Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

BEIJING, Aug 28 (APP): Pakistan Ambassador to China, Moin ul Haque visited China-Pakistan Iron Brothers Young Artists Exhibition held at Beijing Auto Museum and highly appreciated display of paintings done by Chinese and Pakistani children.

The exhibition, a part of 70th anniversary celebrations of establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China, was intended to promote interaction and culture exchanges between the youth of the two countries.

BEIJING, Aug 28 (APP):” Pakistan is a country with a population of more than 200 million and has a huge consumer market. Population and resources are huge advantages for the development of service trade, and their labor force is very young,” said Zhang Wei, chief expert of China Association of Trade in Services.

During the FY2020-2021, Pakistan’s service exports increased by 9.19% to US$ 5.937 billion, and the service trade deficit fell sharply by 43%. Pakistan service trade shows great potential. For its development, Zhang Wei shared his advice.

NUR-SULTAN, August 28. / TASS /: The death toll at the ammunition warehouse fire and explosion at the military base in Kazakhstan went up to 13, according to the Kazakhstan Emergency Ministry press service statement on Saturday.

The search for three more people is under way.

"The death toll in the explosion in the Zhambyl region has reached 13. Another body has been found and identified," according to the statement. Earlier, the ministry reported that 12 people were killed while battling the consequences of the explosion.

TOKYO, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Two people died after receiving Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) COVID-19 vaccine shots that were among lots later suspended following the discovery of contaminants, Japan's health ministry said on Saturday.

The men in their 30s died this month within days of receiving their second Moderna doses, the ministry said in a release. Each had a shot from one of three manufacturing lots suspended on Thursday. The causes of death are being investigated.

MANILA, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has lifted a moratorium on casino operations in the country's top holiday island to generate taxes for its COVID-19 pandemic response, the presidential spokesperson said on Saturday.

The firebrand leader has had a longstanding opposition to gambling, halting the construction of new casinos in the Philippines, one of Asia's fastest-growing gambling markets before the pandemic.

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob unveiled his cabinet on Friday, forming a lineup similar to his predecessor with no deputy prime minister being named.

In a televised speech, Ismail Sabri said the ministers will have to prove themselves in a short space of time as the country is still grappling with the COVID-19 situation and its economic fallout.

"I will ensure this cabinet focuses on having a high-performance work culture. Therefore, each ministry must draft its short-term and long-term plans and achieve set goals."

BANGKOK (AP) — A spokesman for Myanmar’s military-installed government said Friday that COVID-19 vaccines will be given to members of the country’s persecuted Rohingya ethnic group.

The Muslim minority was the target of a fierce counter-insurgency campaign in 2017 that some critics charged amounted to ethnic cleansing or genocide. The Rohingya face widespread discrimination and most are denied citizenship and other basic rights.

BEIJING, Aug 27 (APP): China on Friday expressed shock and strongly condemned explosions near the Kabul airport which caused massive casualties.

“China is shocked by the explosions near the Kabul airport which caused massive casualties. We also strongly condemn that,” Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said during his regular briefing held here.

He said that this incident showed that the security situation in Afghanistan remains complicated and severe.

NUR-SULTAN, August 27. /TASS/: The death toll of the fire and the subsequent explosions at a munitions depot in Kazakhstan’s Zhambyl District has increased to nine, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan announced Friday.

"According to the latest data, a total of nine people died, including employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the [nearby] military unit, the militarized security and the military prosecutor’s office. The victims are currently being identified," the statement says.

Earlier reports indicated that five people died in the incident.

BEIJING, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- China firmly opposes Japan unveiling a defense white paper for children, and has lodged solemn representations with Japan, urging Japan not to mislead the next generation, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday.

Japan's defense ministry on Aug. 16 released a 30-page white paper for elementary and junior high school students on its website, which covers China's military development, the Diaoyu Islands and the South China Sea issues.