NEW DELHI (AFP) - Prime Minister Theresa May said Britain would become the ultimate free trade champion as she laid the groundwork Monday for a potential post-Brexit deal with India, the world's fastest growing major economy.In her first bilateral trip outside Europe since taking office in July, May said Britain would not "turn its back on the world" once it has left the EU but emphasised that new economic relationships had to benefit all sides.May's visit is an attempt to get the ball rolling f

ABU DHABI (AFP) - Coordination between members of oil-exporting cartel OPEC and non-member producers is "vital" to rebalance the market, OPEC chief Mohammad Barkindo said Monday. Former OPEC Secretary General HE Abdalla Salem El-Badri (right) handing over the executive leadership of the OPEC Secretariat to newly appointed Secretary General HE Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo. (OPEC homepage)"We believe it is vital that both OPEC and non-OPEC countries come together and take coordinated... action to reba

BEIJING (AFP) -- China Monday passed a controversial cybersecurity bill tightening restrictions on online freedom of speech and imposing new rules on online service providers, raising concerns it is further cloistering its heavily controlled internet.The ruling Communist Party oversees a vast censorship system -- dubbed the Great Firewall -- that aggressively blocks sites or snuffs out internet content and commentary on topics considered sensitive, such as Beijing's human rights record and criti

Opposition parties rejected President Park Geun-hye’s proposal for talks to break a political deadlock on Monday even though her top aide said Park is willing to discuss the most sensitive issues, including the fate of her nominee for prime minister. During his courtesy calls, Han Gwang-ok, her new chief of staff, sounded out party leaders about the offer of dialogue Park made on Friday to discuss solutions to a deepening political crisis triggered by an influence-peddling scandal involving her

French State Reform Minister Jean Vincent Place will give a special lecture on the digital revolution in the South Korean port city of Busan later this week, a city official said Monday. The lecture, titled "The Digital Revolution as a Solution to the Democratic and Environmental Challenges of the 21st Century," will be given at the city's inaugural Global Talk Show on Thursday, the official said.  South Korean President Park Geun-hye (wearing red) is greeted by Jean-Vincent Place (L), French mi

A local research team said Monday it found a record of the Japanese military killing Korean women forced to serve as sex slaves when the country was under colonial rule (1910-45).The operation diary for Sept. 15, 1944, recorded by allied forces of the United States and China, says "Night of the (Sept.) 13th, (1944), the Japs shot 30 Korean girls in the city (of Tengchong, China)," according to the Seoul National University (SNU) Human Rights Center. This scanned document provided by the Seoul Na

CLEVELAND (AFP) - Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump brandished starkly different visions of America as they headed into a fierce final weekend of campaigning, one celebrating hope as the other bashed corruption.　Trump doubled down on his attacks on Clinton as a product of a venal and incompetent establishment, while Clinton headlined an optimistic concert spectacular featuring superstar singer Beyonce.　Forecasts based on polling averages still give the 69-year-old Democrat an edge over the 70-yea

Tens of thousands of protesters are expected to gather in central Seoul Saturday to demand President Park Geun-hye’s resignation from office over a corruption scandal involving one of her acquaintances who allegedly meddled in state affairs and pursued unlawful benefits.　Police estimate around 30,000-40,000 protesters will gather in central Seoul in the latest series of rallies that began a week earlier.　Organizers, on the other hand, insist up to 100,000 may join the rally, citing the public‘s

North Korea could carry out another nuclear test with little notice at any time, but is unlikely to conduct a long-range rocket launch in the near future, a U.S. website monitoring the communist nation said Friday.　“While there has been speculation of a North Korean satellite launch or nuclear test occurring during the run-up to the US Presidential election, the evidence from commercial satellite imagery of the Sohae Satellite Launching Station and the Punggye-ri nuclear test site suggests it‘s

The U.S. consumer protection agency on Friday announced a recall of some Samsung Electronics washing machines for a potential safety problem.　The Consumer Product Safety Commission said that 34 models of Samsung top-load washing machines sold since March 2011, totaling　2.8 million units, are subject to the recall because the washing machine top can unexpectedly detach from the washing machine chassis during use.“Samsung has received 733 reports of washing machines experiencing excessive vibratio

LG’S NEW 3G CELL PHONE — LG Electronics began selling its Wine 3G cell phone in South Korea on Sunday via local carrier KT. LG’s new budget handset is designed for senior consumers who prefer cheap cell phones offering the most basic functions over high-end smartphones with complex features. The LG Wine 3G is priced at 143,000 won ($125) including taxes and is available in two colors — brown and red. (KT)

A top Chinese official arrived in North Korea on Monday for talks on border-related issues, Pyongyang‘s state media said.　In a one-paragraph dispatch, the Korean Central News Agency　(KCNA) confirmed that Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin began the trip, leading a Chinese delegation to the third joint committee meeting regarding the border.　It stopped short of providing details including Liu’s itinerary.　He became the first known high-level Chinese official to make a trip there in eight months.　H

The number of foreign tourists in South Korea jumped 26.3 percent on-year in September partly on lower air fares following the Chuseok holiday in the middle of the month, official data showed Monday.　A total of 1.52 million foreigners traveled here during the month, up 26.3 percent from 1.2 million recorded a year earlier and a 22.3 percent rise from 1.24 million in September 2014, according to the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO).　By nationality, the number of Chinese visitors rose 22.8 percent

Hundreds of owners of the Galaxy Note 7 smartphone in South Korea filed a joint lawsuit against Samsung Electronics Co. on Monday for inconvenience experienced after the discontinuation of the device, a local law firm said.　A total of 527 plaintiffs filed the case with the Seoul Central District Court, seeking 500,000 won (US$440) in compensation each, according to Harvest Law Office.　Ko Young-yeel, the attorney representing the plaintiffs, said the rights of the consumers were infringed upon as

South Korea held a ministerial-level meeting with African countries as a way to bolster economic cooperation with the developing continent, the finance ministry here said Monday.　The 5th Korea Africa Economic Cooperation (KOAFEC) gathering took place in Seoul from Monday to Thursday, with the attendance of ministers and vice ministers from 41 African countries and officials from regional institutions including the African Development Bank (AfDB), according to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance

A leading US law firm has been allowed to offer legal consultancy services in South Korea, the Ministry of Justice said Sunday.Latham & Watkins was permitted on Thursday to open the branch in Seoul to provide international law-related consultancy services and other services with local law firms, it said.  (Screen capture of the homepage)Latham & Watkins, founded in 1934, is the world's highest-grossing law firm, with US$2.65 billion in annual revenue.The firm is considered one of the most presti

BENAULIM, India - Chinese President Xi Jinping said Sunday a rising tide of protectionism and anti-globalisation was endangering the world economy's still fragile recovery as BRICS leaders vowed to forge closer business and trade ties.At a summit in the Indian tourist hub of Goa, host Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the leaders of China, Russia, Brazil and South Africa issued a joint declaration on a range of measures, including the setting-up of a new credit ratings agency and fighting tax eva

ISTANBUL - Suicide bombers blew themselves up in the Turkish city of Gaziantep near the Syrian border on Sunday, causing an unknown number of casualties, after police raided their sleeper cell, state media reported.The bombers detonated their explosives when they saw they were likely to be captured during an operation by Turkish security forces in the southeastern city, Anadolu news agency reported.  (AFP)Media reports spoke of casualties without providing precise numbers.Witnesses told the priv

Golfer Carlota Ciganda of Spain earned her first LPGA Tour win in South Korea on Sunday in a playoff.Ciganda defeated Alison Lee of the United States with a birdie on the first playoff hole to take the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship at Sky 72 Golf & Resort's Ocean Course, just next to Incheon International Airport. The two players ended the regulation tied at 10-under 278 on the rainy day, and Ciganda, who rallied from a five-shot deficit but also wasted a five-stroke lead on the back nine, nee

Shares held by foreign investors at South Korea's top30 listed firm have exceeded 315 trillion won (US$278 billion), data showed Sunday.According to the Financial Supervisory Service data submitted to the National Assembly, shares held by foreign investors were 67 percent of the total share ownership as of September. Tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. showed the highest ratio of foreign ownership at 36 percent, the data showed.Shares held by foreign investors exceeded 10 trillion at SK hynix, th