Feature: While Tokyo Celebrates New Year, Poorest Residents Still Struggle For Food Aid

TOKYO, Jan 3 (NNN-XINHUA) – As many in Tokyo celebrated New Year, long queues in front of relief distribution points tell an unsettling story, about deepening survival anxiety among Japan’s poorest residents. Just days before New Year’s Eve, at a food distribution site in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district, volunteers handed out…

S. Korea Court Issues Additional Arrest Warrant For Ex-President Yoon

SEOUL, Jan 3 (NNN-YONHAP) – A South Korean court, yesterday, issued an additional arrest warrant for former President, Yoon Suk-yeol, extending his detention by another six months.– NNN-YONHAP  

Afghan Forces Seized Over 2,356 Tonnes Of Illicit Drugs, Dismantled 517 Labs In 2025

KABUL, Jan 2 (NNN-BNA) – Afghanistan’s counter-narcotics forces, conducted 10,599 operations across the country in 2025, confiscating 2,356 tonnes of illicit drugs and dismantling 517 clandestine drug processing labs, deputy government spokesman, Hamdullah Fitrat, announced, yesterday. The seized substances included 33.8 tonnes of hashish, 32.5 tonnes of opium, three tonnes…

Collapsed River Embankment Left Four Dead In Central Vietnam

HANOI, Jan 2 (NNN-VNA) – Four people were killed, after a concrete embankment collapsed, in Vietnam’s Central Highlands province of Dak Lak, today. According to the report, the incident occurred at around 9:30 a.m., when four people took shelter beneath a concrete section of an embankment during heavy rain, and…

Over 19,000 Hectares Of Poppy, Hashish Fields Destroyed In Afghanistan Last Year

KABUL, Jan 2 (NNN-BNA) – Afghan security forces destroyed 19,761 hectares of land used for cultivating poppy and hashish, across the country last year, deputy government spokesman, Hamdullah Fitrat, announced yesterday. The eradication took place during 27,511 clearing operations conducted by counter-narcotics units in various provinces, according to the official.…

Brunei Financial Sector Grows 5.5 Percent In Q3: Central Bank

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Jan 2 (NNN-ANN) – Brunei’s financial sector, continued to demonstrate resilience and stability in the third quarter of 2025, expanding by 5.5 percent with total assets reaching 25.6 billion Brunei dollars (about 19.93 billion U.S. dollars), according to the Brunei Darussalam Central Bank (BDCB), yesterday. The sector,…

S. Korea’s Online Shopping Rose In Nov

SEOUL, Jan 2 (NNN-YONHAP) – South Korea’s online shopping, rose in single digits in Nov, owing to surging demand for cars in cyberspace, statistical office data showed, today. Shopping in cyberspace grew 6.8 percent over the year to, 24.16 trillion won (about 16.74 billion U.S. dollars) in Nov, according to…

Bangladesh Slashes Import Duties On Mobile Handsets, Parts

DHAKA, Jan 2 (NNN-BSS) – Bangladesh decided to slash customs duties of imported mobile phones and mobile parts, to protect the regulated market from the influx of illicit handsets. Bangladeshi Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary, Shafiqul Alam, announced the decision yesterday in Dhaka, during a press briefing, saying that, the tariff…

Pakistan’s Inflation Eased To 5.6 Percent In Dec

ISLAMABAD, Jan 2 (NNN-APP) – Pakistan’s consumer price index (CPI) inflation, eased to 5.6 percent year on year, in Dec, down from 6.1 percent in Nov, official data showed, yesterday. On a month-on-month basis, CPI inflation fell by 0.4 percent in Dec, reversing the trend of recent increases, the Pakistan…

Nearly 170,000 Cambodian Evacuees Return Home So Far

PHNOM PENH, Jan 2 (NNN-AKP) – Some 167,478 Cambodian evacuees have so far returned to their homes, Cambodia’s Ministry of Interior said in a press release, yesterday. About 110,924 displaced persons have returned to their homes in Banteay Meanchey province, 47,594 in Oddar Meanchey province, and 8,960 in Preah Vihear…