Cuban President visits North Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held talks with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, who is visiting Pyongyang, as part of Canel's first foreign trip since taking office in April 2018, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

According to North Korean state media, the talks between the two leaders of North Korea and Cuba took place in a "friendly atmosphere" at the Paekhwawon State Guesthouse. The two sides focused on discussing many important issues of mutual concern, declaring that they will continue to maintain solidarity between the two countries, and agreed to strengthen bilateral relations.

The two leaders of North Korea and Cuba also expressed their firm goodwill to strengthen and expand the strategic, friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries, in accordance with the demands of the new era in the future.

Australia relaxes visa regulations for seasonal workers

On November 5, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the relaxation of regulations for two types of entry visas into the country, specifically for temporary seasonal workers and workers from Pacific island countries to supplement the labor force for the agricultural sector during the harvest season.

For Pacific workers, the new rules also allow them to stay and work in Australia for up to nine months, but cut the amount employers must pay to support workers' travel to AUD 300.

The changes were made by the Australian government after pressure from the Farmers' Association and the National Party, who said fruit would ripen and rot on trees without being picked because Australian farms did not have enough workers.

France permanently bans pesticides containing metam sodium

French health authorities have announced a permanent ban on the use of pesticides containing metam sodium. Photo: thelocal.fr

Speaking at the opening of the China International Import Expo, President Xi Jinping said the government would reduce import tariffs and open up its markets, an effort seen as an attempt to improve China's position in the face of Western criticism of its trade policies.

The Chinese president also promised to speed up the opening up of the education, telecommunications and cultural sectors, along with protecting the rights of foreign companies and strengthening punishment for intellectual property violations.

81 people kidnapped from a Cameroon school

Gunmen have imposed curfews and closed many schools as they wage operations against the government of President Paul Biya, whose members come from the French-speaking region.

According to military sources, the victims were kidnapped and taken into the forest. It is not yet clear which group is behind the kidnapping. Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Cameroon government confirmed that they are monitoring the case.

The US imposed unprecedented tough sanctions on Iran.

South Korea and North Korea survey waterways along border

Map of the Han River estuary that the South Korean and North Korean governments agreed to use together - Photo: Yonhap

South Korea's Defense Ministry said Seoul and Pyongyang have begun a joint survey of waterways along their western border for shared use of the Han and Imjin River estuaries.

Under a military agreement signed in September between the two countries, South Korea and North Korea will survey the route until the end of this year to ensure the safety of river mouths that were previously off-limits to civilians due to tensions between the two Koreas.

After the survey is completed, as Yonhap reported, the estuaries will be used for tourism, ecological protection and river sediment exploitation.

Japan: Number of youth suicides highest in 30 years

The number of Japanese teenagers committing suicide in 2018 was the highest in 30 years, according to the Japanese Ministry of Education. A total of 250 teenagers in elementary, junior high and high school committed suicide in 2018, up from 245 in 2017.

A survey by the Japanese Ministry of Education also showed that this was the year with the highest number of youth suicides since 1986. 6 were elementary school-age children, 84 were junior high school students, and 160 were high school students.

Of the 250 cases, 33 young people committed suicide due to worries about the future, 31 were depressed about family problems, 10 were abused, and the other numbers were unclear because they did not leave suicide notes.

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Monday, November 5, 2018| 9:40:51 PM (GMT+7)

Dozens of farmers poisoned, France permanently bans pesticides containing metam sodium

Monday, November 5, 2018 20:35

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On November 5, French health authorities announced a permanent ban on the use of pesticides containing metam sodium, after dozens of farmers in the west of the country showed symptoms of poisoning.

The decision to ban all products containing metam sodium was made after authorities carried out a safety assessment of the products earlier this year, before at least three suspected poisonings occurred in the Maine et Loire region in early September, the ANSES health agency said.

At least 70 people, mostly farmers near the Anger region, a famous lettuce growing area in France, have developed symptoms including red eyes, sore throats and difficulty breathing. When these cases were reported, the French government decided to temporarily stop using the pesticides.

This decision has met with strong opposition from farmers in the Nantes region, which supplies more than 50% of the lettuce for the country's market each year.

Metam sodium is a soil insecticide, one of the most widely used pesticides in the United States and Europe. This product is not considered harmful to plants or farmers.

Every year, the French agricultural sector consumes about 700 tons of this pesticide. This product usually requires high doses to be effective. The US Environmental Protection Agency has assessed metam sodium as a possible human carcinogen.