TOKYO -- Leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Shigeru Ishiba was reinstated for a second term as the country's prime minister on Monday after securing the most votes in both houses of the parliament.

The Japanese Diet convened an extraordinary session in the afternoon to choose the new prime minister. As the ruling coalition of the LDP and Komeito lost its long-held majority in the general election last month, the vote ran into a runoff between Ishiba and major opposition Constitutional Democratic Party leader Yoshihiko Noda as none of the candidates gained an outright majority. (Japan-Prime Minister)

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TOKYO -- Japan's current account surplus reached a record 15.82 trillion yen (about 103.3 billion U.S. dollars) for the first half of fiscal 2024 (April to September), government data showed Monday.

The figure marked a 12.3-percent increase over the same period last year, marking the largest surplus recorded for a fiscal half-year, preliminary data from the Ministry of Finance showed. (Japan-Current Account)

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JAKARTA -- Mount Lewotobi, located in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province, erupted again on Monday, forcing more than 12,000 residents to evacuate, according to the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center and a local official.

The volcano, situated in East Flores regency, released a column of ash reaching up to 2,500 meters into the sky, with ash spreading toward the west and northwest, the disaster agency said. Due to the increased eruption activity, the hazardous zone around the crater was expanded from 7 km to 9 km. (Indonesia-Volcano Eruption)

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JAKARTA -- A fatal multi-vehicle accident that occurred Monday afternoon in Purwakarta regency in Indonesia's West Java province killed at least one person and injured eight others, the provincial police said.

According to preliminary report, the collision occurred on a toll road connecting West Java to Jakarta, at around 3:30 p.m. local time. According to police, the crash was possibly triggered by a semi-trailer truck whose brakes failed, causing it to collide fatally with more than 15 vehicles ahead. (Indonesia-Road Accident)

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HONG KONG -- A total of 17 enterprises signed agreements on Monday to become strategic enterprise partners of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government amid the city's push to nurture an ecosystem for innovation and technology.

The enterprises are from industries such as life and health technology, artificial intelligence and data science, fintech, advanced manufacturing and new energy technology. Most of them will establish their global or regional headquarters in Hong Kong, said the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises of the HKSAR government. (Hong Kong-Enterprises)

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PHNOM PENH -- Cambodia exported products worth 21.57 billion U.S. dollars in the first 10 months of 2024, up 16 percent from 18.59 billion dollars over the same period last year, said an official report released on Monday.

Main exported items included garments, footwear, travel goods, bicycles, car tires, and potential agricultural produce such as rice, rubber, cassava, bananas, mangoes, and longans, said the report of the General Department of Customs and Excise. (Cambodia-Export) Enditem

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