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European banks stop sending money to North Korea: aid groups

By Megha Rajagopalan BEIJING (Reuters) - European aid groups said their banks in Europe had stopped sending money to North Korea in the wake of U.S. sanctions on Pyongyang's main foreign exchange bank, leaving them scrambling for a solution short of hand-carrying cash into the impoverished country. Aid groups said if it became impossible to send enough money to operate, donors might withdraw support for their programs.

Bulgaria orders state-owned companies to diversify deposits

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.

Koreas-humanitarian aid

SEOUL, May 22 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will seek to rebuild trust with North Korea by offering humanitarian aid to Pyongyang if inter-Korean dialogue is reopened, a top security official said, despite months of high tensions triggered by the North's nuclear test. Ju Chul-ki, the senior presidential secretary for foreign affairs and national security, told senior diplomats on Tuesday that Seoul is willing to "present several proposals to North Korea if (inter-Korean) dialogue resumes."

(News Focus) NK aid-suspension

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.

Russia angry over "stolen" Eurovision votes

By Lada Evgrashina and Steve Gutterman BAKU/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Moscow has clashed with the European Union over human rights and with NATO over security. Now another longstanding European institution is causing anger in the Kremlin and tension between Russia and Azerbaijan: the Eurovision Song Contest.

S Korea-Kaesong talks

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.

NK-missile launch

SEOUL, May 21 (Yonhap) -- North Korea appears to be winding up a series of shore-to-sea weapons tests as a four-day sailing ban it had imposed on the sea off its east coast was coming to an end on Tuesday, a South Korean government source said. North Korea last week declared a portion of the sea off the Korean Peninsula's east coast off limits to ships from May 18-21, during which it test-fired a total of six short-range "projectiles" believed to be missiles or rockets.

Chinese PM vows to open up markets to India

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.

S Korea-Kaesong talks

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.

aging preparedness-OECD

SEOUL, May 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korea was ranked the worst country at preparing policies to meet challenges posed by aging, a state-run think tank said Tuesday, in the latest wakeup call that the Asian country needs to take action to deal with its rapidly aging population. South Korea is fast becoming an aged society, in which more than 14 percent of the population is 65 or older. Korea became an aging society in 2000, when the ratio exceeded 7 percent.
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