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542 storiesDefense minister: arts, sports military service exemption to be cut and abolished
South Korea's defense minister said on Oct 7 that the goal is to gradually reduce the arts and sports military service exemption and ultimately abolish it, after controversy over remarks by Asian Games football gold medallists about the exe…
Trump signs order allowing tax-free red-dyed diesel on highways
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday temporarily allowing off-road red-dyed diesel to be used for highway driving and deferring the federal excise tax on that fuel through the end of 2026 without interest or penalties.…
South Korea unveils 1,000 trillion won green transition plan to 2035
South Korea announced a “Korean-style Green Transition” (K-GX) strategy on Oct 7, pledging about 1,000 trillion won over ten years to 2035 — 200 trillion won in fiscal support and more than 790 trillion won in climate finance through five p…
Korean court suspends market-cap delisting decisions; exchange halts two more exits
Seoul Southern District Court Civil Division 51 granted injunctions on Oct 2 suspending the Korea Exchange's delisting decisions against KOSPI-listed Joo Yeon Tech and KOSDAQ-listed KM Pharma until a main ruling. The court questioned the 45…
India's central bank raises key rate to 5.5%, first hike in 3 years 8 months
The Reserve Bank of India decided on 7 October to raise its main policy rate by 0.25 percentage points to 5.5%, the first increase in three years and eight months. Governor Sanjay Malhotra cited a worsening Middle East situation, sharp swin…
Hoban Construction develops AI design tech to auto-apply per-unit buyer options
Hoban Construction said it developed AI-based design technology that automatically reflects apartment buyers’ option contract choices in each unit’s building information model (BIM). The technology was developed jointly with building and in…
Bank of Russia raises official dollar rate to 84.93 rubles for October 6
The Bank of Russia set the official dollar rate for October 6 at 84.93 rubles, up 1.45 rubles from 83.48 rubles on October 3, with the euro rising 1.01 rubles to 95.33 rubles and the yuan up 0.22 rubles to 12.65 rubles. RBC reported the rub…
New York stocks open mixed as 10-year Treasury yield holds near 5.3%
New York's main stock indices opened mixed on October 5, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down about 0.27% as the 10-year US Treasury yield held around 5.3%, a level Asia Economy described as the highest in several years. The S&P 500 a…
European stock indices close higher on Oct 6 after mixed Oct 5 session
On Oct 6, 2026, major European stock indices all closed higher: the UK FTSE 100 rose 0.42%, France’s CAC 40 0.47%, Germany’s DAX 0.82% and Italy’s FTSE MIB 0.87%, according to CLS. The previous day, most indices rose but France’s CAC 40 fel…
Times Car data leak class action sign-ups top 40,000
Registrations on a website set up to prepare a class action over the Times Car personal data leak passed 40,000 by 2 pm on Oct 5, Livedoor News reported. Lawyer Hiroki Makino opened the site on Sept 30 to seek damages over the handling of p…
Turkey's Aselsan announces Astralink network of 198 low-orbit satellites
Aselsan CEO Ahmet Akyol said at the International Astronautical Congress in Antalya that Turkey is building Astralink, a low-orbit satellite constellation of 198 spacecraft, with the first launch planned within two years. Akyol said work be…
Nuri rocket completes fifth launch, placing satellites in orbit
South Korea’s Nuri rocket lifted off at 12:25 p.m. local time on Oct 7 from the Naro Space Center in Goheung, carrying 15 satellites, the most in its history, and placed the five main ultra-small cluster satellites in their target orbit. Ne…
Apple and LG Electronics jointly develop smart home devices under LG brand
Apple and LG Electronics are jointly developing smart home devices — a camera-equipped video doorbell, a smart door lock, a security camera and a smart temperature sensor and thermostat — to be sold under the LG brand, according to Bloomber…
JPX to cut TOPIX constituents from about 1,600 to 986 under new selection rules
Japan Exchange Group announced on Oct 7 that it will sharply reduce the number of companies in the TOPIX stock index, to 986 from 1,634, in a phased change running from late October to July 2028. A reassessment in October 2027 will decide w…
Nuri declared a success on fifth flight; five cluster satellites make contact
South Korea's Nuri rocket lifted off at 12:25 p.m. from the Naro Space Center in Goheung and the Korea Aerospace Administration declared the fifth flight a success, saying all 15 satellites were placed in orbit. Officials said 14 of the 15 …
South Korea's Lee orders CPTPP talks restarted from the beginning amid farm concerns
President Lee Jae-myung instructed at a cabinet meeting on Oct 6 that the government should not fix a conclusion on joining the CPTPP and should “restart dialogue from the beginning,” saying the pact's strategic value is cited alongside ver…
US 10-year Treasury yield hits highest since 2002 as long-dated selloff extends
US long-dated Treasury yields climbed to their highest levels since 2002 on Oct 5, with the 10-year reaching about 5.35% and the 30-year above 5.70%. Chosun Ilbo reported the 10-year closed the third quarter at 5.29%, the biggest quarterly …
China's central bank adds to gold reserves for 23rd straight month
China's gold reserves stood at 77.47 million ounces, or about 2,409.59 tonnes, at the end of September, up 740,000 ounces (about 23.02 tonnes) from 76.73 million ounces (about 2,386.57 tonnes) at the end of August, according to figures carr…
FT: EU weighs universal corporate levy to raise taxes on US tech giants
The European Commission is considering a new mechanism to raise more tax revenue from large US technology companies without singling them out as a separate category, the Financial Times reported, citing unnamed sources. Under discussion is …
HIS says up to 627 customers' passport data may have leaked after Thai unit breach
HIS announced on October 7 that up to 627 customers' passport details may have leaked after unauthorized access to a file server at its Thai subsidiary, H.I.S. TOURS. The company said it detected the access in December 2025 and identified t…