Briefly

SOUTH KOREA

Presidential pardons for business chiefs

South Korean President Yoon Sukyeol granted special pardons to Samsung Electronics Vice-Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin, the Ministry of Justice said on Friday. A total of 1,693 people received special presidential pardons, including Lee and Shin, according to the ministry. It came three days ahead of the National Liberation Day on Aug 15 to mark the 77th anniversary of the Korean Peninsula's liberation from the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule. The pardons will be effective on Monday. Lee, an heir apparent of South Korea's biggest family-run conglomerate Samsung Group, was sentenced to two and a half years in jail for corruption.

NEW ZEALAND

First cruise ship back since pandemic hit

New Zealand on Friday welcomed the first cruise ship to return since the coronavirus pandemic began, signaling a long-sought return to normalcy for the nation's tourism industry. New Zealand closed its borders in early 2020 as it sought at first to eliminate COVID-19 entirely and then later to control its spread. Although the country reopened its borders to most tourists arriving by plane in May, it wasn't until two weeks ago that it lifted all remaining restrictions, including those on maritime arrivals. The end of restrictions allowed Carnival Australia's Pacific Explorer cruise ship to dock in Auckland on Friday morning as part of a 12-day return trip to Fiji that left from Sydney.

IRAN

EU proposal could be acceptable: Teheran

A European Union proposal to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal "can be acceptable if it provides assurances "on Teheran's key demands, the state news agency IRNA said on Friday, quoting a senior Iranian diplomat. The EU said on Monday it had put forward a "final" text following four days of indirect talks between the US and Iranian officials in Vienna. A senior EU official said no more changes could be made to the text, which has been under negotiation for 15 months. He said he expected a final decision from the parties within a "very, very few weeks". The IRNA quoted the unidentified Iranian diplomat as saying Teheran was reviewing the proposal.

Agencies - Xinhua