Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

TOKYO, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- Japan reported 2,560 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, renewing a record number of daily infections for a fourth consecutive day, according to the latest figures from the health ministry and local authorities.

The latest rise in cases brought the nation's tally to 130,915, not including those connected to the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined near Tokyo earlier in the year.

HONG KONG (AP) — Singapore and Hong Kong on Saturday postponed the start of an air travel bubble meant to boost tourism for both cities, amid a spike in coronavirus infections in Hong Kong.

The travel bubble, originally slated to begin Sunday, will be delayed by at least two weeks, Hong Kong’s minister of commerce and economic development, Edward Yau, said at a news conference.

BEIJING, Nov 20 (APP): Speakers at a webinar discussed ways and means to further enhance cooperation in the agriculture sector between Pakistan and China.

“Agriculture sector forms an important theme of CPEC whereby an effective cooperation strategy between Pakistan and China can prove to be greatly beneficial for both countries,” said Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Syed Fakhar Imam.

BAKU, November 20. /TASS/: The Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict is about to become a bygone, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said in an address to the nation timed for the handover of the Agdam district to Baku.

"The Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict is about to be left behind. International experts agree with this, too," Aliyev said, adding that Baku managed to achieve its aims on the battlefield and on the political scene.

He said that mine clearing operations would begin in the Agdam district first thing.

BAKU, Nov 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Azerbaijan’s army said Friday it had entered the district of Aghdam, the first of three to be handed back by Armenia as part of a Russian-brokered peace deal to end fighting in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

“Units of the Azerbaijan Army entered the Aghdam region on Nov 20,”
Azerbaijan’s defence ministry said of the district, which had been controlled by Armenian separatists for nearly 30 years.

(Reuters) - China’s securities regulator said on Friday it looked forward to holding discussions with its U.S. counterparts as soon as possible on “specific plans” to conduct joint inspections of Chinese firms listed in the United States.

Washington has long complained of lack of access to audit working papers for U.S.-listed Chinese companies and in August threatened measures to delist Chinese firms that fail to meet its auditing requirements, before Beijing proposed a trial joint inspection of any of its state-run firms.

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - A virtual summit of Asia Pacific leaders started on Friday with U.S. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in attendance to discuss the coronavirus crisis and global economic recovery amid lingering trade differences.

The pair joined a meeting of the leaders of the 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) hosted virtually by Malaysia just two weeks after Trump lost his re-election bid.

Hong Kong, Nov 20 (AP-PTI) Hong Kong has suspended in-person classes for lower primary school students after the city's top health official said the coronavirus situation in the city was rapidly deteriorating.

Classes for primary 1 to 3 students will be suspended for two weeks from Monday.

The suspension comes just over a week after kindergartens were ordered to close following an outbreak of upper respiratory tract infections.

Hong Kong confirmed 26 new coronavirus infections on Friday, 21 of which are local cases.

BEIJING, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Thursday said some Americans habitually hype up the so-called "China threat" because they need excuses for their expanding military prowess and budget so as to seek regional and global hegemony.

U.S. Navy Secretary Kenneth Braithwaite has reportedly called on the U.S. Navy to establish a new fleet at the intersection of the Indian and Pacific Oceans to deal with China's growing geopolitical ambitions.

BEIJING, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Thursday refuted a statement by the "Five Eyes" intelligence alliance over China's decision to disqualify certain Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Legislative Council (LegCo) members.

In a joint statement, the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK called on the Chinese government to reconsider actions against Hong Kong's legislature and reinstate the disqualified LegCo members.