War & conflict, Climate & environment, Policy & regulation, Other
566 storiesSouth Korea re-designates 92 population decline regions, adding Busan Geumjeong, Dongducheon and Tongyeong
South Korea's Ministry of the Interior and Safety re-designated 92 cities, counties and districts as population decline regions on Oct. 7, up from 89 in the first designation five years ago. Busan's Geumjeong-gu, Gyeonggi's Dongducheon and …
Turkey, Pakistan to send forces to Saudi Arabia as Houthi strikes widen
Turkey and Pakistan said they will provide agreed military forces and take steps to deploy them rapidly to Saudi Arabia, after an emergency meeting in Riyadh on Oct. 5, in the first activation of the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement signed on …
SME Minister Lee So-young unveils startup venture regulatory innovation committee at audit
South Korea's SMEs and startups minister, Lee So-young, said on October 7 that her ministry will create a "Startup Venture Regulatory Innovation Committee" to find regulatory improvements, and set out plans to expand the small-business soci…
JCS: North Korean mines caused DMZ blast; military clears minefield south of MDL
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said a Sept. 21 explosion in the western-front Demilitarized Zone that seriously injured a soldier was caused by a North Korean plastic anti-personnel mine laid south of the Military Demarcation Line. JCS…
Land minister says Gangnam, Yongsan home prices have turned negative
Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Hong Ji-seon told a National Assembly audit on Oct 7 that home prices in Seoul's Gangnam three districts and Yongsan have turned negative, and said price growth should ease with the market stabili…
Korea's FSS tells 21 securities firms to shift to preventive internal audits
The Financial Supervisory Service met auditors from 21 securities firms in Seoul on Oct 7 and told them to move from audits that catch problems after the fact to preventive checks that protect investors first. The regulator cited repeated v…
Asian Games exemption row: Ahn Cheol-soo urges review, defense ministry regrets remarks
People Power Party lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo said on 7 October that the military service exemption for Asian Games gold medalists should be reviewed for abolition starting with this tournament, noting the rule is a presidential decree that Pre…
Russia says its forces advance in northern and central Dobropolye
Russia's Defence Ministry said its assault groups advanced in the northern and central parts of Dobropolye, in the Donetsk People's Republic, and that marine infantry units finished clearing residential buildings in the city's eastern distr…
Russia's Defence Ministry says forces tighten encirclement in northeast Kharkiv region
Russia's Defence Ministry said units of its “North” grouping are tightening an encirclement of Ukrainian formations in northeastern Kharkiv region and expanding an outer zone of control, with fighting for several villages. The ministry said…
UAE sets phased caps on salt, sugar and fat in packaged foods, fines up to Dh500,000
The UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention has begun implementing a resolution that caps sodium, sugar and fat in selected packaged foods, with phased limits running until the end of 2030. The rules apply to locally made and imported produ…
Defense 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…
Korea's top individual tax delinquent Kwon Hyuk to pay 393.8 billion won
The National Tax Service said on Oct 7 that Kwon Hyuk, chairman of Sido Group and the country's largest individual tax delinquent, has submitted a plan to pay 393.8 billion won in back taxes in full, 15 years after the tax was assessed. He …
Latvia says armed masked men from Belarus threatened its troops at border
Latvia's interior minister, Jānis Dombrava, said a group of masked people illegally crossed into Latvia from Belarus after the military stopped about 20 migrants from entering. Latvia's National Armed Forces said the migrants were accompani…
Russia says it struck port point of Vylkove in Ukraine's Odesa region
Russia's defence ministry said its forces struck the port point of Vylkove in Ukraine's Odesa region, according to state outlets TASS and RIA Novosti and the business outlet RBC. RIA Novosti said the site was used to move cargo for Ukrainia…
Russia reports 861 drones downed in a day, 868 overnight
Russia's defense ministry reported downing 646 Ukrainian drones on the night of 1–2 October and 559 on the night of 3–4 October, then said on 5 October that 861 drones had been destroyed in 24 hours and 868 overnight into 6 October. Kommers…
Israel marks three years since Oct. 7 attack with memorials and protests
Israelis gathered on Wednesday to mark three years since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 attack, which killed more than 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage, with ceremonies, memorials and protests at more than 400 locations. A national moment…
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.…
Pentagon withdraws all bombers from UK's RAF Fairford after suspected terror plot
The Pentagon said all U.S. bombers deployed to Royal Air Force Fairford in England have returned to their home stations in the United States, after a suspected terror plot against the base; the New York Times reported the withdrawal followe…
Drones attack two merchant ships in Black Sea off Bulgaria, one reported sunk
Bulgarian authorities said drones attacked two vessels in the country’s maritime economic zone in the Black Sea, and TASS reported one of them sank. The attack came a day after a cargo ship was hit by drones off Romania’s coast and sank, wi…
South Korea culture ministry issues director-level personnel notice
South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism released a personnel appointment notice on 5 October 2026, carried by Newsis, Yonhap, Seoul Economic Daily, Asia Economy, Kyunghyang Shinmun and Hankook Ilbo. Yonhap's summary described …