Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

SEOUL, April 30 (Xinhua) -- As South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol wrapped up his week-long visit to the United States on Sunday, there is growing criticism here that Seoul is taking the lead in strengthening a new Cold War in Northeast Asia and beyond.

Yoon has decided to make South Korea a loyal partner of the U.S. "Indo-Pacific Strategy" aimed at containing China, Kyunghyang Shinmun newspaper said in an editorial, questioning whether the government's "value-centered diplomacy" will bring tangible benefits to the country.

BANGKOK, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese car manufacturer SAIC Motor on Sunday expanded its current portfolio in Thailand by breaking ground on a new energy industrial park as part of its long-term development plan in the Southeast Asian country.

The new energy park in Chon Buri province's Eastern Economic Corridor Special Zone, spanning 120,000 square meters, features a power battery plant, a production line for EV components, a container yard, and a logistics warehouse to enhance transportation efficiency.

TOKYO (AP) — Jack Ma, a cofounder of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, will be a visiting professor at Tokyo College, a research institute run by the prestigious University of Tokyo, the university said Monday.

Ma will carry out research in sustainable agriculture and food production, it said in a statement.

It said that Ma, who also heads his own Jack Ma Foundation, a philanthropic organization, will “share his rich experience and pioneering knowledge on entrepreneurship, corporate management and innovation,” with students and faculty.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Workers and activists around the world marked May Day on Monday with rallies calling for higher salaries, reduced working hours and other better working conditions.

In France, unions plan massive demonstrations to protest President Emmanuel Macron’s recent move to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. Organizers see the pension reform as a threat to hard-fought worker rights and France’s social safety net.

The pension bill unleashed France’s biggest protests in years, and the May 1 rallies are expected to be among the largest yet.

30 Apr 2023; AA: A search operation is underway to find the remaining two crew members of a Sierra Leone-registered ship after it capsized off the southeastern Bataan Province of the Philippines late Friday, the Chinese Embassy in Manila said on Sunday.

At least three crewmen, two Chinese and a Filipino, were killed, while 15 have been rescued, China's English daily Global Times reported, citing a statement by the embassy.

MANILA, April 30 (NNN-XINHUA) — Four people are missing after a dive yacht with 32 people sank in the waters off Tubattaha in Palawan province on Sunday morning, the Philippine Coast Guard said.

Commodore Armando Balilo said the yacht, M/Y Dream Keeper, sank before 7 a.m. local time Sunday. He said the boat left Cebu Thursday afternoon and arrived in Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park on Saturday night.

Balilo said the yacht was carrying 32 people, including 15 crew, 12 passengers, and five divemasters, adding that 28 people have been saved while four are missing.

MACAU, April 30 (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of mainland Chinese visitors have descended on the world's biggest gambling hub of Macau for the Labour Day holiday, packing tightly into its narrow cobblestone streets and placing bets in its glitzy casinos.

The surge in visitors comes after China and its special administrative region Macau lifted strict COVID-19 restrictions in January, allowing visitors to stream into Macau for the first time in more than three years.

SEOUL, April 30 (Xinhua) -- As South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol wrapped up his week-long visit to the United States on Sunday, there is growing criticism here that Seoul is taking the lead in strengthening a new Cold War in Northeast Asia and beyond.

Yoon has decided to make South Korea a loyal partner of the U.S. "Indo-Pacific Strategy" aimed at containing China, Kyunghyang Shinmun newspaper said in an editorial, questioning whether the government's "value-centered diplomacy" will bring tangible benefits to the country.

SEOUL, April 30 (Xinhua) -- When Yoon Suk-yeol, president of South Korea, reverently crooned lines from the song "American Pie" to a smiling U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House, it perfectly depicted the diplomatic status quo between the two countries.

With its president fond of singing American songs, the South Korean government has made no secret of its intention of dancing to the American tune.

BEIJING, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese naval vessels evacuated 493 people from Sudan in a second evacuation operation that concluded on Saturday, as the evacuees arrived at the Saudi Arabian port of Jeddah, according to an official statement.

The evacuees include 272 Chinese and 221 foreigners from countries such as Pakistan and Brazil.

The first evacuation operation carried out by the Chinese navy earlier this week helped 678 people leave Sudan.