Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

VIENTIANE, Laos, Oct 26 (NNN-KPL) – The 19th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Telecommunications and Information Technology Ministers Meeting (TELMIN) and related meetings were held here on Thursday and Friday.

According to the joint media statement issued by ASEAN on Friday, the meeting, talking over smart connectivity for ASEAN digital transformation, agreed to further intensify cooperation to propel ASEAN towards a digitally-enabled economy that is secure, sustainable, and transformative; and to build an innovative, inclusive and integrated ASEAN.

26 October 2019; AFP: A Hong Kong court has banned people from publishing a wide range of personal details about police officers and their families, including photos, in a bid to halt "doxxing" by pro-democracy protesters.

The temporary injunction, uploaded on government websites overnight, was criticised by some on Saturday for its broad wording and for further shielding the identity of officers as they clash with protesters.

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese Vice Premier Liu He had a phone call with U.S. trade officials as both countries confirmed technical consultations on some parts of a trade agreement were basically completed, China’s Ministry of Commerce said in a statement on Saturday.

Liu spoke with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Friday night, the statement said.

The Commerce Ministry said both sides agreed to properly address each other’s core concerns.

TOKYO (Reuters) - The death toll from torrential rains that caused flooding and mudslides in Japan climbed to 10 on Saturday, with three others missing, public broadcaster NHK reported, just two weeks after the region was hit by a powerful typhoon.

Landslides ripped through waterlogged areas in Chiba and Fukushima prefectures, in eastern and northeastern Japan, on Friday. In some places, a month’s worth of rain fell in just half a day.

YEN THANH, Vietnam (Reuters) - The majority of the 39 people found dead in the back of a truck near London were likely from Vietnam, a community leader from the rural, rice-growing community where many of the victims are believed to have come from told Reuters on Saturday.

The discovery of the bodies - 38 adults and one teenager - was made on Wednesday after emergency services were alerted to people in a truck container on an industrial site in Grays, about 32km (20 miles) east of central London.

BEIJING, Oct 25 (APP): The Hunan University of Chinese Medicine (HUCM) has named its newly established One Belt One Road TCM Research Center after Academician Prof Atta-ur-Rahman at its main campus in Changsha, capital of China’s Hunan province.

The grand opening ceremony of the proposed center was held in HUCM, along with 5th Annual Bio-TCM International Conference.

BAKU, (AZERBAIJAN), Oct 25 (NNN-Bernama) — Multilateralism is more important than ever, and it is the responsibility of the Non-Alignment Movement (NAM) to protect this asset, said Azerbaijan Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.

Mammadyarov said NAM, as the second-largest international political organisation after the United Nations, is definitely one of the main driving forces of multilateral cooperation.

HAIKOU, October 25. /TASS/: More than hundred companies are expected to take part in Hainan's IV New Energy and Electric Vehicle Exhibition. According to the event's official website, the exhibition will run on October 25-27 in the city of Haikou. 

The main theme of this year's car show is dubbed New Era, New Energy, New Opportunities. It will be held in the Hainan International Exhibition Complex in six pavilions with a total area of ​​more than 35,000 square meters. 

NUR-SULTAN, October 25. /TASS/: Minsk will hold consultations with Moscow on the possible transit of oil from Kazakhstan, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said following a meeting with President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Nur-Sultan.

"We have agreed that we would hold consultations with the Russian Federation in the near future, since transit, if possible, of Kazakhstani oil will be carried out by pipeline through Russia. I think we will work out a deal," he said.

25 October 2019; AFP: The heir to the Samsung empire arrived at court Friday for a retrial over a sprawling corruption scandal that threatens to disrupt management at the world's biggest smartphone and memory chip maker.

Lee Jae-yong is vice-chairman of Samsung Electronics -- where profits have been falling for months -- and was jailed for five years in 2017 for bribery, embezzlement and other offences in connection with the scandal that brought down South Korean president Park Geun-hye.