Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

BEIJING (AP) — Asian stocks declined Thursday following Wall Street’s rebound amid uncertainty about U.S.-Chinese trade tension.

Market benchmarks in Shanghai, Tokyo and Hong Kong declined.

Investors were looking for news about the outlook for U.S.-Chinese trade negotiations following confusion over President Donald Trump’s conflicting statements about the status of talks.

Negotiators are due to meet in September but there has been no sign of progress. Investors worry the spiraling tariff war over trade and technology could tip the global economy into recession.

HONG KONG (AP) — Chinese state media released footage Thursday of military troops moving into Hong Kong for what they call a routine rotation amid fears that the army will intervene in ongoing pro-democracy protests.

Armored carriers, trucks and a patrol boat were shown crossing the border from neighboring Shenzhen city into Hong Kong for the 22nd rotation of the People’s Liberation Army’s Hong Kong garrison, Xinhua state news agency reported.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Torrential rain triggered floods and landslides in Japan on Wednesday, killing at least two people and prompting authorities to order more than 900,000 people to leave their homes while another million were advised to move to safety.

More than twice the usual rainfall for the whole of August has fallen over parts of the southern island of Kyushu over the past 48 hours, washing away roads, causing rivers to burst their banks and forcing the suspension of train services.

TOKYO, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Wednesday that he hopes tensions in the Middle East will not escalate further.

On the stand-off due to a 2015 nuclear deal from which the United States withdrew last year, Zarif discussed with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the outset of a meeting held in Yokohama, close to Tokyo.

"Iran welcomes the Japanese government's role in trying to ease tensions in the Middle East," Zarif said.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — At least three people were killed and 245 others were rescued after a fire engulfed a ferry in the southern Philippines overnight, the coast guard said Wednesday.

Search and rescue efforts were continuing after the fire on the M/V Lite Ferry 16 off Dapitan city in Zamboanga del Norte province, coast guard spokesman Armand Balilo said.

BEIJING (AP) — Asian stocks were mixed Wednesday as uneasy investors watched for signs of progress on U.S.-China trade after Wall Street slid.

Shanghai retreated, Tokyo advanced and Hong Kong was unchanged.

Investors who worry the U.S.-Chinese tariff war will drag the global economy into recession were left guessing after President Donald Trump’s conflicting comments on trade talks.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak’s second corruption trial started Wednesday, with a prosecutor alleging he pilfered billions of dollars from the 1MDB state investment fund through an “elaborate charade” and then sought to cover his tracks.

Chief prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram said in his opening remarks that the prosecution would show how Najib took steps to channel 1MDB money into his accounts using a “circuitous route” to prevent detection of the source of the funds and then later pretending that the fund was donated by an Arab prince.

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s downgrading of South Korea’s trade status took effect Wednesday, a decision that has already set off a series of reactions hurting bilateral relations.

Japanese manufacturers now must apply for approval for each technology-related contract for South Korean export, rather than the simpler checks granted a preferential trade partner, which is still the status of the U.S. and others.

27 August 2019; AFP: An Australian pro-democracy academic held for seven months in China has been formally arrested for spying, Foreign Minister Marise Payne said Tuesday as she demanded Beijing uphold "basic standards" of justice.

Payne said she was "very concerned" that Chinese-born Yang Hengjun -- a former official turned author -- had been arrested on "suspicion of espionage".

Yang had been detained after returning to China from the United States in January.

YOKOHAMA, Japan (Reuters) - Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono said he urged Iran to abide by a 2015 nuclear deal during a meeting on Tuesday with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif.

The men agreed to maintain close communication between Japan and Iran, which historically have had friendly ties, to ease tension between the United States and Iran, Kono told reporters afterward.