LONDON --  Prime Minister David Cameron takes a deal giving Britain "special status" in the EU back to London on Saturday hoping it will be enough to keep his country in the bloc as campaigning begins for a crucial in-out referendum.    The British premier is expected to announce a date for the vote, likely June 23, after sealing unanimous support for the agreement during two days and nights of intense negotiations in Brussels.    Cameron will hold a cabinet meeting at 1000 GMT on Saturday, afte

World News Feb. 20, 2016

   Italian author Umberto Eco, a philosopher who wrote best-selling novels including "The Name of the Rose", has died at 84, Italian media said Saturday, quoting his family.   Eco, who had been suffering from cancer, passed away at his home late on Friday, La Repubblica said on its website.   "The world has lost one of the most important men in contemporary culture,"  the daily said, while the Corriere della Sera said: "Umberto Eco, one of Italy's most celebrated intellectuals, is dead."   Eco w

World Feb. 20, 2016

  The recent shutdown of an inter-Korean industrial complex will not affect Pyongyang's nuclear program, as it started before the opening of the zone, North Korea said Saturday.   The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the mouthpiece of Pyongyang, said its development of nuclear and "space" programs will remain intact after the shutdown, adding that South Korea's plan to cut the funding of such moves by closing the complex will be unsuccessful.   The South Korean government decided to close the

Defense Feb. 20, 2016

North Korea's defiant pursuit of nuclear weapons has pulled China "deeper into the mire," a newspaper published by China's ruling Communist Party said Saturday, as Beijing is under pressure to do more to curb Pyongyang's aggression.   North Korea's Jan. 6 nuclear test and Feb. 7 launch of a long-range rocket have drawn international condemnations and fanned fears that the isolated country is moving ahead with the advance of its nuclear and missile programs.    China is North Korea's top trading

Defense Feb. 20, 2016

    Samsung Electronics Co. said Saturday it plans to release its mobile payment system Samsung Pay in major markets, including China, next month, speeding up its efforts to expand the presence of the platform amid the rise of rivalry services.   Samsung Pay, first released in South Korea and the United States last year, boasts around 5 million users.   The South Korean tech giant said the service will kick off in China next month, adding that it is also preparing to launch in Australia, Brazil,

Business Feb. 20, 2016

The South Korean military said Saturday it has completed collecting debris from the three-stage rocket North Korea launched earlier this month, successfully collecting two pieces of debris presumed to be from the launch.   "It is difficult to collect other debris as they are dispersed in small pieces throughout the water. We believe there are no more significant debris left," a military official said.   On Feb. 7 North Korea launched a long-range rocket carrying an Earth observation satellite in

National Feb. 20, 2016

South Korea's military said on Saturday observers heard an explosive sound near the country's northernmost frontline island of Baengnyeong, adding it possibly came from a Northern military drill.   "We detected a sound which is presumed to be from the North's coastal artillery around 7:20 a.m.," a military official said, adding the police also made an urgent announcement to the islands' residents a few minutes later.      South Korean fishing boats were also requested to return to their ports fo

North Korea Feb. 20, 2016

  Swedish police arrested a man early Sunday as he allegedly tried to smuggle a migrant into the country aboard a rubber dinghy, the first such case since Sweden imposed systematic ID checks, police said.   "This is the first arrest in southern Sweden for suspected human trafficking since the ID checks were introduced"  on January 4 for travellers arriving from Denmark, police spokeswoman Kim Hild said.   A Norwegian sea rescue team had observed the dinghy leaving the Danish town of Helsingor an

International Jan. 10, 2016

  French President Francois Hollande and other dignitaries held a special ceremony Sunday to honor all those killed in Islamic extremist violence around Paris in 2015 - a year when the European way of life was targeted time and again with deadly consequences.    At least one attacker is at large, and France's top security official acknowledged Sunday that authorities don't know his whereabouts. The country is under a state of emergency after attacks Nov. 13, and a police station was attacked Thu

International Jan. 10, 2016