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Every Saturday, Asia Pacific Daily will provide you with a run-down of the latest hot news.
This week, the following hot news you should know:
Top 1 | DPRK-ROK talks end with agreement on future military talks
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea's (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (ROK) agreed to hold military talks to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula at their first official meeting in two years, a joint statement said on Tuesday.
A separate statement released by the ROK's unification ministry said Seoul had asked the DPRK to stop all hostile acts that increase tensions and the DPRK had responded that it recognized the need for a peaceful environment on the peninsula.
The statement also confirmed that the DPRK will attend the Winter Olympics in the ROK next month.
The ROK's Unification Minister Cho Myung-Gyun (R) shakes hands with the DPRK's chief delegate Ri Son Gwon during the meeting.
Top 2 | Trump rejects author's accusations, calls self 'stable genius'
U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday rejected an author’s accusations that he is mentally unfit for office and said his business career and election victory showed he is “a very stable genius.”
Michael Wolff, who was granted unusually wide access to the White House during much of Trump’s first year, has said in promoting his book that Trump is unfit for the presidency. He told BBC Radio in an interview broadcast on Saturday that his book is creating “the perception and the understanding that will finally end ... this presidency.”
Trump battled back in a series of extraordinary morning posts on Twitter, which appeared to catch some in his inner circle off guard.
Top 3 | Bannon backs away from remarks that drew Trump's ire
Former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon on Sunday sought to back away from incendiary remarks quoted in an explosive new book that have landed him in hot water with the president he helped elect.
Bannon has found himself in dire straits since excerpts of Paul Wolff's "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House" -- an explosive behind-the-scenes account that questions the president's fitness for office -- were first published on Wednesday.
Michael Wolff's "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House" has become an instant best-seller
Top 4 | Coutinho completes 'dream' Barcelona move
Philippe Coutinho said he is targeting titles at Barcelona after finally completing his "dream" 160 million-euro ($192 million) move from Liverpool on Monday.
The Brazilian signed a five-year contract in a ceremony sitting alongside Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu, making him the third-most expensive player in history.
Barcelona's new Brazilian midfielder Philippe Coutinho poses with his new jersey during his official presentation in Barcelona on January 8, 2018
Top 5 | Malaysia signs $50-million deal with U.S. firm to find missing MH370
Malaysia signed a deal on Wednesday to pay a U.S. seabed exploration firm up to $50 million if it finds the missing Malaysia Airlines aircraft MH370 in a new search area in the Southern Indian ocean.
Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said a Houston-based private firm, Ocean Infinity, would search for MH370 in that 25,000-sq-km priority area on a “no-cure, no-fee” basis, meaning it will only get paid if it finds the plane.
The search is expected to be completed within 90 days, he told a news conference.
Top 6 | S. Korea, DPRK start normal operation of military hotline
South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Wednesday started a normal operation of military hotline for direct dialogue between the military authorities.
Seoul's defense ministry was quoted by Yonhap news agency as saying the two Koreas test-communicated via the restored military hotline for five minutes from 8:00 a.m. local time (2300 GMT Tuesday).
Top 7 | Japan PM rejects ROK call for new steps to help 'comfort women'
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday rejected the Republic of Korea (ROK)'s call for more steps to help "comfort women," a euphemism for women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese army during World War II, and urged Seoul to honor a 2015 pact on the divisive topic.
Japan and the ROK share a bitter history that includes Japan's 1910-45 colonization of the Korean Peninsula and the "comfort women" issue is especially touchy. The US allies are key to efforts to rein in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s nuclear and missile programs.
Protesters sit next to the statue of a teenage girl symbolizing former "comfort women," who served as sex slaves for Japanese army during World War II, during a weekly anti-Japan rally near the Japanese embassy in Seoul on January 10, 2018. /VCG Photo
Top 8 | Brexit: May urged to stay in single market by 20 British MEPs
Theresa May is being urged to change course and seek full membership of the European single market and customs union by 20 British MEPs, including three Tories and the majority of Labour politicians based in Brussels.
In a letter that lays down a challenge for the prime minister but also the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, the group claims the case for staying in the internal market has become stronger since the referendum.
Top 9 | Putin praises 'mature politician' Kim Jong Un
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday praised Kim Jong Un, leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) as a "mature politician" with a formidable arsenal, but also urged him to defuse international tensions over Pyongyang's controversial nuclear program.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with heads and editors of Russian mass media in Moscow, Russia on January 11, 2018.
Top 10 | Macron meets with Xi as China, France seal business deals
Chinese President Xi Jinping and French counterpart Emmanuel Macron met Tuesday for talks and to oversee the signing of business deals as the two global leaders seek closer ties.
After touring Beijing's sprawling Forbidden City, Macron met with Chinese business leaders and held talks with top officials at the imposing Great Hall of the People.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) holds a welcome ceremony for visiting French President Emmanuel Macron before their talks in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 9, 2018.
Related:
APD Review | Why Donald Trump is opening fire on Pakistan?
APD Review | The Panmunjom dialogue: A mutual compromise between Kim, Moon
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
