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Society
South Korea: Virus changes year-end holiday plans, but connection still possible
SEOUL: Baek Soo-bin, 28, was all set to finally reunite with her friends for a year-end party after a series of canceled dinners and get-togethers amid toughened coronavirus social distancing rules. But instead of visiting a fancy bar or restaurant, Baek was at her home in Paju, north of…
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Society
Solstice in Korea: Red beans provide power to drive away evil spirits
SEOUL: The COVID-19 pandemic and heavy restrictions have imposed a new way of life, but they have not waned the enthusiasm of Koreans to celebrate Solstice, “Dongji”, the day with the shortest period of daylight and the longest night of the year, with their traditional red bean porridge, called “patjuk”. Koreans…
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Society
South Korea to begin COVID-19 vaccination in first quarter of 2021, PM says
SEOUL: South Korea will be able to start the coronavirus vaccination of its people in the first quarter of next year on a limited basis, according to Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun. “Inoculation will begin as early as in February or March at the latest,” he said in an interview with…
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Society
Adult stem cell therapy for COVID-19 sequelae begins in Japan for first time in the world
LOS ANGELES: Japan’s Kyushu Certified Special Committee for Regenerative Medicine, Appropriate Opinion on Treatment Plan for COVID-19 Sequelae Using Autologous Adipose-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells The patented technology developed by Korea’s Biostar Stem Cell Research Institute is scheduled to start in late December at the Japanese medical corporation Yesunghoe Trinity Clinic…
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Politics
Budget vote in Malaysian parliament goes ahead despite presence of quarantined MPs in full PPE
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s parliament waded into controversy after three MPs currently undergoing home quarantine were allowed into the parliament to participate in a vote on the budget for the Federal Territories Ministry. The three MPs, reportedly Health Minister Adham Baba and M. Saravanan from the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition and…
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Politics
A Strange Museum in Tehran: No to the Chemical Bomb, No to the Atomic Bomb
By Alireza Bahrami TEHRAN: These days, with the election of Mr. Biden as the next President of the United States, one of the options that has gained strength in some media is the US invasion of Iran before the end of Mr. Trump’s presidency; An option that, of course, seems…
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Society
Body of South Korean filmmaker Kim Ki-duk likely to be cremated in Latvia
SEOUL: The body of South Korean filmmaker Kim Ki-duk, who died from COVID-19 complications in Latvia, is likely to be cremated in the Baltic country, a diplomatic source familiar with the matter has said. Kim’s family has asked the South Korean Embassy in Latvia to take care of the funeral…
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South Asia
Journalist Malala Maiwand shot dead; fourth media victim in Afghanistan in 2020
KABUL: Malala Maiwand, 25, has become the fourth journalist to be killed in Afghanistan in 2020 after she was shot dead in eastern Afghanistan. According to reports, Malala, a reporter for radio and television broadcaster Enikas, was on her way to work in Jalalabad on Thursday when unidentified gunmen opened…
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South Asia
Journalist assassinated at home in northwestern Pakistan; AJA founder expresses support
DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Pakistani journalist Qais Javed was shot dead in the yard of his home on the night of December 7 in the northwestern city of Dera Ismail Khan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province bordering Afghanistan. Asia Journalist Association (AJA) founder and President of the Journalists Association of Korea…
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Society
Seoul cancels year-end bell-ringing ceremony for first time in 67 years
SEOUL: The Seoul metropolitan government said that a traditional bell-ringing ceremony at midnight on New Year’s Eve would be canceled amid a recent surge in novel coronavirus infections. “Considering the rapid spread of COVID-19, we have to cancel the year-end bell-ringing ceremony,” said an official from the municipal government…
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