Breaking News, Latest Philippines Headlines, World, Entertainment, Politics, Weather & Video News
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he would halt nuclear tests and intercontinental missile launches, in a Saturday announcement welcomed by US President Donald Trump ahead of a much-anticipated summit between the two men. Pyongyang’s declaration, long sought by Washington, will be seen as a crucial step in the fast diplomatic dance on and around the Korean peninsula. It comes less than a week before the North Korean […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Kim Jong Un has halted North Korea’s nuclear tests and intercontinental ballistic missile launches, as diplomatic efforts to ease tensions on the Korean peninsula gather pace. Here are the key quotes from the North Korean leader’s announcement, made at a meeting of the central committee of the ruling Workers’ Party, as reported by the official KCNA news agency. ‘Brilliant victory’ Kim described building North Korea’s nuclear force as a “miraculous […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A volcano erupted in southern Japan on Thursday, spewing steam and ash hundreds of meters into the air, as authorities warned locals not to approach the mountain. “It was confirmed that rocks fell because of the eruption” near Mount Io, part of the Mount Kirishima group of volcanoes, said Makoto Saito, an official of the meteorological agency. “There is a possibility that (the volcano) will become more active,” he told reporters, […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — A peace treaty to formally end the Korean War “must be pursued,” South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Thursday, ahead of a summit next week with Kim Jong Un, leader of the nuclear-armed North. “The armistice that has dragged on for 65 years must come to an end,” Moon told media company representatives at the presidential Blue House, adding: “The signing of a peace treaty must be pursued after an […]
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — A moderately strong 5.9-magnitude earthquake Thursday hit Iran’s southern region of Bushehr, home to the country’s only nuclear power plant, without causing casualties or damage, media reported. “The earthquake had no effect on the activity of the plant,” Mahmoud Jafari, project manager at the Russian-built Bushehr nuclear plant, said according to the Telegram news channel of Iran’s state television. The University of Tehran’s seismology center said the epicenter of the earthquake […]
by Maya Gebeily Agence France Presse BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — UN security experts have said they were negotiating with Syrian and Russian authorities for international chemical inspectors to deploy to the site of an alleged toxic gas attack near Damascus, after a reconnaissance mission came under fire. The team from the world’s chemical arms watchdog has not yet been able to begin its field work in Douma, where dozens were killed in a suspected […]
by Jerome Cartillier and Andrew Beatty in Washington Agence France Presse PALM BEACH, United States (AFP) — Facing US pressure, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Wednesday that Tokyo was ready to begin talks about “trade deals” with the United States, but was careful not to commit to a bilateral deal. After rising demands for fairer trade from his US host President Donald Trump, Abe said “we have agreed to start talks for free, fair […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump confirmed Wednesday that his CIA chief has held secret talks with North Korea’s leader in Pyongyang, as the South said it was exploring paths to a peace deal with the nuclear-armed North. Seoul’s push for discussions on formally declaring an end to inter-Korean hostilities was the latest in a series of diplomatic initiatives involving the divided Korean peninsula that would have been unthinkable just months […]
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Taiwan’s president Tsai Ing-wen reassured residents that the island was secure Tuesday, a day before China is set to hold live-fire drills in the narrow strait that separates the two. Tsai spoke to reporters as she left for Swaziland, one of Taiwan’s few remaining international allies that have not been wooed away by an ascendant Beijing as cross-strait relations deteriorate. Chinese officials have suggested Wednesday’s military exercise is a warning to […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — China and North Korea have been holding talks about a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Pyongyang, a Japanese newspaper reported Monday as regional leaders step up diplomatic dialogue. The North is using its Beijing embassy to arrange Xi’s itinerary with the international department of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported, quoting Chinese and North Korean sources. Plans under discussion include a visit to Pyongyang in […]
South Korea (AFP) — South Korea’s disgraced former president Park Geun-hye will not appeal her 24-year prison sentence for corruption, reports said Monday. Park, 66, who was removed from office over a massive corruption scandal last year, was convicted of multiple criminal charges including bribery and abuse of power at a trial earlier this month. She has boycotted all court hearings since October, claiming unfair treatment. On Monday Park submitted an appeal waiver to […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China has stepped up its campaign against foreign espionage with a website in Mandarin and English encouraging people to report national security threats such as bids to “overthrow the socialist system”. The website, www.12339.gov.cn, launched by the Ministry of National Security on Sunday, also urges anyone to report attempts by Chinese nationals or foreigners to bribe state or military officials, instigate armed riots or incite ethnic separatism. Potential problematic behavior […]
