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East Asia
North Korea’s foreign trade
Recent economic sanctions created serious problems with exports of minerals from North Korea. Technically UN member countries are banned from importing North Korea minerals even though in practice it remains to be seen to what extent this ban will be observed by China. Nonetheless, there is no doubt that the…
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Central Asia
Russian naval strike force starts anti-terror drills in the Mediterranean
The Russian Black Sea Fleet’s advanced warships Serpukhov and Zelyony Dol armed with Kalibr cruise missiles have launched anti-terror drills in the east Mediterranean, TASS reports. “The drills will check the ability of the fleet’s forces to operate in the conditions of resolving crisis situations of terrorist nature. The naval…
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Central Asia
Mongolian tankers qualify for IAG semifinals
The Mongolian Ministry of Defense reports that the Mongolian team participating in the Tank Biathlon of the 2016 International Army Games qualified for the semifinals after the conclusion of the individual race on August 7, The UB Post reports. The Mongolian tank team finished the individual race with 29 minutes…
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South East Asia
Indonesian President Dismisses Energy Minister Over US Citizenship
Indonesian President Joko Widodo has relieved Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Archandra Tahar from his duties over reports that he had a dual Indonesian-US citizenship, State Secretariat Minister Pratikno said. Under Indonesian nationality law, Indonesians automatically lose their citizenship if they voluntarily accept foreign citizenship. “Responding to the public statement…
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Central Asia
Tehran and Moscow to construct 2 Nuclear Power Plants in Iran
Iran and Russia will construct two nuclear power plants in Iran, Spokesman of the Parliament National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Sayid Hossein Naqavi Hosseini said Sputnik reports. Hosseini said on Saturday that Iran needs 20,000MW of electricity, which requires construction of about 10 nuclear power plants, Shana news agency…
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East Asia
Crossing the red line
By Tong Kim – The Korea Times Many have reached a point of fatigue and a sense of futility in talking about denuclearization. There is plenty of blame to go around for Pyongyang, Washington and Seoul. North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho, speaking to reporters in Vientiane, Laos, where he…
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Central Asia
Putin-Erdogan talks signal ‘restart process’
The recent Erdogan-Putin talks, which were the first ever since the downing of a Russian jet by Turkey, mark a restart period in the two countries’ relations, says an Armenian expert in Turkish studies, Tert reports. At a news conference on August 10, Gevorg Petrosyan, the president of the research center…
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East Asia
Future of China-NK relations
Lee Seong-hyon – The Korea Times Most Western experts describe China’s North Korea policy as a failure. If that is the case, China has had many failures, not just one. Combing through Sino-North Korean history, we discover a series of intriguing relational hiccups between the two, with their relations fluctuating between…
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South East Asia
Philippines president calls US ambassador ‘gay’
Hong Dam-young – The Korea Times Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, notorious for using derogatory terms about his political opponents, has called. U.S. ambassador Philip Goldberg a “son of a bitch.” Duterte made the comment while giving a speech to soldiers at Camp Lapu-Lapu in Cebu City on Friday. After recalling…
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East Asia
Ailing Japanese King says he might abdicate
Lee Han-soo, Park Si-soo – The Korea Times Japanese King Akihito, 82, says he wants to step down due to his faltering health. “I am worried that it may become difficult for me to carry out my duties as the symbol of the state with my whole being as I…
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