BEIJING -- A group of North Korean trade representatives has visited the Chinese border city of Dandong this week during which the two sides discussed ways to promote an annual trade exhibition between the two nations, according to Dandong officials on Saturday. North Korea and its economic lifeline, China, have jointly held the annual trade fair in October since 2012, but the number of North Korean business entities attending the event last year was about 30 percent less than 2013. The subdued

North Korea March 28, 2015

SINGAPORE (AFP) -- More than 330,000 people, equivalent to 10 percent of Singapore's citizen population, have visited the city-state's parliament to pay their respects to late prime minister Lee Kuan Yew ahead of his cremation this weekend, officials said Saturday.The surge of mourners was so great that the government had to temporarily suspend access to parliament late Friday for the sake of crowd safety.At peak periods, mourners could only spend a few seconds in front of Lee's closed casket, m

International March 28, 2015

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) -- Malaysian police have arrested two politicians and a political activist as they seek to thwart a Saturday protest march demanding the release of jailed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, an opposition parliamentarian said.Tian Chua said he also would comply with an order to surrender to police on Saturday, but that the afternoon rally in Kuala Lumpur would go ahead.The arrests are the latest in an escalating crackdown on government opponents amid anger over Anwar's jailing la

International March 28, 2015

TAIPEI (AFP) -- Taiwanese police on Saturday arrested 13 people who splashed red paint on the wall of the presidential residence in the latest protest against China's planned launch of a controversial new flight route.The protesters from the small anti-China opposition party Taiwan Solidarity Union briefly scuffled with military police guarding the residence of President Ma Ying-jeou in Taipei in the early morning.The demonstration came ahead of the scheduled launch of the route known as M503 ov

International March 28, 2015

ROME (AP) -- Amanda Knox, who maintained that she and her former Italian boyfriend were innocent in her British roommate's murder through multiple trials and nearly four years in jail, was vindicated Friday when Italy's highest court threw out their convictions once and for all."Finished!'' Knox's lawyer Carlo Dalla Vedova exulted after the decision was read out late Friday. "It couldn't be better than this."The surprise decision definitively ends the 7{-year legal battle waged by Knox, 27, and

International March 28, 2015

BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan (AP) -- The capsule carrying a Russian and an American who are to spend a year away from Earth docked Saturday with the International Space Station.Mikhail Kornienko and Scott Kelly are to spend 342 days aboard the orbiting laboratory, about twice as long as a standard mission on the station. The Soyuz space capsule, also carrying Russia's Gennady Padalka for a six-month stay, docked about six hours after launching  from Russia's manned space facility in Kazakhstan.Once the

Technology March 28, 2015

BEIJING (AP) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping is arguing for strong China-led efforts to promote Asian economic and political cooperation while speaking a major regional economic conference.Xi delivered the keynote address at the Boao Forum held Saturday on Hainan island in the country's south, at which he lauded the promise of the Chinese economy despite slowing growth. The Chinese president also celebrated what he said was a multipolar world in which all countries play equal roles in regional d

International March 28, 2015

Prosecution raids Dongkuk Steel over embezzlement allegation Prosecutors raided the office of Dongkuk Steel Mill Co., a South Korean steel maker, on Saturday to look into alleged embezzlement and tax evasion, authorities said. Dongkuk Steel is suspected of stashing about 10 billion won (US$90.3 million) in illegal funds in U.S. accounts while in the process of purchasing raw materials and avoiding paying taxes, according to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.Investigators raided Dong

Social Affairs March 28, 2015

The United States will pursue further three-way defense cooperation deals with South Korea and Japan like the information sharing agreement concluded among the countries late last year, the top Pentagon official in charge of Asian affairs said Friday.Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs David Shear made the remark during a speech at an event on U.S.-Japan security, calling the intelligence sharing deal was a "good first step" and expressing hopes for Seoul and To

International March 28, 2015

South Korea on Friday welcomed a U.N. decision to adopt a resolution that calls for improvement in the human rights situations in North Korea.Earlier, the U.N. Human Rights Council adopted the resolution, criticizing the communist country for violating the human rights of its citizens. It was proposed by the European Union and Japan during a session in Geneva, with such issues as political prisoners and discrimination based on family background also touched upon. "We welcome the adoption of the

Foreign Affairs March 28, 2015

The foreign ministers of South Korea, China and Japan are likely to discuss the Chinese-led multinational lender as they are set to hold a three-way meeting in Seoul later this week, China's foreign ministry said Wednesday. China launched the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in November with 21 nations in Asia and the Pacific region listed as its founding members. Close U.S. allies in the region -- South Korea, Australia and Japan -- have yet to make their decision. The Chinese-led ba

International March 18, 2015

The foreign ministers of South Korea, China and Japan are likely to discuss the Chinese-led multinational lender as they are set to hold a three-way meeting in Seoul later this week, China's foreign ministry said Wednesday. China launched the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in November with 21 nations in Asia and the Pacific region listed as its founding members. Close U.S. allies in the region -- South Korea, Australia and Japan -- have yet to make their decision. The Chinese-led ba

International March 18, 2015

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Prince Charles and his wife will visit the home of the man who, more than anyone else, ensured that Americans would not be his subjects.The visit Wednesday to George Washington's Mount Vernon estate by the Prince of Wales and his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, is one of many stops the two will make throughout the Washington, D.C. area.The first scheduled visits Wednesday are stops at the Lincoln Memorial and Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.In the afternoon, Charles wi

International March 18, 2015

Korean Air Lines Co., the country's flagship carrier, has become a corporate sponsor for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, the event organizers said Wednesday.The signing ceremony took place at Lakai Sandpine Resort in Gangneung, east of PyeongChang in Gangwon Province. The International Olympic Committee's Coordination Commission on PyeongChang is visiting the area this week to check preparations for the Olympics. Gangneung will host curling, hockey and skating events a

Business March 18, 2015