Stocks in Asia touched a level not seen since December 2007 as a rally in Hong Kong-listed Chinese companies offset weakness in South Korea and Japan amid speculation of a Saturday missile launch by Pyongyang.The MSCI Asia Pacific Index climbed 0.4 percent to 161.81 as of 4:33 p.m. in Hong Kong, led by China Gas Holdings, which extended gains from a record yesterday after bullish growth forecasts.

North Korea on Wednesday vowed to accelerate its weapons programme in response to the "evil" sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council after its latest and most powerful test."The adoption of another illegal and evil 'resolution on sanctions' piloted by the US served as an occasion for the DPRK to verify that the road it chose to go down was absolutely right," the North's foreign ministry said in a statement published by the official KCNA news agency.&quo

The UN Security Council has unanimously adopted new sanctions on North Korea, including restrictions on oil shipments, to punish Pyongyang for its sixth and largest nuclear test.But Washington toned down its initial proposals to secure backing from China and Russia.Here are some key questions on UNSC resolution 2375, and its attempt to end the North's nuclear weapons and missile programmes.What impact will the oil measures have?The new resolution ends natural gas shipments to North Korea

The UN Security Council on Monday unanimously imposed new sanctions on North Korea, slapping a ban on textile exports and restricting shipments of oil products to punish Pyongyang for its sixth and largest nuclear test.

North Korea warned of retaliation if the United Nations Security Council approves a US proposal for harsher sanctions after Pyongyang conducted is sixth and most powerful nuclear test.Kim Jong Un’s regime “is closely following the moves of the US with vigilance,” its state-run Korean Central News Agency said Monday, citing a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Asian stocks rose with US equity-index futures and the dollar rebounded from its lowest in more than two years as hurricane Irma’s force waned and as the United Nations prepared to vote on tougher North Korean sanctions.Equities advanced in Tokyo, Seoul and Sydney as Treasuries fell. The dollar rose against major peers as Irma, while devastating, didn’t reach the feared Category 5 storm that some had expected and looks to have spared Miami.

North Korea said the US will “pay dearly” after its UN (United Nations) Ambassador Nikki Haley said the isolated nation was “begging for war,” again ratcheting up tensions as world leaders consider a fresh round of sanctions.Describing Haley’s comments to the UN this week as a “hysteric fit,” a commentary by the state-run KCNA (Korean Central News Agency) on Friday warned the US of unspecified retribution.

The North Korean nuclear crisis dragged Asian markets further into the red on Wednesday as world powers struggled to agree how to deal with the isolated state, while doubts about further US interest rate hikes dragged the dollar.With few other catalysts to deflect attention from the face off with Pyongyang, investors continue to flock to safe-haven assets, sending gold to near one-year highs and the yen flying.UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned against "confrontational rhetoric

As Kim Jong Un’s antics in North Korea capture global attention, China is quietly moving to bolster its grip on the disputed territory in the South China Sea.Last month, a Philippine lawmaker released photos he said showed Chinese fishing, coast guard and navy vessels surrounding a Philippine-occupied isle in the Spratly island chain, preventing planned repairs to a runway.