Asia

Tokyo to discuss easing travel curbs with Beijing, Seoul and others

Editorial Bureau July 10, 2020

TOKYO (JAPAN) – The Japanese government is planning to start discussions next week with as many as 10 countries and regions, including China, South Korea and Taiwan, about easing the coronavirus-induced travel restrictions. This was reported by the Kyodo News on Friday, citing multiple

Asia

Seoul mayor found dead after he left a message ‘like a will’

Editorial Bureau July 10, 2020

SEOUL (SOUTH KOREA) – Police said on Friday that longtime Seoul City Mayor Park Won-soon was found dead after his daughter reported him missing saying he had left a message “like a will”. After a search involving hundreds of police, the mayor’s body was found at Mt Bugak in northern Seoul around midnight. It was […]

Asia

Hong Kong to announce suspension of all schools due to fuelling coronavirus cases

Editorial Bureau July 10, 2020

HONG KONG (CHINA) – Hong Kong is set to announce the suspension of all schools after an increase in the locally transmitted coronavirus cases. The spike has triggered fears of a renewed community spread in the city, the South China Morning Post reported on Friday. The newspaper cited a medical source as saying that at […]

Asia

Police searching for Seoul mayor, who was reported missing

Editorial Bureau July 9, 2020

SEOUL (SOUTH KOREA) – South Korean police said on Thursday they are searching for Park Won-soon, the mayor of Seoul, after his daughter reported him missing. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said officers were searching for him around Sungbuk-dong, a district in northern Seoul. It was there that his phone signal was last detected. His […]

Asia

Smog leads to estimated 49,000 deaths in Beijing, Shanghai in 2020

Editorial Bureau July 9, 2020

SHANGHAI (CHINA) – Air pollution leads to an estimated 49,000 deaths and $23 billion, when it comes to economic losses in Beijing and Shanghai alone since Jan. 1, 2020, as per a “clean air counter” launched by environmental groups on Thursday. The online tool launched by the Helsinki-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean […]

Asia

US stressed the importance of resuming talks with North Korea, says South

Editorial Bureau July 9, 2020

SEOUL (SOUTH KOREA) – Washington has stressed the significance of resuming discussions with Pyongyang, said Seoul on Thursday. This comes as North Korea indicated that it has no intention of returning to the negotiating table. US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun, who held three days of discussions in Seoul, had earlier dismissed speculation that […]

Asia

Japan to build offshore wind farms at 30 sites, says Nikkei

Editorial Bureau July 9, 2020

TOKYO (JAPAN) – As part of an initiative to build offshore wind farms at 30 sites in the next ten years, Japan will implement new rules and support infrastructure, the Nikkei business daily reported on Thursday. Industry Minister Hiroshi Kajiyama is slated to announce policy measures to achieve the goal, the daily reported. It aims […]

Asia

Thai cabinet supports bill allowing same-sex unions

Editorial Bureau July 8, 2020

BANGKOK (THAILAND) – Thailand’s cabinet approved a civil partnership bill on Wednesday that would recognise same-sex unions and identifies it as the same legal right as married couples, in one of the most liberal moves yet for a largely conservative nation known for its tolerance. If passed by parliament, it would mark Thailand as the […]

Asia

South Korea requests Gilead to supply remdesivir to treat over 5,000 COVID patients

Ren Leen July 8, 2020

SEOUL (SOUTH KOREA) – Bracing for a potential second wave of infections, South Korea has asked Gilead Sciences Inc to supply enough vials of its anti-viral drug remdesivir to treat more than 5,000 COVID-19 patients, said a lawmaker on Wednesday. The drug is in high demand as it has shown promising results in altering the […]

Asia

In the absence of fans, Japanese baseball team brings in dancing robots to cheer for them

Editorial Bureau July 8, 2020

TOKYO (JAPAN) – When the coronavirus scare robbed their stadium of cheering fans, Japanese baseball team Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks came up with an innovative replacement: dancing robots. Before they clashed with Rakuten Eagles during the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) game on Tuesday, more than 20 robots swayed to the team’s fight song on a podium. […]