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South East Asia
Malaysians’ voting eligibility age lowered to 18
KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian youths are set to contribute more towards strengthening democracy and shaping the nation once changes to the Constitution to lower the voting age from the current 21 years old to 18 years old are approved. The second reading of the amendment bill was tabled in Parliament…
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East Asia
Moon warns Japan will suffer more damage from export curbs against S. Korea
President Moon Jae-in on Monday vowed not to succumb to Japan’s economic pressure, warning that the neighboring country will suffer greater economic damage should their trade stand-off continue. He stressed that Tokyo’s tougher export restrictions, which target firms here, will be counterproductive and eventually backfire due to the “united power”…
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South East Asia
A passion for building ship replicas
Batu Gajah, Malaysia: Black Sabbath’s Heaven and Hell was playing loudly at a wood workshop in Kampung Bakap Baru in Jalan Tanjung Tualang. Inside, a man who calls himself Captain Jack was busy working on a replica of Admiral Cheng Ho’s ship – an order placed by a customer last…
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East Asia
U.S. officials share concern about Seoul-Tokyo tensions: NSC official
U.S. officials have expressed concern that tensions between South Korea and Japan over Tokyo’s export restrictions against Seoul are not conducive to trilateral cooperation between the three countries, Seoul’s deputy national security adviser said Saturday. Kim Hyun-chong, deputy chief of Cheong Wa Dae’s National Security Office, made the remark to…
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East Asia
S. Korea embraces deepening trade row as Japan considers additional measures
Trade tensions between South Korea and Japan are escalating as Tokyo seems to be preparing to expand the scope of its export controls beyond high-tech materials to a wide spectrum of areas, which could disrupt the global supply chain, industry watchers said Monday. Japan began applying stricter export rules on…
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East Asia
S. Korea: new law to bring to light widespread but overlooked problem of workplace bullying
A new law designed to prevent bullying in the workplace is set to go into effect in South Korea this week, setting the stage for victims of harassment at work to get some protection. A revised law on labor standards, commonly called the workplace anti-bullying law, will be effective starting…
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East Asia
S. Korea: Woori to launch center for pension fund management
Woori Bank will open a center for pension fund management Monday, to improve its customers’ return on assets, the bank said Friday. According to Woori, the center will be a comprehensive consulting center staffed by 30 advisors specializing in private banking. The bank’s division for pension funds will be in…
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East Asia
S. Korea to raise minimum wage for next year by 2.9 pct
South Korea decided Friday to raise the minimum wage for next year by 2.9 percent, the slowest growth in a decade, as it took into account an economic slowdown and sluggish job growth. The Minimum Wage Commission, involving labor and business representatives and experts, set the minimum wage at 8,590…
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East Asia
N. Korea changes constitution to make Kim Jong-un official head of state
North Korea has revised its constitution to stipulate that leader Kim Jong-un is the official head of state, according to a state media outlet. The new constitution, revised in April’s Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA) session, states that the chairman of the State Affairs Commission (SAC), the communist state’s highest seat…
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East Asia
2020 Gwangju Biennale to shed light on past, future of human intelligence
Next year’s Gwangju Biennale art show in the namesake southern South Korean city will explore the subject matter of human intelligence by shedding light on very primitive to cutting-edge forms of art, the event’s artistic directors said Thursday. The artistic directors — Natasha Ginwala and Defne Ayas — were named…
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