Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

8 Aug 2019; GANASHAKTI: New Delhi/Beijing : China has told India not to block its Huawei Technologies from doing business in the country, warning there could be consequences for Indian firms operating in China, sources with knowledge of the matter said. India is due to hold trials for installing a next-generation 5G cellular network in the next few months, but has not yet taken a call on whether it would invite the Chinese telecoms equipment maker to take part, telecoms minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has said.

Kuala Lumpur, Aug 9 (AFP) Malaysia filed criminal charges Friday against 17 current and former directors of three Goldman Sachs subsidiaries, piling further pressure on the Wall Street titan over the multi-billion-dollar 1MDB scandal.

Billions of dollars were looted from the country's sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad in a globe-spanning fraud, which allegedly involved ex-leader Najib Razak and his inner circle.

Bishkek, Aug 9 (AFP) A court in Kyrgyzstan has ordered former president Almazbek Atambayev held in custody until August 26, a spokesman said Friday, after he was detained in a major security operation at his home that sparked unrest by his supporters.

The Central Asian state, which has seen two revolutions in less than two decades, is on the brink of crisis amid a standoff between Atambayev and his protege-turned-foe President Sooronbai Jeenbekov.

BEIJING (AP) — China issued its top warning for coastal areas of Zhejiang province Friday ahead of a strong typhoon carrying heavy rain and winds and expected to send an intense storm surge up the mighty Yangzte River.

Heavy rain was expected in Zhejiang, Shanghai and nearby provinces on Friday before Typhoon Lekima hits land on Saturday morning, then weakens as it moves north.

KUALA LUMPUR,  Aug 8 (NNN-BERNAMA) — After slapping Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak with a RM1.69 billion tax suit, Malaysia’s Inland Revenue Board (IRB) is now suing the former premier’ son over RM37.6 million of unpaid taxes from 2011 to 2017.

The Malaysian Government, as the plaintiff, filed the writ of summons and statement of claims through the IRB at the High Court on July 24, naming 36-year-old Datuk Mohd Nazifuddin Mohd Najib as the sole defendant.

BEIJING, Aug 8 (APP): Indian government’s reaffirmation of its claim to Aksai China after unilaterally changing the administrative status of Indian occupied Kashmir has dragged China back into the dispute after the noticeable improvement of bilateral relations between the two countries following their standoff on the Donglang Plateau two years ago.

BEIJING, Aug 8 (APP): Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s unilateral declaration of scraping special status of Jammu and Kashmir will not only trigger more conflicts in the region but the escalating tension in Kashmir will bring severe challenges to India’s security as well.

The decision triggered Pakistan’s dissatisfaction and has added much uncertainty to regional conditions, according to an article published by Global Times on Thursday.

BISHKEK, August 8. /TASS/: Preparations for the meeting of the EAEU Intergovernmental Council to be held in the Kyrgyz resort town of Cholpon-Ata on August 9 are underway as normal, spokesman for the Russian embassy in the country Viktor Kharchenko told TASS on Thursday.

"Preparations are underway as normal. Assigned groups are working as planned," he said.

On Wednesday, press service of the Kyrgyz cabinet also stated that the meeting would be held as scheduled.

BISHKEK, August 8. /TASS/: Former Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev has revealed that he was shooting at the special forces officers who were storming his residence, he told reporters on Thursday.

"My supporters did not have weapons, it was me who was shooting during the assault," he said. However, Atambayev assured that he "was trying not to hit" people. According to him, he is also willing to assist the release of the Alfa special forces officers who were captured by his backers and are now  held in his residence.

08 August 2019; AFP: Kyrgyzstan was on the brink of a full-blown political crisis Thursday after special forces failed to capture the former president during a raid on his compound which left one officer dead and a police chief in a critical condition.

The Central Asian state, which has seen two revolutions in less than two decades, has been roiled by a standoff between ex-leader Almazbek Atambayev and his protege-turned-foe President Sooronbai Jeenbekov.