Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

BEIJING (Reuters) - China likened claims by a Chinese asylum seeker in Australia who said he was a spy for Beijing to an absurd screenplay, accusing Taiwan’s ruling party of manipulating the”concocted” story to boost its chances in a looming election.

The allegations by the self-professed spy Wang Liqiang, reported by Australian media, have rocked Taiwan after he detailed Chinese efforts to meddle in Taiwan elections and promote Communist Party influence in Hong Kong.

Beijing, Nov 27, IRNA – Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said on Tuesday that honoring Iran nuclear deal -- the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is the only viable way for deescalation between Iran and the western signatories.

"China maintains close communication with signatory parties to the JCPOA on the need to uphold and implement the deal," Shuang said speaking in his regular press conference.

"The Iranian nuclear stand-off has come to a critical stage," he said

BUSAN, South Korea, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- South Korea and the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) clamored for free trade and anti-protectionism during their special summit that ran for two days through Tuesday in the South Korean southern port city of Busan.

BEIJING, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- China's carbon emissions per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) were down by about 4 percent in 2018, beating the annual target by 0.1 percentage points, an official said Wednesday.

By 2018, China had slashed carbon intensity, or the amount of carbon emissions per unit of GDP, by 45.8 percent from 2005 levels, meeting the target of a 40 to 45 percent decrease by 2020 ahead of schedule, Zhao Yingmin, vice-minister of ecology and environment, told a press conference.

HONG KONG (AP) — A major tunnel in Hong Kong reopened Wednesday as a weeklong police siege of a nearby university appeared to be winding down, closing one of the more violent chapters in the long-running anti-government protests in the Chinese territory.

The Cross-Harbour Tunnel, which links Hong Kong Island to the rest of the city, had been closed for two weeks after protesters blocked the approach with debris and set the toll booths on fire as they clashed with police.

NUR-SULTAN, November 26. /TASS/: Kazakhstan is considering the possibility of joining the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline project to extract gas in the East Kazakhstan Region, First Vice Minister of Energy Makhambet Dosmukhambetov told reporters on Tuesday.

MELAKA, Nov 26 (NNN-BERNAMA) — It is estimated that about 5,000 Rohingya refugees are in Melaka, to date, the Melaka State Assembly was told today.

However, Chief Minister, Adly Zahari said that according to the Malaysian Rohingya Council (MRM) not all were registered with the United Nations High Comission for Refugees (UNHCR).

‘’MRM moves from house to house to collect data on the refugees and represents the Rohingya community to liaise with the government and international agencies,’’ he told the State Assembly in Seri Melaka today.

YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar’s military began a rare court martial of soldiers on Tuesday following a probe into alleged atrocities during a crackdown on Rohingya Muslims, a spokesman said, as the country prepares to face genocide charges at an international court in the Hague.

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled to neighboring Bangladesh to escape a Myanmar military offensive launched in August 2017 that U.N. investigators described as having been executed with genocidal intent.

Beijing, Nov 26 (AP/PTI) China's Commerce Ministry says the lead envoys in trade talks between China and the US spoke on the phone and agreed to continue to work toward a preliminary agreement for resolving their tariff war.

The Chinese Commerce Ministry said in a brief notice that Vice Premier Liu He spoke with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin early Tuesday Beijing time.

BEIJING, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- The China Society for Human Rights Studies Tuesday issued an article titled "The Long-Standing Issue of Gender Discrimination in the United States Seriously Hinders the Realization of Women's Human Rights within the Country."