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Timeline of a disaster: Seoul's fatal crowd crush
Timeline of a disaster: Seoul's fatal crowd crush
World
by  AFP

After South Korean officials concede that there were errors in crowd control on Halloween, AFP uses official data, media reports and eyewitness testimony to examine the timeline of the disaster that left 156 people dead. It is one of the worst-ever disasters in South Korean history. tk/ceb/lb

Sony hikes net profit forecast as weak yen boosts business
Sony hikes net profit forecast as weak yen boosts business
Business and Economy
by  AFP

Sony raised its annual net profit and sales forecasts on Tuesday, saying the weak yen had boosted its bottom line in sectors including gaming, music and movies. The Japanese conglomerate said it now expects net profit to March 2023 to reach 840 billion yen ($5.7 billion), up from 800 billion yen previously forecast.

Pacific nuclear legacy overshadows US talks in Marshall Islands
Pacific nuclear legacy overshadows US talks in Marshall Islands
World
by  AFP

Marshall Islands officials say they are ready to resume talks with the United States this week on renewing a long-standing economic and security deal, provided Washington addresses grievances stemming from the testing of nuclear weapons on the Pacific archipelago more than 70 years ago.

Toyota keeps net profit forecast despite production woes
Toyota keeps net profit forecast despite production woes
Business and Economy
by  AFP

Toyota kept its annual net profit forecast unchanged on Tuesday, as the weaker yen offsets supply-chain disruptions that have forced the Japanese car giant to slash production targets. Buoyed by forex rates, Toyota had in August upgraded its full-year net profit forecast to 2.36 trillion yen, which it maintained on Tuesday.

Francis' first visit to Bahrain to cement ties with Islam
Francis' first visit to Bahrain to cement ties with Islam
World
by  AFP

Pope Francis will become the first pontiff in history to visit Bahrain, in a trip this week that is hoped to cement ties with Islam, but is also marked by accusations of human rights abuses in the Gulf state. That visit marked the first ever by a pope to the Gulf region, where Islam was born.