of Thitu in the South China Sea, boosting its ability to monitor movements of Chinese vessels and aircraft in the busy disputed waterway.

As tension mounts over territorial claims in the area, the Philippine coast guard had early this year spotted a Chinese navy ship and dozens of militia vessels around the island, one of nine features Manila occupies in the Spratly archipelago.