Xinhua Asia-Pacific news summary at 1600 GMT, March 1

SEOUL -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in said in his telephone conversation Thursday night with U.S. President Donald Trump that he will dispatch a special envoy in the near future to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Yoon Young-chan, senior press secretary for Moon, was quoted as saying that Moon told Trump about his plan to send the special envoy to the DPRK in return for the visit by Kim Yo Jong, a younger sister of top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un, to South Korea. (Moon-Trump-DPRK)

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SEOUL -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump held a telephone conversation Thursday night over possible preliminary talks between the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Yonhap news agency reported.

The phone talks between Moon and Trump, the first in about a month, were held at around 10 p.m. local time (1300 GMT), Yoon Young-chan, senior press secretary for the South Korean president, was quoted as saying. (S.Korea-U.S.-DPRK)

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SHEBERGHAN, Afghanistan -- Twenty-seven militants of the Islamic States (IS) have been killed in Jawzjan province, north of Afghanistan, a local official said Thursday.

On a confirmed tip-off, the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces attacked an IS hideout in Darzab, Jawzjan, killing 27 IS militants, the press office of Afghan army Corps 209 Shaheen based in the region said in a statement. (Afghanistan-IS-Militants)

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TOKYO -- An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.7 struck off Iriomote Island, southwestern Japan at 10:42 p.m. local time (1345 GMT), Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said Thursday.

The temblor was centered in the waters near Iriomote Island, southwestern Japan with the epicenter at a latitude of 24.2 degrees north and a longitude of 123.8 degrees east and at depth of 20 km. (Japan-Earthquake) Enditem