Xinhua Asia-Pacific News Summary at 0600 GMT, Dec. 18

SARI PUL, Afghanistan -- Afghan forces regained control of the strategically important Tabar valley in the northern Sari Pul province, forcing Taliban militants to flee, police spokesman in the northern region Sayed Sarwar Hussaini said Monday.

"The government forces after three days of fierce fighting was able to regain the control of Tabar valley on Sunday evening and the Taliban rebels after suffering huge casualties and leaving 42 bodies behind fled the area," Hussaini told Xinhua. (Afghanistan-Taliban)

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MANILA -- A tropical storm which battered the Philippines on Saturday has left at least 26 people dead and 46 others missing, a government spokesperson said on Monday.

Romina Marasigan of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (NDRRMC) said in a news conference that most of the people died in at least 17 landslides that hit four provinces in the central Philippines, namely Biliran, Leyte, Eastern Samar and Samar, triggered by tropical storm Kai-Tak.(Philippines-Storm)

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SEOUL -- Over half of South Korean people positively saw President Moon Jae-in's state visit to China, a survey showed Monday.

According to the Realmeter poll, 55.8 percent of respondents positively assessed Moon's four-day trip to China last week saying it contributed to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. (S.Korea-Approval Rate)

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NEW DELHI, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- At least 12 people were killed in a major fire at a shop in India's financial capital Mumbai Monday, police said. (India-Fire) Enditem