Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

SEOUL (Reuters) - Accounts by former U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton of discussions between leaders of the United States and the two Koreas in his upcoming book are inaccurate and distorted, South Korea said on Monday.

Bolton gives details in the book of conversations before and after three meetings between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, including how their second summit in Vietnam fell apart.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices slid on Monday as concern grew that a record rise in coronavirus infections worldwide could stall a recovery in fuel demand, outweighing tighter supplies from major producers.

Brent crude LCOc1 fell 10 cents, or 0.2%, to $42.04 a barrel by 0655 GMT, while U.S. crude CLc1 was at $39.72 a barrel, down 11 cents, or 0.3%.

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Monday his ruling party would be a dominant force in politics for as long as a century, telling the opposition it should wait until the next life if it wants to take power.

Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), which has been in power since 1979, holds every seat in the 125-member legislature after the main opposition was dissolved ahead of a 2018 general election, accused of plotting to overthrow the government.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Monday it reserves the right to respond to a Japanese city’s decision to rename the administrative area that includes remote islands claimed by both China and Japan and have long been a source of friction between the neighbours.

The row over the uninhabited East China Sea islets may add to recent tension caused by Japan’s criticisms of Beijing’s plan to impose a new national security law in Hong Kong.

China has said Japan should not interfere in Beijing’s internal affairs.

TOKYO, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The disapproval rating for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet rose to its highest point since the launch of his second administration in December 2012, a nationwide poll showed Monday.

According to the survey conducted by Japan's public broadcaster NHK between Friday and Sunday of people aged 18 or older, the disapproval rating for Abe's Cabinet rose 4 points to 49 percent, while the approval rate dropped one point from last month to 36 percent.

HONG KONG, June 21 (Xinhua) -- A draft law on safeguarding national security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) that was reviewed by China's top legislature has been welcomed by the Hong Kong society.

BEIJING, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The signing of a so-called human rights act related to China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region by the United States has interfered in China's internal affairs, experts have said.

"Intervention in the internal affairs of sovereign states is one of the most dangerous actions of our generation," Tursunali Kuziev, a professor at Uzbekistan State University of World Languages, warned.

BEIJING (AP) — China told Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday to “stop making irresponsible remarks” after he said Beijing’s decision to charge two Canadians with spying was linked to his country’s arrest of a Chinese tech executive.

The spying charges are “completely different” from the case of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, a foreign ministry spokesman said. Meng was arrested on U.S. charges connected to possible violations of trade sanctions on Iran.

PYONGYANG, June 22 (NNN-KCNA) – The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), will soon distribute 12 million leaflets to South Korea, “to make them pay dearly for their crime,” it was reported today.

“As of June 22 (today), various equipment and means of distributing leaflets, including over 3,000 balloons of various types, capable of scattering leaflets deep inside South Korea, have been prepared,” and 12 million leaflets of all kinds have been printed out, the report said.

VIENTIANE, June 22 (NNN-KPL) – The Consular Department, under Lao Ministry for Foreign Affairs, issued an official notice, to inform the general public that the U.S. government has suspended the issuance of visas to Lao citizens, local daily, Vientiane Times, reported today.

The Consular Department received an official notification from the U.S. embassy, saying that, starting from Apr 1, the U.S. government discontinued issuance of all immigrant and non-immigrant visas for Lao citizens and nationals, applying in Laos, except for certain types.