Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

SHANGHAI, July 17 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese research group on Tuesday announced progress in developing a drug to treat Alzheimer's disease.

GV-971 was developed by Ocean University of China, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica under Chinese Academy of Sciences and Green Valley Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, after a 21-year study.

A phase three clinical trial is the last test before reaching the market.

In the trial, participants took 450 mg GV-971 orally twice a day for 36 weeks, which proved effective in improving cognition.

BEIJING, July 12 (Xinhua) -- China's C919 large passenger plane project has entered into a new major phase with intensive flight tests in multiple sites around the country, announced its developer the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (COMAC).

The No.102 C919 plane landed at Dongying Shengli Airport in east China's Shandong Province Thursday, after its first long-distance flight from the final assembly line in Shanghai, COMAC said.

Before this flight, the aircraft has completed multiple tests and had modifications made for the upcoming test missions.

BEIJING, July 16 (Xinhua) -- China and the European Union (EU) on Monday agreed to jointly work to safeguard the rules-based international order, promote multilateralism and support free trade.

The agreement was reached during the 20th China-EU leaders' meeting, co-chaired by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

All the 12 boys and their coach have been rescued out of the flooded cave. The boys and the coach were trapped in the cave since June 23.

"We are not sure if this is a miracle, a science, or what. All the thirteen Wild Boars (the soccer team) are now out of the cave," the SEALs posted on their Facebook page.

GUANGZHOU/SHANGHAI, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Companies from China and the United States are concerned about the impact of trade tensions between the world's top two economies after the United States began imposing a 25-percent additional tariff on Chinese products worth 34 billion U.S. dollars Friday.

China's customs authority announced that additional tariffs for some imports from the United States worth the same amount, including agricultural products, vehicles and aquatic products, also took effect on the same day.

The Japan Times, July 6, 2018; Police and security personnel were on alert Friday for any possible retaliation following the execution of Aum Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara and six of his followers.

“I believe that police authorities will take every step,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference when asked about preparedness for possible reactions from those who are still followers of Asahara.

Two decades after deadly sarin attack on Tokyo's subway in 1995 by Aum Shinrikyo, its leader Shoko Asahara was executed on July 6.

Government spokesman Yoshihide Suga confirmed the hanging of Shoko Asahara.

According to The Guardian, “The justice ministry did not immediately confirm that Asahara had been hanged, while the public broadcaster NHK said six other senior cult members were due to be executed the same day.”

US and China have threatened to impose billions in tariff on 6 July, but China’s finance ministry issued a statement on Wednesday saying that it would not be the first to impose the levy.

“The Chinese government’s position has been stated many times. We absolutely will not fire the first shot, and will not implement tariff measures ahead of the United States doing so.”, stated the ministry.

Kuala Lumpur: Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was charged on Wednesday with three counts of criminal breach of trust and one count of using his position for gratification as part of a probe into missing money from state fund 1MDB.

“The charges are in connection with how 42 million ringgit ($10 million) went from SRC International, a former 1MDB unit, into Najib’s personal bank account.”, reported Reuters.

Razak was was arrested by anti-corruption investigators on Tuesday.

Parentsand, relatives and frinds wait anxiously as authorities, emergency workers and the rescuers plan evacuation of 12 boys and a coach from a flooded cave.

12 missing boys and their football coach were found alive and apparently safe in Tham Luang cave by a British cave explorer.

“They became trapped after entering the Tham Luang Cave on June 23 after soccer practice. Evacuating the group through flooded passages will be difficult and dangerous, experts say, in part because the boys are unlikely to have dived before.”, reported Bangkok Post.