Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

MANILA, Jan 13 (NNN-PNA) — Classes at all levels in Metro Manila on Monday (January 13) has been suspended due to ash fall from the phreatic eruption of Taal Volcano, Philippines News Agency (PNA) reported.

In an advisory on Sunday, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said the suspension of classes include all 17 cities within Metro Manila, aside from the southern provinces Cavite and Batangas, as well as Santa Rosa and Biñan, Laguna.

BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets rose Monday ahead of the signing of a U.S.-Chinese trade pact as investors shrugged off weaker-than-expected American jobs data.

Benchmarks in Shanghai, Hong Kong and South Korea advanced. Japanese markets were closed for a holiday.

Investors showed little concern over Friday’s data showing American employers added fewer jobs than forecast in December. Concern over a potential U.S.-Iranian conflict faded.

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong authorities barred the head of Human Rights Watch from entering the Chinese territory Sunday, the advocacy group said.

Kenneth Roth, Human Rights Watch’s executive director, had planned to launch the organization’s annual world report in Hong Kong this week. The report’s focus is China’s efforts to “deliberately undermine the international human rights system,” Roth said in video posted to his Twitter.

TAGAYTAY, Philippines (AP) — Red-hot lava gushed out of a Philippine volcano Monday after a sudden eruption of ash and steam that forced villagers to flee and shut down Manila’s international airport, offices and schools.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage from Taal volcano’s eruption south of the capital that began Sunday. But clouds of ash blew more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) north, reaching the bustling capital, Manila, and forcing the shutdown of the country’s main airport with more than 240 international and domestic flights cancelled so far.

12 January 2020; AFP: Washington and Beijing may be ready to sign a preliminary trade agreement, but companies in China are not taking any chances, forging ahead with contingency plans in case the tariff war resumes.

As Chinese Vice Premier Liu He travels to Washington from Monday to Wednesday to seal the deal, manufacturers and suppliers told AFP that they fear the agreement could be upended even after it is signed.

TAIPEI (Reuters) - China will not change its position that Taiwan belongs to it, Beijing said on Sunday, after President Tsai Ing-wen won re-election and said she would not submit to China’s threats, as state media warned she was courting disaster.

The election campaign was dominated by China’s efforts to get the democratic island to accept Beijing’s rule under a “one country, two systems” model, as well as by anti-government protests in Chinese-ruled Hong Kong.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A tiny Philippine volcano that draws many tourists because of its picturesque setting amid a lake belched steam, ash and small rocks Sunday, prompting residents to flee from nearby villages and authorities to raise the danger level.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said Taal Volcano in Batangas province south of Manila blasted steam and ash up to 1 kilometer (about half a mile) into the sky amid signs of its growing restiveness in recent months.

TOKYO (AP) — A lawyer for former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn, who fled to Lebanon while awaiting trial in Japan, said his client was questioned an average of seven hours a day without a lawyer present.

Takashi Takano said on his blog post Saturday the questioning continued through weekends, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Takano has said he told Ghosn he couldn’t expect a fair trial in Japan, but his chances of winning were good because the evidence against him was so weak.

NAGOYA, Jan 12 (NNN-NHK) – A three-day celebration for the upcoming Chinese Spring Festival kicked off in the central Japanese city of Nagoya.

The celebration is held on Hisaya Square in downtown Nagoya, where red lanterns and flags were hung high and people cheered in a festival atmosphere.

Some booths were set up around the square, selling traditional Chinese cuisine, including stinky tofu, mutton kebabs, sugar-coated haws and others. Meanwhile, art groups from China and Japan presented a variety of performances on the stage, attracting a large number of visitors.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Fresh from a landslide reelection victory, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen met Sunday with the de facto U.S. ambassador to Taipei, as China warned that countries should stick with recognizing communist-ruled Beijing as the rightful government of “One China,” including Taiwan.

William Brent Christensen, a U.S. diplomat who is director of the American Institute in Taiwan, congratulated Tsai on her victory and she thanked him for his support.