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East Asia
Death toll from Indonesian earthquake rises to 82, hundreds injured
A powerful quake which struck the Indonesian holiday island of Lombok has killed 82 people and wounded hundreds, national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said early Monday, with thousands of buildings damaged. The seven-magnitude tremor, which triggered panic among tourists and locals on Sunday evening, was also felt on…
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East Asia
“The Mystery of Laos Dam Business”
NGOs in Thailand will hold a civic forum titled “The Mystery of Laos Dam Business” on the 9th of August. Thai civic groups will point out the problems of the construction companies, the National Assembly, and the Thai Energy Plan in connection with the collapse of the dam. They are…
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East Asia
Laos dam collapses
Hundreds of people are missing and an unknown number believed dead after the collapse of a hydropower dam in southeast Laos. The accident happened at the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower dam in the southeastern province of Attapeu in July, sparking flash floods in villages in the area and leaving more…
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East Asia
Reflections on Inequality in Asia
The Asian growth experience generates somewhat contradictory messages in the resurgent debates about inequality. At the global level, Asia’s remarkable economic performance has not only driven an unprecedented decline in global poverty but a decline in global income inequality as well. Asia is responsible for a substantial share of what…
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East Asia
North Korea also struggling with heatwave
North Korea on Thursday urged its people to ramp up efforts to reduce damage from an unusually long heat wave that has gripped many parts of the country, taking its toll on crops and boding ill for harvests. In an editorial, the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling…
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East Asia
North Korea will soon open commercial bank, mobile banking
North Korea seems to be ready to establish its first commercial bank, Korea Development Bank (KDB) researcher Kim Young-hui told The Korea Times, Tuesday. “I think it could happen in the near future, within a year at most,” said Kim, Senior Research Fellow at KDB’s Korean Peninsula New Economy Center.…
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East Asia
Seoul vows to improve refugee protection, simplify review process
South Korea will work to better protect international refugees arriving in the country while greatly speeding up its refugee review process to help ease their pains and sort out fake asylum seekers, the country’s justice minister said Wednesday. Minister Park Sang-ki said the country will also boost its assistance for…
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East Asia
“Save my brother from Myanmar prison”
ASAN, South Chungcheong Province ― Lee Sang-beom, 48, a Korean businessman and father of two children, was full of hope and optimism when he opened a medical device sales firm in Myanmar five years ago. In the country, dubbed “the last frontier in Asia,” Lee was excited to start a…
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East Asia
Investments in the online comic market
Kakao Corp., the operator of South Korea’s top mobile messenger, KakaoTalk, has joined forces with major talent agency YG Entertainment Inc. to tap deeper into the online comic market in Japan, industry sources said Monday. Although the two firms have not signed official tie-up deals, the collaboration is drawing attention…
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East Asia
Korea’s largest Buddhist sect in chaos
Under the monster heat wave that has gripped the nation for weeks, Venerable Seoljo, 88, has gone on a hunger strike. His fast ― albeit he drinks water with bamboo salt ― marked its 40th day on Sunday. The senior monk’s sit-in protest in a tent set up near Jogye…
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