Bulgaria's caretaker government approved Wednesday new regulations requiring state-owned companies to diversify their deposits in local banks to end the current concentration of funds in one institution. The new rules oblige all companies with a government stake of over 50 percent to hold no more than 25 percent of their funds in one lender. Companies were given a six-month deadline to comply.

By Lee Joon-sung SEOUL, May 22 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's private aid to North Korea has effectively been frozen in the face of heightened inter-Korean tensions that are undermining the foundation of local help organizations and hurting mutual trust building efforts, sources said Wednesday.

SEOUL, May 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korea urged North Korea Tuesday to accept working-level talks that could help normalize operations of a suspended inter-Korean industrial complex in Kaesong and alleviate local companies that are suffering due to the suspension. The Kaesong Industrial Complex has been shut down since early April when Pyongyang withdrew all of its workers from the 123 South Korean companies there, citing the South's provocations against the communist country.

Visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang pledged on Tuesday to open up domestic markets to Indian businesses and narrow a gaping trade deficit between the two countries. "As for Indian concerns over the trade deficit, the Chinese side is willing to provide facilitations for more Indian products to access the Chinese market," Li said during a speech to Indian business leaders in New Delhi. "I am confident we have the ability to mitigate the trade imbalance between our two countries," he added.