BEIJING (Yonhap) -- China's foreign ministry said Wednesday that a North Korean diplomat killed two Chinese citizens last month in a car accident and paid compensation to the families of the victims. The accident happened in the Chinese border city of Dandong on Feb. 10 when a car being driven by the unnamed North Korean consular official "collided with a taxi, killing the taxi driver and a passenger," China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters. Hua said the North Korean di

North Korea March 23, 2016

Donald Trump predicted “riots” if Republican power-brokers deny him the presidential nomination in Cleveland even if he's leading in the delegate count.The billionaire New York developer, who prevailed in three states that voted Tuesday, held a narrow lead in Missouri and lost Ohio, is faced with the prospect of a floor fight at the Republican convention if he's leading in delegates but falls short of a majority, 1,237.“I think we’ll win before getting to the convention, but I can tell you, if w

World News March 16, 2016

GENEVA (AFP) -- A Syrian opposition group that is close to Russia and tolerated by Damascus will meet UN envoy Staffan de Mistura at peace talks in Geneva, a delegation member told AFP Wednesday."We received an invitation to take part in the Geneva talks," said Fateh Jamous, a member of the so-called Moscow Group, which includes ex-Syrian deputy prime minister Qadri Jamil who is considered a moderate opposition leader by the regime.Jamil, who was sacked by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 201

World News March 16, 2016

BRUSSELS (AFP) -- European leaders scrambled Wednesday to salvage an under-fire draft deal with Turkey to ease the migrant crisis with a round of shuttle diplomacy on the eve of a crunch summit.The 28-member bloc, divided and desperate to end the biggest refugee influx in Europe since World War II, is pinning its hopes on an agreement with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.Under the plan hailed as a "game-changer", Turkey would seek to stop the dangerous sea journeys of refugees and take ba

World News March 16, 2016

GENEVA (AP) -- While acknowledging for the first time that votes were bought in past World Cup hosting contests, FIFA is seeking to claim ``tens of millions of dollars'' in bribe money seized by U.S. federal prosecutors.FIFA submitted a 22-page claim to the U.S. Attorney's Office in New York on Tuesday that seeks a big share in restitution from more than $190 million already forfeited by soccer and marketing officials who pleaded guilty in the sprawling corruption case.Tens of millions of dollar

Soccer March 16, 2016

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) -- Denmark, perhaps better known for its fictional, suicide-agonizing prince Hamlet and fierce marauding Vikings than being a nation of the happiest people, has just won that very accolade. Again.Even U.S. Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have singled out the small Scandinavian country as an example of a happy, well-oiled society. On Wednesday, the United Nations made it official: It found Danes to be the happiest people on Earth in a

World News March 16, 2016

South Korea's preparations for the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang are moving in the right direction, but a "lot of work" remains to be done, an official inspector said Wednesday.The International Olympic Committee in 2011 picked South Korea's northeastern ski resort of Pyeongchang to host the winter games, favouring it over Munich and the French Alpine town of Annecy. But initial preparations were hit by financial problems and construction delays, which at one point saw the IOC float the possi

Olympic Games March 16, 2016

BRUSSELS (AFP) -- Police found an Islamic State flag next to the body of an Algerian killed during a major anti-terror raid in Brussels, prosecutors said Wednesday, as investigators raced to track down two suspected extremists who escaped.The man had been identified as Mohamed Belkaid, 35, an Algerian national who was illegally in Belgium, the federal prosecutor said a day after the chaotic shootout. Two suspects were still at large after the gunbattle, which erupted as Belgian and French police

World News March 16, 2016

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama said Wednesday he will reveal his Supreme Court nominee to fill the vacancy of the late Justice Antonin Scalia, and his pick is expected to come from a small circle of federal appeals court judges.``I've made my decision,'' Obama said in an email to supporters early Wednesday.Obama planned to introduce his pick at 11 a.m. in the White House Rose Garden, setting up a showdown with Senate Republicans who have told the White House not to bother filling the

World News March 16, 2016

CAIRO (AFP) -- Russia's withdrawal of forces from Syria is a "positive step" that will help the ongoing Geneva peace talks, Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi said on Wednesday.Russian warplanes began leaving Syria on Tuesday after Moscow's surprise decision to withdraw most of its forces from the war-torn country."The Russian announcement represents an important positive step in the efforts of the international group for Syria in making the Geneva talks a success," Arabi said in a statement.Offer

World News March 16, 2016

Less than 10 percent of South Korean citizens who live outside of the country have registered for the April 13 parliamentary election, the state election watchdog said Wednesday.Voter registration for Korean expatriates began on Nov. 15, and 154,217 people, or 7.8 percent of some 1.98 million eligible citizens living abroad, were registered as voters as of Sunday, the final day of registration, according to the National Election Commission. In 2009, South Korea enacted a law that grants citizens

Politics March 16, 2016

SEOUL/POHANG (Yonhap) -- The Pohang Steelers picked up their first loss at the Asian Football Confederation Champions League Wednesday after falling 1-0 to Australian club Sydney FC at home.At Pohang Steel Yard in Pohang, a port city 360 kilometers southeast of Seoul, the hosts failed to overcome Sydney midfielder Chris Naumoff's goal in the first half and surrendered the top spot in their group to the Australian club. Sydney, the runner-up in the Australian A-League last season, now have two wi

Soccer March 16, 2016

Several political heavyweights announced Wednesday that they could run in next month's parliamentary election by either becoming independents or joining other parties amid a growing feud over the nomination process.Earlier this week, the ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea almost wrapped up the selection of candidates who will run in the April 13 general elections.On Tuesday, the Saenuri's election nomination committee announced the candidates that will receive par

Politics March 16, 2016

China has strengthened inspections of North Korean cargo transiting through its three northeastern border provinces, while some North Korean restaurants in China have closed their doors, a government source said Wednesday.The developments follow the U.N. Security Council adopting a fresh resolution of sanctions earlier this month to punish the communist state for its fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6 and long-range rocket test on Feb. 7."The circumstances are that Beijing has increased the number of

North Korea March 16, 2016