YANGON -- Two people were killed and seven others injured in a bomb blast in central Myanmar's Mandalay on Friday, local police said.

The blast occurred at around 12 p.m. local time at the immigration office in Mahaaungmyay township of Mandalay, a police officer from Mandalay Region police force told Xinhua on Friday.

"Nine people were injured in the blast. They were sent to the hospital. Two of them died at the hospital," the police officer said. (Myanmar-Bomb Blast)

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SEOUL -- An early voting for South Korea's parliamentary elections kicked off on Friday ahead of the election day on April 10.

The early voting, which was first adopted in the 2014 local elections for the nationwide election, was scheduled to continue for two days through Saturday.

Of some 44.28 million eligible voters, those who wish to cast ballots before the election day will be allowed to vote at 3,565 polling stations across the country from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. local time. (South Korea-Parliamentary Elections)

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NEW DELHI -- India's central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), on Friday announced it has kept the repo rate unchanged at 6.5 percent.

The repo rate is the rate at which the central bank lends money to commercial banks in the event of shortfall of funds.

This is the seventh time in a row the six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has decided to keep the key rates unchanged. (India-RBI-Repo Rate)

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VIENTIANE -- Laos' Ministry of Finance has announced to increase the monthly cost of living allowance provided to civil servants, retirees, and volunteer teachers, to cope with high inflation.

The announcement aims to support civil servants earning less than 1.7 million kip (around 80 U.S. dollars) a month, helping them to navigate the challenges posed by inflation, Lao National Radio reported on Friday.

The inflation rate in Laos stood at 24.9 percent in March. The weak kip is seen as one of the main factors driving inflation up, according to the Lao Statistic Bureau. (Laos-Allowance)

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TOKYO -- Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has announced its punishment for 39 members over a political fund scandal, including urging two to leave the party, in a bid to mitigate the negative repercussions of the kickback scandal since late last year.

The decision, involving 38 lawmakers associated with factions previously led by the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and former Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai, along with one non-parliamentarian, was announced following a meeting of the LDP's disciplinary committee on Thursday. (Japan-LDP-Slush Fund Scandal)

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HONG KONG -- The second Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival will open on Saturday, featuring over 20 activities that takes people on a journey chronicling the development of Hong Kong's pop culture, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said on Friday.

The Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the HKSAR government, the organizer, said activities including stage performances, thematic exhibitions, film screenings, library activities and outreach programs will take place under the theme "Arts and Action." (Hong Kong-Culture Festival) Enditem

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