Member states of the United Nations

U.S. Air Force offering data for S. Korea seeking to buy fighter jets

Yonhap News AgencyMay 24, 2013 17:31

By Lee Chi-dong WASHINGTON, May 24 (Yonhap) -- A close partnership between the air forces of South Korea and the United States will continue regardless of which model Seoul picks for its next-generation fighter jets, a senior U.S. official said Friday. "They are strong partners and allies and I think will remain so in any situation going forward," Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley said in a Pentagon press briefing.

Japan, Vietnam agree to expand Japanese-language education

Kyodo News InternationalMay 24, 2013 10:17

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and visiting Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Tien Nhan agreed Friday to expand Japanese-language education in the Southeast Asian nation, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said. At a separate meeting in Tokyo, Kishida and visiting Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Keat Chhon, who doubles as finance minister, confirmed plans to strengthen bilateral ties through investment promotion and economic cooperation.

opposition party-NK ties

Yonhap News AgencyMay 24, 2013 05:00

SEOUL, May 24 (Yonhap) -- The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) called on the government Friday to normalize inter-Korean ties, saying the prolonged impasse is hurting South Korean businesses. The request came as Friday marked three years since Seoul cut off nearly all inter-Korean exchanges in the wake of the North's deadly sinking of a South Korean warship in March 2010.

S Korea-NK sanctions

Yonhap News AgencyMay 24, 2013 01:32

SEOUL, May 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is not considering easing or lifting sanctions imposed on Pyongyang after the sinking of one of the South's warships in 2010 that effectively put the kibosh on most cross-border exchanges, official sources said Friday. Seoul announced the so-called May 24 measures after a two-month-long probe that accused Pyongyang of sinking the Cheonan in waters near the maritime border in the Yellow Sea on March 26, 2010. Pyongyang has denied the accusations.

Japan hails moves by N. Korea toward dialogue

Kyodo News InternationalMay 24, 2013 01:00

Japan on Friday welcomed the recent moves by North Korea toward dialogue with other countries that have urged Pyongyang to give up its nuclear and missile development programs. "It is a positive development that North Korea halts provocative acts and shows signs of accepting dialogue. We will closely watch this," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters.

S Korea-NK sanctions

Yonhap News AgencyMay 23, 2013 22:30

AFP 1900 GMT news advisory

Agence France-PresseMay 23, 2013 15:45

Duty editor: Jim Mannion Tel: +1 202 414 0541 -- TOP STORIES -- + Obama tackles drones, Guantanamo in war-on-terror reset + Britain arrests two more in soldier's killing + Suicide bombings in Niger kill at least 20 US-attacks-justice-Obama,WRAP WASHINGTON President Barack Obama lays out new guidelines for drone strikes abroad and launches a new bid to close the Guantanamo Bay prison, seeking to rein in a "boundless" US war on terror. 800 words 2000 GMT. By Stephen Collinson. Picture.

TSX, U.S. indexes dip as world markets plunge on Chinese manufacturing data

The Canadian PressMay 23, 2013 10:32

TORONTO - Toronto and U.S. stock markets racked up some losses Thursday amid a contraction in Chinese manufacturing that drove the Japanese market down to levels not seen in more than two years. The S On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrials average fell 12.67 points to 15,294.50, the S HSBC reported that its preliminary Purchasing Managers Index for China fell to a seven-month low of 49.6 in May from April's 50.4. Analysts had expected a more modest decline to 50.3.

Swiss free-trade deal a key global sign: China's Li

Agence France-PresseMay 23, 2013 08:16

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang sees a looming free-trade deal with Switzerland as a touchstone for Beijing's growing ties with foreign nations, he told a Swiss newspaper on Thursday ahead of a landmark visit to Europe. Li was scheduled to arrive in Switzerland late on Thursday for trade-focused talks in what is the first stop on his debut visit to Europe since taking over in a once-in-a-decade power transfer in Beijing.

Canada and Pacific Alliance trade bloc size each other up for trade prospects

The Canadian PressMay 23, 2013 08:01

CALI, Colombia - Canada's many forays into free-trade talks across the globe are not the ineffective scatter-gun approach described by critics, but an effort to set up "gateways" to the world's biggest trading blocs, says International Trade Minister Ed Fast. "There's a lot of misunderstanding of what we're doing," Fast said in an interview in a cool and quiet corridor at the lush country club where he and Prime Minister Stephen Harper are observing Latin American economic integration talks.