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The US plan to use overseas military bases to accommodate evacuees from Afghanistan has divided opinion among South Korean politicians and prompted discussion about the strength and scale of the security ties between the two countries.South Korea hosts 28,500 US troops but Washington’s withdrawal from Afghanistan has led to calls for Seoul to regain operational control over its troops. The debate coincides with the visit of Washington’s special envoy for North Korea, who arrived in Seoul on…

Every week, Singapore health care worker Toh Lixin offers about 4,000 of her neighbours the chance to get discounts on items such as fruit tarts, bottled coffee and baby lobsters.Toh, 26, is the organiser of an informal network of consumers who use Telegram, WhatsApp and Instagram to organise group purchases. She started the group last October and usually gets around 50 weekly orders.Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Singaporeans like her have launched at least 20 group-buying…

Driving through South India, it is common to come across small eateries with boards outside saying ‘Tiffin ready’. In the region, tiffin means any light snack or finger foods eaten between breakfast and dinner. These include cutlets, idlis (rice dumplings), vadas, bajjis (vegetable fritters) dosas (crisp lentil crepes) or upma (a snack made from cream of wheat). The name tiffin has a complex history. It was derived from “tiffing”, an English term for having a little swig of diluted liquor. The…

Japan has effectively refused to issue visas for two Myanmar military-appointed diplomats the junta seeks to send to Tokyo in place of two it fired in March, according to Japanese government sources.Japan allowing the two replacements to be posted to the Myanmar embassy in Tokyo would be tantamount to recognising the February 1 military coup that ousted the country’s elected government under civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.Myanmar’s military has requested that Japan issue diplomatic visas for…

An Islamic State-linked woman arrived in New Zealand with her children on Saturday, local media reported, in a repatriation that was forced upon the country after Australia stripped her of her citizenship.Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced last month that Suhayra Aden, 26, and her two children would return to New Zealand from Turkey, where they were held by authorities after crossing the border from Syria.Suhayra, who previously had dual Australian and New Zealand passports, became the…

United States Vice-President Kamala Harris’ upcoming visits to Vietnam and Singapore will offer clues on how Washington plans to “get its game up” to match China’s dominant economic and trade status in Southeast Asia, analysts say.The choice of Singapore and Vietnam, both non-allies but key trading and strategic partners, speaks to the major role the Biden administration hopes the two countries will play in its Asia policy, according to the observers.Harris’ trip, her first to Southeast Asia…

The problems of food poverty, emissions from food waste and food price inflation, and compliance with food standards, could all be addressed through a new trust framework for sharing data from across the food system, a legal expert has said.

Germany’s Financial Supervisory Authority wants to prevent German fund products from being advertised as ‘sustainable’ or ‘ecological’ when they are not.

The High Court in London has sanctioned its first restructuring plan for both a mid-market business and a company in administration.

The Japanese government and organisers of the Tokyo Paralympics have cleared 140,000 students from the host city and three surrounding prefectures to attend events, leading to a wave of safety concerns in light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.The number of new infections has shown little signs of slowing in Tokyo or nationwide. The increased strain on health care systems this week led to the death of a baby born prematurely to a woman who was isolating at home not far from Tokyo due to a…