Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

YANGON, Aug 30 (NNN-Xinhua) — A total of 78 more illegal Myanmar migrant workers have been sent back to homeland from Thailand, Myanmar’s immigration authorities said on Friday.

The illegal migrant workers including six women were handed over by Thailand’s Immigration Department through Kawthoung border gate in southern Tanintharyi region on Wednesday evening.

They were expelled by the Thai authorities for being found with expired visas and without proper documents.

BEIJING (AP) — Asian stocks rebounded Friday on hopes next month’s U.S.-Chinese talks might produce progress toward ending a costly tariff war over trade and technology.

Benchmarks in Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Sydney followed Wall Street higher.

Investors were encouraged by a Chinese government statement Thursday that its penalties on U.S. imports are adequate. That suggested Beijing might be pausing in a tit-for-tat cycle of tariff hikes by both sides that has fueled fears the global economy might tip into recession.

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 29 (NNN-BERNAMA) — Iran’s economy continues to be resilient despite facing various crippling sanctions from the United States (US), said Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Zarif, who was in Malaysia for a one-day visit, said Iran managed to weather the sanctions by undertaking specific programmes and relying on its resources.

“Iran has programmes to make our economy resilient. We succeeded in part…we did not succeed in other parts.

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong police arrested well-known activist Joshua Wong and another core member of a pro-democracy group Friday in a mounting crackdown on people involved in this summer’s protests.

Police also arrested Andy Chan, the leader of a pro-independence movement, at the airport Thursday night.

An appeals board also denied permission for a major march planned for Saturday, the fifth anniversary of a decision by China against allowing fully democratic elections for the leader of Hong Kong.

The organizers said they were calling off the march.

HONG KONG (AP) — The Latest on the protests in Hong Kong (all times local):

1:35 p.m.

Demosisto’s vice-chairperson says the arrests of two prominent members of the pro-democracy group are an attempt to spread fear and “white terror” among Hong Kong residents.

Isaac Cheng spoke to reporters Friday about the arrests of activists Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow before Saturday’s banned rally. Cheng accused authorities of trying to identify leaders in a “leaderless” movement that has rocked Hong Kong for nearly three months.

BEIJING, Aug 29 (APP): Terming the visit of Vice Chairman of Central Military Commission of China, General Xu Qiliang to Pakistan very successful, a Chinese Defense Ministry’s spokesman Thursday said that China would work together with Pakistan to strengthen strategic communication, enhance mutual trust and improve defense cooperation to safeguard peace and stability in the region.

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea’s decision to scrap a military intelligence-sharing pact with Japan has led to an increasingly public split with the United States, just when the allies face rising tensions with North Korea and new competition from China and Russia.

South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Sei-young met U.S. Ambassador Harry Harris on Wednesday and asked that the United States’ tone down its public criticism of South Korea’s decision not to renew the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) with Japan, according to a diplomatic source.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China and the United States are discussing face-to-face trade talks that were scheduled to be held in the United States in September, China’s Commerce Ministry said on Thursday.

Both sides “should create conditions” for progress in negotiations, Gao Feng, the ministry’s spokesman told reporters during a weekly briefing, adding that China was against escalating the trade war with the United States and was willing to resolve the issue calmly.

TOKYO, Aug. 29. (Xinhua) -- An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.1 struck off the eastern coast of Aomori Prefecture, the northernmost prefecture on Japan's main island Honshu, the weather agency here said Thursday.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the temblor, which has not resulted in a tsunami warning being issued, occurred at 8:46 a.m. local time and was centered off the coast of Aomori Prefecture in northern Japan, with its epicenter located at a latitude of 41.0 degrees north and longitude of 143.1 degrees east.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday berated Japan for carrying out its plan to downgrade South Korea’s trade status and reiterated that Tokyo was weaponizing trade to retaliate over political rows stemming from the countries’ wartime history.

Moon said in a Cabinet meeting that Japan is being dishonest by insisting that its trade curbs weren’t retaliation over historical issues, including South Korean court rulings that called for Japanese companies to offer reparations to aging South Korean plaintiffs for forced labor during World War II.