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TWICE to kick off late February music chart war

It's only two months into 2017, but K-pop fans have been showered with superfluous releases from big time artists -- AOA, S.E.S and Suzy just to name a few -- so far this year.

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Myanmar to investigate allegations contained in human rights report

Myanmar will investigate allegations contained in a recent report of the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said Myanmar Foreign Ministry in a press release Thursday.

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Vietnam to release 20,000 prisoners ahead of time by 2018

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has just approved a proposal on conditional release of prisoners ahead of time, following which some 20,000 prisoners will enjoy early release by 2018.

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'28 Pages': Newly released 9/11 documents find no official Saudi link

Congress has released previously classified documents about whether the Saudi government had a role in the 9/11 attacks.

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The hidden cruelty of Hong Kong's mercy release industry

Freeing captured animals is a ritual that some Buddhists believe to be good for their karma. However, the effects on the animals and our biodiversity are far from beneficial

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Indian gov't examining Tamil Nadu's request to release former PM's assassins

The Indian government has said it was examining a letter sent by local government of Tamil Nadu regarding the release of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassins from jail.

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Facebook's VP in Latin America arrested for not turning over user messages

Brazilian police on Tuesday arrested Diego Dzodan, Facebook's vice-president for Latin America, for not complying with previous judicial decisions.

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Court rules New Zealand gov't unlawfully withheld secret TPP documents

A judge Tuesday ruled New Zealand Trade Minister Tim Groser had acted unlawfully in refusing to release documents regarding the controversial 12-nation Trans- Pacific Partnership agreement (TPP/TPPA).

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One reporter dead in Ghana presidential convoy accident

A member of the press corps of Ghana' s Presidency lost his life Thursday after the vehicle they were traveling skidded off road, a release from the presidency said.

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S. African authorities suspend Pistorius's expected release on parole

South African Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Michael Masutha on Wednesday suspended the decision of the Parole Board to release paralympian Oscar Pistorius on parole.

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U.S. to free Israeli spy in November

​Convicted Israeli spy, Jonathan Pollard, is due to be released November 20, after 30 years in jail, Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said Tuesday.

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Chinese president urges continued quake relief work in Tibet

Chinese President Xi Jinping has again urged continued disaster relief work in Tibet Autonomous Region where nearly 300,000 people were affected in a devastating earthquake in Nepal on April 25.

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Passengers' kidnapping continues to perplex Afghan gov't

​It was February 24 when local media first reported about the kidnapping of 31 passengers by unknown armed people on the Kandahar-Kabul highway and since then the Afghanistan government has yet to find a single clue about the abductors, and the abductees' fate remains unknown.

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Afghan abductees' fate still uncertain, families stage sit-in to pressure gov't

​"My father was abducted by militants, it has been more than two months since I've seen or talked with him," Zahra, 8, told Xinhua.

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Japanese fishermen oppose release of radioactive water into sea

A Japanese fishing industry group on Tuesday called on the Abe administration not to allow the release of radioactive water from the Fukushima No.1 nuclear plant into the sea, the Jiji press reported Tuesday.

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Sony releases "The Interview" online

Sony Picture Entertainment released the controversial film "The Interview" online Wednesday, in advance of a limited theatrical screening on Christmas Day.

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UN chief hails DPRK's release of two U.S. citizens

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon Saturday welcomed the release of two U.S. nationals by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), voicing his hope that "the positive momentum for improving relations among the concerned parties" will be built on.