Most Popular
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Exports to US reach all-time high, widen gap with China
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Trump rekindles criticism: US forces defending 'wealthy' S. Korea 'free of charge'
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[Music in drama] Rekindle a love that slipped through your fingers
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S. Korea discussed possible participation in AUKUS Pillar 2 with Australia: defense minister
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[New faces of Assembly] Architect behind ‘audacious initiative’ believes in denuclearized North Korea
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Seoul Metro to seek legal action against malicious complaints
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Opposition-led Assembly unilaterally passes bill to probe Marine's death
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Illit, mired in controversy, remains on Billboard charts for 5th week
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On May Day, labor unions blast Yoon's foreign nanny proposal
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[KH Explains] Will alternative trading platform shake up Korean stock market?
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‘Not a good idea:’ Experts concerned about pope trip to Iraq
VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Infectious disease experts are expressing concern about Pope Francis’ upcoming trip to Iraq, given a sharp rise in coronavirus infections there, a fragile health care system and the unavoidable likelihood that Iraqis will crowd to see him. No one wants to tell Francis to call it off, and the Iraqi government has every interest in showing off its relative stability by welcoming the first pope to the birthplace of Abraham. The March 5-8 trip is expected to provide
Feb. 28, 2021
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[Newsmaker] US authorizes J&J Covid vaccine for emergency use
WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The United States on Saturday authorized Johnson & Johnson's Covid vaccine for emergency use, giving the nation a third shot to battle the outbreak that has killed more than 500,000 Americans. The single-shot vaccine is highly effective in preventing severe Covid-19, including against newer variants, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said before giving it a green light. "This is exciting news for all Americans, and an encouraging development in our efforts to
Feb. 28, 2021
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Chinese official signals changes to Hong Kong election rules
China faces a “critical and urgent” task to overhaul Hong Kong’s electoral system, Beijing’s top official for the city said, in the latest sign that authorities were mulling major changes in the coming weeks. Beijing needed to reform the city’s electoral system “to ensure that Hong Kong’s governance is firmly controlled by patriots,” Xia Baolong, director of China’s cabinet-level Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, said in a speech Monday.
Feb. 22, 2021
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[Newsmaker] US coronavirus death toll approaches milestone of 500,000
The US stood Sunday at the brink of a once-unthinkable tally: 500,000 people lost to the coronavirus. A year into the pandemic, the running total of lives lost was about 498,000 -- roughly the population of Kansas City, Missouri, and just shy of the size of Atlanta. The figure compiled by Johns Hopkins University surpasses the number of people who died in 2019 of chronic lower respiratory diseases, stroke, Alzheimer’s, flu and pneumonia combined. “It’s nothing like we ha
Feb. 22, 2021
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[Newsmaker] 2 Myanmar protesters killed by police fire, reports say
MANDALAY (AP) -- Two anti-coup protesters were shot dead by riot police who fired live rounds Saturday in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, local media reported. One of the victims was shot in the head and died at the scene, according to Frontier Myanmar, a news and business magazine based in Yangon, the country’s largest city. Another was shot in the chest and died en route to the hospital. Several other serious injuries were also reported. The shootings occurred near
Feb. 21, 2021
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UK's Prince Harry to lose all honorary titles: palace
LONDON (AFP) -- Britain’s Prince Harry will relinquish his honorary military appointments and patronages after confirming to Queen Elizabeth II that he and wife Meghan Markle will not return as working royals, Buckingham Palace announced Friday. “The Queen has written confirming that in stepping away from the work of The Royal Family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service,” it said. “The honorary mili
Feb. 19, 2021
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Pfizer first dose 85% effective after 2-4 weeks: study
JERUSALEM (AFP) -- The first dose of the Pfizer vaccination is 85 percent effective against coronavirus infection between two and four weeks after inoculation, according to a study published in the Lancet medical journal. The survey was carried out on healthcare workers at the largest hospital in Israel, which on December 19 launched a mass vaccination campaign regarded as the world‘s fastest. Israeli studies have found the Pfizer vaccine to be 95 percent effective one week after a se
Feb. 19, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Trump acquitted, denounced in historic impeachment trial
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Donald Trump was acquitted Saturday of inciting the horrific attack on the US Capitol, concluding a historic impeachment trial that spared him the first-ever conviction of a current or former US president but exposed the fragility of America's democratic traditions and left a divided nation to come to terms with the violence sparked by his defeated presidency. Barely a month since the deadly Jan. 6 riot that stunned the world, the Senate convened for a rare weekend session to
Feb. 14, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Trump returns to spotlight in trial — but not on his terms
His rallying cry to supporters has been dissected. His videos, press conferences and calls to Fox News have played on loop. His Twitter account is once again dominating news coverage, his missives read aloud in the Senate chamber. More than three weeks removed from the White House, Donald Trump’s voice is again permeating the nation’s capital — but not on his terms. Stripped of his social media megaphone, the former president has watched the searing opening days of his hist
Feb. 12, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Mori to resign Tokyo Olympics over sexist remarks: reports
The long saga of Yoshiro Mori appears to be near the end. Japan's Kyodo news agency and others reported on Thursday citing unnamed sources that Yoshiro Mori will step down on Friday as the president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee. The move follows his sexist comments about women more than a week ago, and an ensuing and rare public debate in Japan about gender equality, A decision is expected to be announced on Friday when the organizing committee's executive board meets. The execu
Feb. 11, 2021
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Biden in call with China's Xi raises human rights, trade
US President Joe Biden on Wednesday held his first call as president with Xi Jinping, pressing the Chinese leader about trade and Beijing's crackdown on democracy activists in Hong Kong as well as other human rights concerns. The two leaders spoke just hours after Biden announced plans for a Pentagon task force to review US national security strategy in China and after the new US president announced he was levying sanctions against Myanmar's military regime following this month's coup i
Feb. 11, 2021
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What the WHO coronavirus experts learned in Wuhan
A World Health Organization team has left China after gaining some new insights into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 2.3 million people but with the major questions still unanswered. The visit was politically sensitive for China which is concerned about any allegations it didn't handle the initial outbreak properly and has been closely watched around the world. Team member Peter Daszak sounded upbeat on arriving at the airport Wednesday at the end of the four-
Feb. 11, 2021
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US backs Japan concerns on China ships
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced concern Wednesday over China's incursions into Japanese territorial waters, recommitting to the ally's defense. In a telephone call, Blinken and Japanese foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi "expressed concern over increased Chinese assertiveness around the Senkaku Islands following China's enactment of a new coast guard law," State Department spokesman Ned Price said. "Secretary Blinken reaffirmed that the Senkakus fall within the scope
Feb. 11, 2021
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Moscow police raid homes of Jehovah's Witnesses
MOSCOW (AFP) -- Russian security services raided the homes of several Jehovah's Witnesses in Moscow on Wednesday, in an ongoing crackdown on the US-based religious movement. Moscow outlawed the Jehovah's Witnesses in 2017, labelling it an extremist organisation and has since sentenced several members to lengthy jail terms. The Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said on Wednesday several "organisers and members" had been detained. Prosecutors, the FSB security
Feb. 10, 2021
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Row escalates between Twitter and India over blocking accounts
NEW DELHI (AFP) -- Twitter said Wednesday it had blocked some accounts in India over comments on mass farmers' protests in New Delhi, but the social media giant refused to shut down others despite the threat of criminal action by the government. Indian officials last week demanded that Twitter block hundreds of users that have tweeted on demonstrations against proposed new agriculture laws, saying they were a "grave threat to public order." Twitter initially complied by blocking a nu
Feb. 10, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Trump trial begins but Republicans signal likely acquittal
WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Donald Trump's second impeachment trial began Tuesday with harrowing video footage of his supporters' assault on Congress, but Republican senators made clear how difficult it will be to win a conviction. Senators voted 56-44 in favor of the constitutionality of the historic trial, rejecting a bid by Trump's lawyers to throw it out on grounds that a former president cannot be tried by lawmakers. The vote, held before the main part of the trial was to get underway Wednesday,
Feb. 10, 2021
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From N. Korea to UK election candidate: defector fights for 'voiceless'
Jihyun Park shares the civic concerns of any other would-be town councilor in Britain, from local education to potholes in the roads. But she is unique in one regard: no other candidate has fled North Korea. Park is believed to be the first defector from the oppressive state to have run for office in any country, other than South Korea, after fleeing human trafficking in China and the brutal privations of a North Korean prison camp. Thirteen years after finding refuge in Britain, the 52-year-o
Feb. 7, 2021
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AstraZeneca COVID jab 'less effective against S. African strain': study
The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine fails to prevent mild and moderate cases of the South African coronavirus strain, according to research reported in the Financial Times. But in its study, due to be published Monday, the pharma group said it could still have an effect on severe disease -- although there is not yet enough data to make a definitive judgement. None of the 2,000 participants in the trial developed serious symptoms, the FT said, but AstraZeneca said the sample size was too small to m
Feb. 7, 2021
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Internet access restored as Myanmar coup protests grow
As enthusiastic crowds of tens of thousands marched through the streets of Myanmar's biggest city on Sunday to protest last week's coup, their spirits were lifted by the return of internet services that had been blocked a day earlier. Separate protests that began in various parts of Yangon converged at Sule Pagoda, situated in the center of a roundabout in the city's downtown area. Protesters chanted “Long live Mother Suu” and “Down with military dictatorship.” Authorit
Feb. 7, 2021
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Iran: US must lift sanctions before it lives up to nuke deal
Iran's supreme leader urged the United States to lift all sanctions if it wants Iran to live up to commitments under its nuclear deal with world powers, state TV reported Sunday, his first comments on the matter since US President Joe Biden took office. “If (the US) wants Iran to return to its commitments, it must lift all sanctions in practice, then we will do verification. Then we will return to our commitments,” state TV quoted Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as saying. Former President
Feb. 7, 2021