Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan has “not yet” received an invitation to a meeting this month of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) decision-making body, the World Health Assembly, but will strive take part, the government said on Monday.

Taiwan’s exclusion from WHO membership, due to objections from China, which considers the island one of its provinces, has infuriated Taipei, which says its exclusion has created a glaring gap in the global fight against the coronavirus.

SINGAPORE/MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Monday, paring last week’s gains, on worries a global oil glut may persist amid slumping demand and U.S.-China trade tensions that could restrict an economic recovery even as coronavirus pandemic lockdowns start to ease.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 futures fell as low as $18.10 a barrel earlier in the session and were down $1.14, or 5.8%, at $18.64 at 0506 GMT. The benchmark contract rose 17% last week.

BANGKOK (AP) — Shares skidded in Asia on Monday as investors eyed rising tensions between the Trump administration and China over the origins and handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Facing criticism over his handling of the crisis, President Donald Trump has tried to shift the blame to China. Beijing has repeatedly pushed back on U.S. accusations that the outbreak was China’s fault.

Markets in Hong Kong and India fell about 4% on Monday, and other regional markets also were lower. Trading was halted for holidays in mainland China, Japan and Thailand.

3 May 2020; AFP: Some oil-hungry Asian nations are taking advantage of the collapse in prices caused by the coronavirus pandemic to build up their crude stockpiles.

Here are some questions and answers about strategic reserves and the region's oil supplies:

- What are strategic oil reserves and why do countries need them? -

Strategic reserves are stockpiles of oil and other fuels held by governments in secure storage facilities to cover unexpected disruptions to energy supplies.

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China has published a short animation titled “Once Upon a Virus” mocking the U.S. response to the new coronavirus using Lego-like figures to represent the two countries.

Washington and Beijing are locked in a war of words over the origins of the disease, which emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan and has grown into a global pandemic.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he was confident the coronavirus may have originated in a Chinese virology lab, but declined to describe the evidence.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Tokopedia, Indonesia’s largest e-commerce platform, said it was investigating an attempted hack and claims that the details of millions of its users had been leaked online.

“We found that there had been an attempt to steal data from Tokopedia users,” a spokesman for the company said in a statement late Saturday.

“However, Tokopedia ensures that crucial information such as passwords remains successfully protected behind encryption.”

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade deal is still on track to be signed by the end of 2020, Singapore’s Minister of Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing said on Sunday.

RCEP brings together the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. The countries have made an offer to India, which pulled out of talks last November, to see if it is prepared to rejoin discussions.

TASHKENT, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Around 70,000 people have been evacuated after the Sardoba dam in the central Syrdarya region burst, flooding residential areas and crop fields, the Uzbek Emergency Ministry said Saturday.

At least 56 people were injured and subsequently hospitalized in the region due to flooding, according to the ministry.

The dam burst in the early morning on Friday after heavy rain and gales caused serious damage to settlements, communication networks and agricultural land, the ministry said.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North and South Korean troops exchanged fire along their tense border on Sunday, the South’s military said, blaming North Korean soldiers for targeting a guard post.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul said in a statement that North Korean troops fired several bullets at a South Korean guard post inside the heavily fortified border. South Korea fired two rounds in response after issuing a warning broadcast, it said.

BEIJING, May 1 (APP): China Foundation for Peace and Development has made a generous donation of 300,000 surgical masks to support the health authorities of Pakistan in the fight against Covid-19.

Pakistan Ambassador to China, Naghmana Hashmi received the donation at Pakistan Embassy, Beijing.

These masks will be delivered to National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) along with other medical supplies to be transported to Islamabad by next PIA’s special cargo flight.