S.Korean president's approval rating stays high at 60.9 pct: poll2018-10-18
South Korean President Moon Jae-in's approval rating stayed at a high level on mounting peace mood in the Korean Peninsula, a weekly poll showed Thursday.

S.Korea freezes benchmark interest rate at 1.5 pct for 11 months2018-10-18
South Korea's central bank on Thursday froze its benchmark interest rate for 11 months as growth outlook dimmed further.

S.Korea expresses deep worry about Abe's ritual offering2018-10-18
South Korea's foreign ministry expressed its deep worry Thursday about Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ritual offering to the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine.

Tokyo stocks close lower on weak export data2018-10-18
Tokyo stocks closed lower Thursday as weak export data sparked concern over Japanese firms' fiscal year earnings, while other Asian bourses' retreating added to a downbeat market mood.

Spotlight: Pakistani expert says rapid pace of CPEC, gov't-announced projects to help alleviate Pakistan's poverty2018-10-18
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will play a great role in eradicating poverty from Pakistan as it will open many employment and business opportunities, Muhammad Irfan, assistant professor of Economics at Comsats University Islamabad, has said recently.

Pakistan FM briefs Iranian counterpart on efforts to search missing guards2018-10-18
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has spoke to his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif on the situation arising following abduction of Iranian guards near the Pakistan-Iran border point on Tuesday, a foreign ministry statement said.

116 policemen suspended over Model Town tragedy in Pakistan2018-10-18
As many as 116 police officials have been suspended from their posts for their alleged involvement in June 2014 Model Town tragedy in Pakistan's eastern Punjab province, local media reported.

Japan posts goods trade surplus of 1.23 bln USD in September2018-10-18
Japan logged a goods trade surplus of 139.6 billion yen (1.23 billion U.S. dollars) in September, the Finance Ministry said in a report Thursday.

African officials hail Beijing FOCAC summit in boosting China-Africa ties2018-10-18
African officials have reiterated that the recent summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held last month in Beijing, China, and its outcomes show the commitment by China and Africa to continuously enhance their partnership in the new era, based on win-win and shared benefits.

China reports new African swine fever case2018-10-18
China has confirmed a new outbreak of African swine fever in northeast China's Liaoning Province, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said on Wednesday.

Tokyo stocks open mixed as weak yen lifts exports, Wall Street's slide dents mood2018-10-18
Tokyo stocks opened mixed on Thursday with a comparatively weak yen versus the U.S. dollar giving exporter issues a boost, while U.S. stocks' overnight slide dented the market mood.

Dollar changes hands in upper 112 yen zone in early trade in Tokyo2018-10-18
The U.S. dollar changed hands in the upper 112 yen zone in early deals in Tokyo on Thursday, largely in line with its levels in New York overnight.

Tokyo Skytree, 1,000 buildings in Japan using quake absorbers linked to quality data scandal2018-10-18
Around 1,000 buildings in Japan, including Tokyo Skytree tower, a popular tourist attraction, and a number of government offices have been built using earthquake shock absorbers made by KYB Corp. who admitted falsifying quality control data, local media said Wednesday.

Taliban bombing kills parliamentary candidate ahead of Afghan elections2018-10-18
In a latest attack on Afghan election process, a bomb ripped through the campaign office of a leading parliamentary candidate in Lashkar Gah, the capital of the troubled Helmand province on Wednesday, killing Abdul Jabar Qahraman and inuring eight others.