Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (AP) — Pope Francis sent a special greeting to China’s “noble” people on Sunday, giving them a special shout-out at the end of a Mass celebrated in neighboring Mongolia during the first-ever papal visit that was largely overshadowed by Beijing and its crackdown on religious minorities.

Francis brought up to the altar the retired and current bishops of Hong Kong, Cardinal John Hon Tong and Cardinal-elect Stephen Chow, clasped their hands and told the crowd that included many mainland Chinese pilgrims that he wished them all well.

SINGAPORE, Sept 2 (NNN-Bernama) — Tharman Shanmugaratnam is the new Head of State for Singapore after winning the Presidential race by a decisive margin on Friday.

The former senior minister received 70.40 per cent of the votes while former Group Chief Investment Officer of GIC Pte Ltd Ng Kok Song (15.72 per cent) and former Chief Executive Officer of NTUC Income Insurance Co-operative Ltd Tan Kin Lian (13.88 per cent).

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea launched several cruise missiles into the sea Saturday, South Korea’s military said, extending its weapons testing activities in response to the United States-South Korea summer military drills.

South Korea’s military detected the launches early Saturday morning off the North’s west coast, the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s king has formally endorsed members of a new Cabinet, paving the way for a government headed by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin to take office more than three months after the general election.

Srettha, representing the Pheu Thai party, was named prime minister by Parliament on Aug. 22. A prominent real estate developer until officially entering politics last year, he will also hold the finance minister’s post.

King Maha Vajiralongkorn issued his royal approval on Friday.

BEIJING (AP) — Typhoon Saola made landfall in southern China before dawn Saturday after nearly 900,000 people were moved to safety and most of Hong Kong and parts of the coastal mainland suspended business, transport and classes. Damage appeared to be minimal, however, and some services were returning to normal by afternoon.

Meanwhile, Taiwan issued a warning Saturday for a second typhoon, Haikui, which was expected to pass over the island Sunday, before traveling onward to the central Chinese coast.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — As People’s Liberation Army fighter jets from China sped toward Taiwan on Friday, life on the self-governing island carried on as normal.

Andy Huang, a restaurateur in Taipei, said he has become desensitized to military threats from the mainland.

“I’ve been hearing about China invading for 30 years,” he said.

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (AP) — Pope Francis on Saturday praised Mongolia’s tradition of religious freedom dating to the times of its founder, Genghis Khan, as he opened the first-ever papal visit to the Asian nation with a word of encouragement to its tiny Catholic flock.

Francis met with President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh inside a traditional Mongolian ger, or round yurt, set up inside the state palace and wrote a message in the guest book that he was visiting “a country young and ancient, modern and rich of tradition,” as a pilgrim of peace.

YANGON, Sept 1 (NNN-MNA) – Myanmar imported about 35,000 tonnes of fertilisers over a period of seven days, the state-run newspaper, the Global New Light of Myanmar, reported yesterday.

The fertilisers imported on Aug 12-18, totalled 14.7 million U.S. dollars, the newspaper reported, citing the Ministry of Commerce data.

In July, the country imported over 250,000 tonnes of fertilisers, which were worth 92.4 million U.S. dollars, the media report said.

MANILA, Sept 1 (NNN-PNA) – Super typhoon Saola, which triggered floods and landslides in the Philippines, has left at least one dead and displaced 387,242 people across the country, the government said, today.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said, more than 21,000 are still in temporary shelters.

Saola grew into a super typhoon last Sunday, dumping heavy rain and severe winds in the main Luzon island and central Philippines.

SINGAPORE, Sept 2 (Reuters) - A former member of Singapore's ruling party on Saturday scored a landslide victory to become the city-state's president, in an election seen as a barometer of public sentiment amid economic challenges and high-profile scandals.

Former deputy prime minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, 66, won 70.4% of votes, the elections department said, to become Singapore's head of state. The country is a parliamentary democracy and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is the head of government.