Zoe Kravitz to play Catwoman in new 'Batman' film

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- US actress Zoe Kravitz will play Catwoman in the new "Batman" film starring Robert Pattinson, a Warner Bros. source told AFP on Monday.Kravitz, who recently starred in HBO's hit TV drama "Big Little Lies" and is the daughter of rock musician Lenny Kravitz, will portray the whip-wielding cat burglar who is both Batman's foe and love interest in the comics. She follows A-listers such as Halle Berry, Anne Hathaway and Michelle Pfeiffer in portraying Catwoman

FilmOct. 15, 2019

N. Korea promises to provide S. Korea with footage of Pyongyang World Cup qualifier

North Korea agreed to provide South Korea with a video of an inter-Korean World Cup qualifier to be held Tuesday in Pyongyang, a unification ministry official said, after Seoul's push to televise the match live fell through.The North promised to give the video to the South's delegation before it departs from Pyongyang on Wednesday afternoon after the match to be held at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. The delegation is scheduled to arrive back home via Beijing early Thursday.South Korea had pushed for live b

SoccerOct. 15, 2019

BEANPOLE eyes global expansion through brand renewal

Samsung C&T Corp., a construction and fashion unit of Samsung Group, said Tuesday that it aims to accelerate the global expansion of its fashion brand BEANPOLE through renewal efforts.Celebrating its 30th anniversary, BEANPOLE announced its renewal move to rebrand as a "heritage" brand that embraces South Korea's unique culture and sentiment. "BEANPOLE will be reborn as a heritage brand based on our country's unique culture and sentiment," creative director Jung Ku-ho tol

IndustryOct. 15, 2019

$4m frozen in Chinese Taipei due to sanctions on N. Korea

Taiwan has frozen millions of dollars worth of assets as it carried out sanctions on North Korea aimed at preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction, a recent report said.The implementation of targeted financial sanctions for North Korea has resulted in 81 freezing actions worth over $3.96 million, according to the Mutual Evaluation Report on Chinese Taipei released by the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering on Monday.   "Chinese Taipei authorities have highlighted an

North KoreaOct. 15, 2019

S. Korea seeks Russia's support for N. Korea's denuclearization

South Korean National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang has asked Russia to persuade North Korea to rid itself of nuclear weapons and promote economic projects with Seoul and Moscow.Moon made the request to Valentina Matviyenko, chairwoman of the Russian Federation Council, on Monday as they met after attending the 141st assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Belgrade, Serbia. He referred to a visit to Russia on Oct. 23-24 by a delegation of North Korea's parliament, known as the Presidium of

North KoreaOct. 15, 2019

Texas police officer charged with murder for shooting black woman

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- A white policeman who shot dead a black Texas woman as she played video games at home with her young nephew has been charged with murder, police said Monday.Aaron Dean gunned down 28-year-old Atatiana Jefferson from outside her Fort Worth property in the early hours of Saturday as she approached a window to investigate noises outside.The incident, less than two weeks after a white policewoman was jailed for killing a black man in his apartment in nearby Dallas, has spark

World NewsOct. 15, 2019

US trio win Nobel Economics Prize for work on poverty

STOCKHOLM (AFP) -- A trio of Americans on Monday won the Nobel Economics Prize for their work in the fight against poverty, including Esther Duflo, the youngest-ever economics laureate and only the second woman to win the prize.Duflo -- a 46-year-old French-American professor who has served as an advisor to ex-US president Barack Obama -- shared the Nobel with her husband, Indian-born Abhijit Banerjee and fellow American Michael Kremer "for their experimental approach to alleviating global

World NewsOct. 15, 2019

US slaps sanctions on Turkey as Syrian regime returns to north

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The United States slapped sanctions on Turkey Tuesday as it demanded an end to its deadly incursion against Syrian Kurdish fighters, accusing its NATO partner of putting civilians at risk and allowing the release of Islamic State extremists.The actions came hours after regime troops returned for the first time in years to parts of northeastern Syria, invited by Kurdish fighters desperate for protection as the United States pulls out.President Donald Trump took extraordinary m

World NewsOct. 15, 2019

N. Korea's SLBM launch hurt nuclear talks with US: ex-US envoy

A former US envoy for North Korea said Monday that Pyongyang's recent test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile ruined its chances of reaching a nuclear deal with Washington in Sweden earlier this month.Joseph Yun, who served as US special representative for North Korea policy until early last year, spoke at a forum after fresh working-level denuclearization negotiations between the United States and North Korea broke down in Stockholm on Oct. 5.The talks had resumed for the first time sinc

North KoreaOct. 15, 2019

Top military officials of N. Korea, China highlight bilateral ties

Top military officials of North Korea and China have reaffirmed the importance of bilateral relations, saying defending them is a "notable duty" of their armies, Pyongyang's state media reported Tuesday.Kim Su-gil, director of the General Political Bureau of the North's army, met with Miao Hua, director of the political affairs department of China's Central Military Commission, in Pyongyang on Monday, according to the Korean Central News Agency. During the meeting, Kim emphasized that

North KoreaOct. 15, 2019

Police officially book suspect in Hwaseong serial killings

SUWON -- Police have officially booked Lee Chun-jae, a 56-year-old man already in jail for a separate crime, as a suspect in a series of infamous murders that took place in Hwaseong, south of Seoul, following his confession, officials said Monday.The move could lead to the disclosure of his personal details and current appearance though he will not be punished for the killings as the statue of limitations has expired. Investigators booked Lee on rape and murder charges as he confessed to 14 murd

Social AffairsOct. 14, 2019

Sulli confirmed dead on the scene: police

Sulli was already dead when authorities arrived at the scene, according to police.Police said a report was filed by a staff member at her agency at around 3:20 p.m. The agency staffer, who visited Sulli’s home in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, discovered Sulli’s body in her bedroom on the second floor.  The agency employee had gone to the two-story house after phone calls to the entertainer went unanswered, although she had an engagement on Monday. Their last telephone call ended

Social AffairsOct. 14, 2019

Sulli leaves behind 15-year entertainment career

Singer and actress Sulli, also known as Choi Jin-ri, was found dead Monday at her home outside Seoul. She was 25. 　Sulli entered the entertainment industry at just 10 years old, making her debut in 2004 in SBS drama “Ballad of Seodong.” In 2009, Sulli joined the highly competitive K-pop scene as a member of five-piece girl group f(x). She was 15 at the time. While she was the youngest of the act, she was also the tallest, leading fans to affectionately call her “Giant Baby

PeopleOct. 14, 2019

Liberal, conservative fronts divided over Cho’s resignation

News of embattled Justice Minister Cho Kuk’s resignation on Monday did little to close the stark gap between liberals and conservatives still unwilling to conciliate their opposing views on the former justice minister’s appointment. Liberals were disappointed with the news. “It is highly regrettable that Cho had to resign before completing reforms he promised,” said Hong Ik-pyo, spokesperson for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. “Despite mounting difficul

Social AffairsOct. 14, 2019

[Graphic News] New York world’s top financial center

　New York has extended its lead as the world’s top financial center, with London barely holding on to second place ahead of Hong Kong, as uncertainty over Brexit takes its toll on the UK capital, a Z/Yen Group survey showed.　Singapore, Shanghai, Tokyo, Beijing, Dubai, Shenzhen and Sydney make up the remainder of the top 10 centers, the Global Financial Centers Index said in a statement. 　South Korea’s two largest cities, Seoul and Busan, ranked Nos. 39 and 43, respectively.　The GFCI

World BusinessOct. 14, 2019

What lies ahead for prosecution reform?

With Justice Minister Cho Kuk’s resignation on Monday, questions remain on the future course of prosecution reform -- a key Moon Jae-in agenda.In his resignation letter, Cho said he was a “kindling” to spark the fire of the reform drive, and that his resignation was necessary to complete the bigger goal of prosecutorial reform. The second reform draft hereleased on Monday morning centers on scaling down the prosecution’s special investigation divisions, known for dealing

PoliticsOct. 14, 2019

Newspaper reports defense minister sent letters stating S. Korea’s approval needed for UNC expansion

South Korea has told members of the United Nations Command that its approval must be granted for any expansion plans, a local media outlet reported Monday.According to the Kyunghyang Sinmun, Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo sent a letter to the embassies of 16 sending states here in July stating that the US-led UNC would have to obtain approval from South Korea to proceed with its plans to “revitalize” the organization. In the letter, Jeong is said to have stated that the UNC would

DefenseOct. 14, 2019

[Update] Singer and actor Sulli found dead

Singer-actor Sulli, 25, was found dead Monday at a house in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Provice, police said.　Her manager found her dead on the second floor of the house at around 3:21 p.m. He visited the house as he had been unable to reach Sulli after their last phone call, which ended at 6:30 p.m. Sunday. 　Police are investigating the case, but suspect suicide. A suicide note had not been found as of late Monday afternoon.　“It seems that Choi was living alone at the house,”

PeopleOct. 14, 2019

[Noah Smith] Five unpopular policies the US should adopt

Not every good policy is going to be popular. Sometimes either the public, activists or the commentariat -- or all three -- just get something wrong. This can happen for ideological reasons, or simply because of a lack of information. I’m more optimistic than most pundits, in that I think the public usually gets at least the outlines broadly right. But there are a few issues where the tide of opinion simply seems to be against me. Here are a few:No. 1. The Trans-Pacific PartnershipThe TPP

ViewpointsOct. 14, 2019