Hong Kong protesters to rebuild 'Lennon Wall'

Pro-democracy protesters have vowed to rebuild the famous "Lennon Wall" which sat at the heart of Hong Kong's main protest camp, after it was swept clear by police.The wall at the centre of the camp became a patchwork of thousands of multi-coloured sticky notes carrying messages of support for protesters -- an emotive symbol of the pro-democracy movement that paralysed parts of Hong Kong for more than two months.The sprawling camp of tents, supply stations and art installations in the Admiralty

Dec. 12, 2014

UN voices 'serious concern' after Taliban attacks hit Kabul

The UN voiced "serious concern" about the Taliban's persistent threat after the group killed seven people in two suicide attacks in Kabul Thursday, including one targeting a play at a French-financed high school.The warning comes with the Afghan capital having been hit by a series of deadly attacks in recent weeks, highlighting the fragility of security as foreign combat troops leave after more than a decade of war.The late afternoon bombing at the Istiqlal High School, attached to the city's lo

Dec. 12, 2014

Al-Qaeda kills hostages as US tries dramatic rescue bid

Al-Qaeda militants in Yemen killed two hostages -- an American and a South African -- during a pre-dawn gunfight as US special forces came agonisingly near to springing them free during a rescue attempt.American photojournalist Luke Somers and South African teacher Pierre Korkie were both shot but still alive as commandoes tried to rush them to safety early on Saturday, and later died of their wounds, US officials said. US President Barack Obama accused the jihadists of "barbaric murder", after

Dec. 7, 2014

Typhoon tears down homes in disaster-weary Philippines

Typhoon Hagupit tore apart homes and sent waves crashing through coastal communities across the eastern Philippines on Sunday, creating more misery for millions following a barrage of deadly disasters.The typhoon roared in from the Pacific Ocean and into remote fishing communities of Samar island on Saturday night with wind gusts of 210 kilometres (130 miles) an hour, local weather agency Pagasa said.The wind strength at landfall made Hagupit the most powerful storm to hit the Philippines this y

Dec. 7, 2014

Hong Kong's chief executive to visit Seoul next week

Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying plans to make a three-day visit to South Korea next week to discuss ways to promote bilateral cooperation in business, culture and other sectors, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday.Leung, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, will visit Seoul from Tuesday through Thursday at the invitation of South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, the ministry added.He is expected to meet with Korean officials to discuss how to enhance bu

Nov. 21, 2014

Teargas fired inside Nigeria parliament before key vote

ABUJA (AFP) -- Nigerian security forces fired teargas on Thursday inside the parliament complex as opposition lawmakers, including the speaker of the lower house, arrived for a key vote on emergency rule in the northeast. The leader of the Senate, David Mark, later ordered the immediate closure of both chambers until next week over the incident. Multiple reports, including from eye witnesses, indicated that security agents tried to block House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal, who defec

Nov. 20, 2014

Pope demands just distribution of world's bounty

ROME (AP) -- Pope Francis demanded a more just distribution of the world's bounty for the poor and hungry Thursday, telling a U.N. conference on nutrition that access to food is a basic human right that shouldn't be subject to market speculation and quests for profit."We ask for dignity, not for charity," Francis told the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.His speech came a day after more than 170 countries at the conference adopted new voluntary guidelines to prevent malnutrition, promote h

Nov. 20, 2014

WHO: Ebola transmission 'intense' in Sierra Leone

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP)  -- The World Health Organization says the transmission of Ebola remains ``intense'' and widespread in Sierra Leone, even as some improvements are being seen in the two other countries worst hit by the crisis.Nearly 200 new cases were confirmed in Sierra Leone's capital in a recent one-week period.The WHO report released late Wednesday indicated that Sierra Leone had the lowest percentage of Ebola patients who had been isolated -- only 13 percent.The disease is spread

Nov. 20, 2014

FMs may discuss Seoul-Beijing-Tokyo summit: official

Top diplomats from South Korea, China and Japan may discuss the arrangement of a trilateral summit if they hold a meeting within this year, a Seoul official said Thursday."If the foreign ministers' meeting is held by year-end, the issue of holding trilateral summit talks among South Korea, China and Japan would naturally be discussed there," foreign ministry spokesman Noh Kwang-il said in a press briefing. "Lying at the peak of trilateral South Korea-China-Japan cooperation is a trilateral summi

Nov. 13, 2014

Development banks back G20 global infrastructure hub

The world's top development banks on Thursday threw their support behind G20 plans for a global infrastructure hub to spur growth and create jobs, saying it is key to helping tackle poverty.The Group of 20 of the world's biggest developed and emerging economies agreed in September to establish the Global Infrastructure Initiative, expected to be based in Sydney, to share information about matching investors with projects.Its main purpose is to cut red tape and close the "information gap" between

Nov. 13, 2014

Protesters burn state congress over Mexico 'massacre'

Protesters fuming over the disappearance of 43 college students set fire to a southern Mexico state congress on Wednesday in another day of angry demonstrations over the presumed massacre.Some 500 masked students and radical teachers broke into the empty Guerrero state legislature, igniting fires in the library and the chamber where local lawmakers hold sessions.Moments earlier, protesters torched the education department's audit office in another part of the state capital Chilpancingo.Violent p

Nov. 13, 2014

CSIS portrays Dokdo as disputed territory

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a U.S. think tank, has launched a website on maritime disputes in East Asia that portrays South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo as disputed territory.The portrayal runs directly counter to South Korea's long-held position that Dokdo cannot be subject to territorial dispute and Japan's claims to the East Sea islets, controlled by Seoul since its liberation from Tokyo's colonial rule, are nonsense. A promotional video of the CSIS-run w

Nov. 13, 2014

Obama, Xi hold summit in Beijing

U.S. President Barack Obama said Wednesday that he has agreed with Chinese President Xi Jinping to "complete" the denuclearization of North Korea, saying the North's defiant pursuit of nuclear weapons will not succeed. "President Xi and I agreed to complete denuclearization of the (Korean) peninsula and we agreed that North Korea will not succeed in persuing" nuclear and missile weapons, Obama told reporters during a press conference with Xi after their two-day bilateral summit in Beijing. Xi re

Nov. 12, 2014

Xi urges APEC leaders to take 'action' on China-backed trade era

Chinese President Xi Jinping called Tuesday for APEC leaders to take "action" to move forward with a China-backed free trade agreement, despite reported resistance from the United States, which is seeking another regionwide free trade deal. "We should jointly charter the course for future development," Xi said in his speech at the opening session of the APEC summit."The future development of the Asia-Pacific is vital to interests of every APEC member." Citing last week's agreement by APEC foreig

Nov. 11, 2014

APEC leaders vow progress in regional free trade talks

Pacific Rim leaders vowed Tuesday to make progress in regional free trade negotiations aimed at lowering trade barriers to help sustain the fragile global economic recovery at their annual summit. Leaders of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), including South Korean President Park Geun-hye, U.S.President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping, gathered at a scenic lakeside resort outside Beijing on Tuesday for the final day of the two-day summit. Obama and 11 other APE

Nov. 11, 2014

APEC summit opens with focus on regional trade deals, global recovery

Pacific Rim leaders convened Monday for an annual meeting where efforts to seek regional free trade agreements and ways to sustain the fragile global economic recovery are expected to top the agenda.Leaders from the 21-member APEC are also expected to endorse an agreement proposed by host China to set up an anti-corruption network in the Asia-Pacific region. Among those attending this week's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit are South Korean President Park Geun-hye, U.S. President Barack

Nov. 10, 2014

U.S. stresses its intel chief's N.K. visit is strictly humanitarian: official

The United States had given South Korea advance notice about its intel chief's visit to North Korea, emphasizing that the visit is strictly for humanitarian purposes and does not signal any policy changes toward Pyongyang, a Seoul official said Sunday.James Clapper, director of national intelligence, flew into Pyongyang and obtained the release of two Americans who had been held in the North for "anti-state" crimes and "hostile acts."The South Korean official, speaking to reporters on condition

Nov. 9, 2014

Seoul raps Japan over Dokdo facility remarks

South Korea on Thursday slammed a Japanese minister for his remarks on Seoul's decision not to set up a safety facility on its easternmost islets of Dokdo in the East Sea.Seoul has shelved its plan to set up a safety support center on the Dokdo islets, saying that the decision was made in consideration of international maritime laws and possible problems with their scenery and management.Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Wednesday that Seoul's decision seemed to reflect Japan'

Nov. 6, 2014