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South Asia
Social media in Pakistan proves its strength
A controversial decision to make plastic wrapping over all checked in luggage mandatory at Pakistan airports was withdrawn less than one day after it was announced. The decision waded into controversy amid heavy criticism by frequent flyers concerned about delays and costs and environmentalists worried about the negative consequences of…
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South Asia
Pakistan: proving identity mandatory for making purchases
[Islamabad] The Federal Board of Revenue has made it mandatory: ordinary citizens have to show Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) in case of making purchases of over Pakistan rupees 50000 (US$312). In the case of a female buyer, the CNIC of her husband or father will be considered valid for…
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East Asia
Trade minister to visit U.S. as Seoul works to ramp up int’l support over dispute with Tokyo
South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee is set to visit the United States Tuesday to rally support from the country’s key ally in a deepening trade dispute with Japan. During the five-day stay in Washington, Yoo will meet with officials from the U.S. government and Congress and explain South Korea’s…
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East Asia
Pompeo says he hopes N.K. takes different position in talks
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday he hopes North Korea takes a different position when the two sides resume nuclear talks. In a series of interviews with U.S. media outlets, the top U.S. diplomat also expressed hope the talks will begin “soon.” The comments come after U.S. President…
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East Asia
Officials of two Koreas to meet in Manila amid Seoul-Tokyo diplomatic row
Officials of South and North Korea are expected to meet at an international peace conference in the Philippines this week amid a growing diplomatic row between Seoul and Tokyo over wartime forced labor and economic retaliation, conference organizers said Tuesday. The government of Gyeonggi Province, South Korea’s most populous province…
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East Asia
S. Korea: Newly registered pet dogs up 40 pct in 2018
The number of newly registered pet dogs in South Korea rose nearly 40 percent in 2018 from a year earlier, the country’s animal quarantine agency said Monday. Around 147,000 new dogs were registered to the state-run Animal Protection Management System last year, compared with the newly registered 105,000 pet dogs…
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East Asia
Moon urges innovative growth to counter Japan’s trade pressure
President Moon Jae-in said Monday his government will redouble its push for innovative growth in South Korea’s manufacturing sector, especially by nurturing globally competitive startups, as part of a long-term response to Japan’s trade pressure. He pointed out that Tokyo’s export restrictions have added to the economic troubles facing Asia’s…
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South East Asia
Euphoria, optimism as Singapore celebrates 200th anniversary
Singapore: From a distance, you spot this eye-catching artistic display at an open ground of the Macpherson housing estate. Close-up and you see red, green and blue heart symbols painted over the white panels cardboards and featuring such words as love, family, strength, peace, and vision. The Garden of Hearts showpiece…
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East Asia
Park Won-yeon, a lawyer for North Koreans
A growing number of North Koreans who left the native country to settle in South Korea and started a new life are suffering from fraud in South Korea. North Koreans in South Korea are called by several names: compatriots, North Koreans, North Korean defectors, Sattermin, etc. The definition of North…
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South Asia
Pakistan’s former Premier arrested
Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was arrested by a 12-member National Accountability Bureau (NAB) team on Thursday in a multi-billion-rupee case related to the award of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import contract. When he was arrested, Abbasi was on his way to attend a press conference, accompanied…
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