HANOI -- Foreign investment inflows to Vietnam will likely reach 36 to 38 billion U.S. dollars this year, according to the Foreign Investment Agency (FIA) under the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

Disbursement of foreign investment is expected to hit 22 to 23 billion U.S. dollars in 2023, local newspaper Vietnam News reported on Friday, citing the agency. (Vietnam-Foreign Investment-2023)

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SEOUL -- South Korea on Friday protested against Japan's repeated bid to include its war-linked mine in the UNESCO heritage list, renewing diplomatic rows between Seoul and Tokyo over historical issues.

South Korea's foreign ministry said in a statement that it regrets the Japanese government resubmitting the nomination of "Sado Island Gold Mines" for the inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List. (South Korea-Japan-UNESCO Heritage Bid)

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ISLAMABAD -- Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif met with a Russian delegation led by Energy Minister Nikolai Shulginov on Friday, discussing matters related to oil and gas supply.

"Both sides agreed on the importance of the energy sector for the development of bilateral economic and trade relations. In this regard views were exchanged on supplying oil and gas from Russia to Pakistan on a long term basis," said a statement from the Prime Minister's Office. (Pakistan-Russia-Energy)

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TOKYO -- Japan's total population shrank by 0.43 percent or about 538,000 in 2022, official estimates showed Friday, amid the government's pledge to address the demographic challenge.

According to provisional figures released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the country's total population stood at 124.77 million as of Jan. 1, compared with 125.31 million on the same day in 2022. (Japan-Population-Drop)