S. Korea summons Japan envoy over islet ceremony

South Korea summoned a senior Japanese diplomat here Monday to protest a Japanese prefecture's hosting of an annual event to promote its territorial claim to Seoul's easternmost islets of Dokdo.   Japan's Shimane Prefecture, which claims administrative sovereignty over the rocky islets, observed the so-called Takeshima Day event on Sunday. A Japanese vice-minister-level official was sent to this year's ceremony, prompting a strong protest from South Korea.   The prefecture has held the event on

Feb. 23, 2015

S. Korea's 2nd Ebola relief team set to return home

The second batch of South Korea's Ebola response team returned home Monday after completing their one-month relief mission in Sierra Leone, the foreign ministry said.  The team of four doctors and five nurses was sent to the African country late last month to replace the country's first Ebola relief team, which had completed their one-month mission.  The medical workers were in charge of examining and treating Ebola patients at a treatment center in Goderich, near Sierra Leone's capital of Freet

Feb. 23, 2015

New legislation introduced in U.S. House for professional visas for S. Koreans

A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives have introduced a new bill calling for granting non-immigrant U.S. visas for highly-skilled workers from South Korea, Congressional records showed Sunday.  The 20 lawmakers, led by Rep. Peter J. Roskam (R-IL), submitted the bill (H.R.1019) on Friday, according to the records. The legislation is titled, "To provide high-skilled visas for nationals of the Republic of Korea, and for other purposes."  Details of the legislation wer

Feb. 23, 2015

Park to travel to 4 Middle East nations next month

South Korean President Park Geun-hye plans to visit Saudi Arabia and three other Middle Eastern countries next month to discuss energy and security issues with their heads of state, the presidential office said Sunday.The nine-day trip to the Middle East, starting on March 1, will take Park first to Kuwait and then Saudi Arabia as well as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar, according to the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae. It will be Park's first visit abroad this year. "During the Middl

Feb. 22, 2015

S. Koreans condemn Japan's Dokdo ceremony

Scores of South Koreans assembled in central Seoul on Sunday to denounce Japan for holding a ceremony that promotes Tokyo's territorial claim over South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo.In 2005, Japan's Shimane Prefecture, which claims administrative sovereignty over the islets, designated Feb. 22 as a day to promote Takeshima, the Japanese name for Dokdo. Since then, Shimane has hosted various programs to strengthen its territorial claims to the islets on this day.Tokyo sent a vice-minister-

Feb. 22, 2015

Australian FM calls Indonesia to ease tensions: reports

SYDNEY, (AFP) -- Foreign Minister Julie Bishop called on Indonesia to give two Australians on death row an "indefinite stay of execution" as she clarified her Prime Minister's comments linking their fate to aid, media reports said Saturday.Tensions between the two nations have grown after Indonesia confirmed Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, ringleaders of the so-called Bali Nine heroin trafficking group, were among the next group of prisoners to face the firing squad.Prime Minister Tony Abbott

Feb. 21, 2015

Nissan executive known as 'father of the Z' dies at 105

TOKYO (AP) -- Yutaka Katayama, a former president of Nissan Motor Co.'s U.S. unit who built the Z sportscar into a powerful global brand in the 1970s, has died. He was 105.Known as the "father of the Z," Katayama won international respect for the Datsun Z as an affordable sportscar at a time when Japan-made products were synonymous with slipshod quality. Katayama, who died Thursday, retired from Nissan in 1977. Carlos Ghosn, who has led a turnaround at the Japanese automaker under an alliance wi

Feb. 21, 2015

California governor blocks parole for ex-Mexican Mafia chief

SACRAMENTO, California (AP) -- Gov. Jerry Brown has blocked parole for a former leader of the notorious Mexican Mafia prison gang who has turned on his former comrades and now aids law enforcement.Brown announced Friday that he was blocking the release of 52-year-old Rene ``Boxer'' Enriquez.Enriquez has been in prison since 1993 serving a sentence of 20 years-to life in prison for two murders, multiple assaults and conspiracy to traffic in controlled substances.He drew attention last month when

Feb. 21, 2015

West looks impotent as Ukraine ceasefire frays: analysts

PARIS, (AFP) -- The continued fighting in eastern Ukraine has made a mockery of the West's latest attempts to negotiate a ceasefire but may ultimately pave the way for a more durable peace, say analysts.It did not take long for the latest truce, brokered by France and Germany and signed in the Belarussian capital Minsk last week, to look as impotent as previous deals.With barely a pause, pro-Russian rebels continued their assault on the key transport hub of Debaltseve, ultimately forcing the Ukr

Feb. 21, 2015

Arrest of Caracas mayor sign of broader Venezuela crackdown

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- Opponents of President Nicolas Maduro poured into the streets Friday to condemn the surprise arrest of Caracas' mayor for allegedly participating in a U.S.-backed plot to overthrow his government.     The protests came a day after an armed commando unit dressed in camouflage raided Mayor Antonio Ledezma's office and hauled him away. The detention, recorded by security cameras, set off a wave of spontaneous demonstrations in middle-class neighborhoods loyal to the oppos

Feb. 21, 2015

French minister meets with Google, Facebook, Twitter

 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The French interior minister says he has asked Google, Facebook and Twitter to work directly with French officials during a live investigation and to immediately remove terrorist propaganda when authorities alert them to it.French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve met Friday with representatives from the search engine and social networks during a one-day visit to the Silicon Valley and San Francisco.Cazeneuve says he hopes the meeting is the first step in building a stro

Feb. 21, 2015

Australia clears up after twin cyclones, more floods expected

ROCKHAMPTON (AFP) - Australia was clearing up Saturday after two severe cyclones left a trail of destruction, wrecking hundreds of homes and cutting electricity to tens of thousands, even as authorities warned of more flooding and gusty winds to come.Tropical Cyclone Marcia barrelled through the northeastern state of Queensland Friday at the highest-rated category five, ripping apart houses, uprooting trees and bringing down power lines.The severe system hit hours after category four Tropical Cy

Feb. 21, 2015

Shipping firms, dockers union reach tentative deal on US ports: source

LOS ANGELES, (AFP) -- US West Coast dockworkers and port operators have reached a tentative deal on a new labor contract, a source close to the negotiations said late Friday, averting a shutdown that would have hit about half the country's trade.The new agreement could free up operations at the ports that have slowed significantly since the labor contract expired in July at key ports for trade with Asia.A source close to the investigation confirmed the deal to AFP, but details were not immediate

Feb. 21, 2015

Building in Dubai's Marina district in flames

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- One of the world's tallest residential towers caught fire early Saturday in Dubai's Marina district, sending bright yellow flames several stories high, but there were no reports of casualties, civil defense officials said.The fire broke out at about 2 a.m. in the 86-story Torch tower on the northeastern end of the densely populated district, which is packed with multi-story skyscrapers.  Debris from the fire cluttered nearby streets after the blaze appeared to

Feb. 21, 2015

State Department spokeswoman named Obama's communications director

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki has been named the new communications director for President Barack Obama after serving as the face of the department for more than two years.Psaki will take over the White House job on April 1, replacing Jennifer Palmieri, who is leaving reportedly to join Hillary Clinton's campaign."Jen worked on both my campaigns. She's served in the White House, and she's traveled the world as an adviser to Secretary Kerry," Obama said in a statement. "I fully trus

Feb. 21, 2015

Russia edges out N. Korea as country Americans consider greatest enemy: Gallup

Russia has overtaken North Korea as the country Americans consider their greatest enemy, as tensions between Washington and Moscow have been running high over the situation in Ukraine, according to a Gallup survey Monday.Eighteen percent of the 837 adults, who responded in the Feb. 8-11 telephone poll, picked Russia as the greatest enemy of their country, a big jump from only 2 percent in 2012 and 9 percent in 2014, according to the results published on Gallup's website.The survey had a margin o

Feb. 17, 2015

Suspect in shooting of 3 students had 13 guns, stash of ammo

RALEIGH, North Carolina (AP) _ The suspect in the deaths of three Muslim college students in North Carolina had at least a dozen firearms stashed in his home, according to search warrants released as world leaders decried the shootings.Warrants filed in court Friday listed an inventory of weapons seized by police from the Chapel Hill condominium of Craig Stephen Hicks, the 46-year-old charged with three counts of first-degree murder.The warrants list four handguns recovered from the home Hicks s

Feb. 14, 2015

Russia asks UN Security Council to take action on Ukraine

UNITED NATIONS (AP) _ Over the past year, the United States and other members of the U.N. Security Council have loudly accused Russia of backing separatists in Ukraine, but the threat of a Russian veto has blocked them from taking action in close to 30 meetings on the crisis. Now, Russia is asking for their support. Russia circulated a surprise draft resolution, obtained Friday by The Associated Press, endorsing the new cease-fire agreement on Ukraine and calling on all parties involved to fully

Feb. 14, 2015

U.S. governor announces his resignation amid scandal

         SALEM, Oregon (AP) _ One of the longest-serving U.S. governors announced his resignation amid allegations his fiancee used her relationship with him to enrich herself.Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber on Friday said he broke no laws and said in a lengthy statement that his resignation would be effective on WednesdaySecretary of State Kate Brown, a Democrat like Kitzhaber, was expected to assume the office and become the first openly bisexual governor in the U.S. Kitzhaber handily won re-electi

Feb. 14, 2015