WASHINGTON (AP) -- It was supposed to be his grand valedictory tour. Now President Barack Obama must use his last major trip abroad to try to calm shocked world leaders about the outcome of the U.S. election, and what comes next when Donald Trump is president.  Trump's unforeseen victory has triggered pangs of uncertainty at home and grave concerns around the world. Though Obama has urged unity and said the U.S. must root for Trump's success, the president's trip to Greece, Germany and Peru forc

MARRAKECH, Morocco (AFP) -- The year 2016 will "very likely" be the hottest on record, the UN said Monday, warning of calamitous consequences if the march of global warming cannot be halted.Average temperatures for the year were set to hit about 1.2 Celsius over pre-Industrial Revolution levels -- meaning that 16 of the 17 hottest years on record were this century, said the UN's World Meteorological Organization (WMO).The new record means the world is already more than halfway to the upper limit

JAKARTA (AFP) -- Skygazers took to high-rise buildings, observatories and beaches Monday to get a glimpse of the closest "supermoon" to Earth in almost seven decades, and snap dramatic pictures.The unusually big and bright moon appeared at its most impressive just as night fell over Asia, but astronomy enthusiasts will be able to see Earth's satellite loom large anywhere in the world shortly after sunset, weather permitting.The phenomenon happens when the moon is full at the same time as, or ver

BRUSSELS (AFP) -- The EU on Monday urged all parties to the landmark Iran nuclear accord to stick to their commitments after US President-elect Donald Trump said he might ditch the deal.European Union foreign ministers meeting in Brussels said the deal signed last year with Iran by the United States, three EU powers as well as Russia and China must be respected as the bloc seeks to expand economic and other ties."The upholding of commitments by all sides is a necessary condition to continue rebu

BEIJING (AP) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed the importance of relations with the United States in a phone conversation with President-elect Donald Trump on Monday, opening communication with a politician who had been strongly critical of China during his campaign.   State media reported that Xi congratulated Trump on his election and said cooperation was the "only correct choice" for China and the U.S., the world's two biggest economies.   "At present, there is an important opportuni

The chief of the main opposition party late Monday called off a meeting with President Park Geun-hye slated for Tuesday, in the face of resistance over a possible crack in the opposition camp’s united front against the beleaguered commander in chief.  Rep. Choo Mi-ae of the Democratic Party of Korea proposed one-on-one talks with Park earlier in the day, seeking to “accurately deliver” public sentiment and explore ways to defuse the snowballing crisis, amid an influence-peddling scandal involvin

BEIJING (AFP) -- China's tough controls over the internet will be temporarily lifted for people attending the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, officials promised Wednesday.The communist country restricts access to foreign websites including Google, Facebook and Twitter with a vast network of controls dubbed the Great Firewall of China. Under President Xi Jinping it has tightened its grip on broadcast, print and online media.Content deemed politically sensitive, violent or morally "unhealthy" is reg

NEW YORK (AFP) -- Online giant Amazon launched an expanded on-demand music streaming service in the US Wednesday, taking on the likes of Spotify and Apple Music with a cut-price offer for users of its Echo speakers.Amazon Music Unlimited will offer "tens of millions of songs" to subscribers, the company said, a step up from the two million available on its existing Amazon Prime streaming service.The new service costs $9.99 a month -- the same as rivals Spotify Premium, Apple Music and Google Pla

TOKYO (AFP) -- Sony is set to launch its new virtual reality headset, joining Facebook, Samsung and Google in a market that analysts say could boost the global gaming sector.The electronics giant -- which has been leaning on its videogames business to claw back to profitability -- will start selling its PlayStation virtual reality (PSVR) headset on Thursday in home market Japan and North America.Priced at $399, the headset is significantly cheaper than rival offerings and Sony is hoping the gadg

GENEVA (AFP) -- The UN's rights chief warned Wednesday that Donald Trump's statements pointed to a "dangerous" figure emerging on the world stage if he won the US presidency.At a press conference in Geneva, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said he was "not keen or intent on interfering in any political campaign."But, he said, in light of the "unsettling" and "disturbing" comments from the US presidential candidate it was only right to sound the alarm. "If Donald Trump

MANILA (AFP) -- The Philippine government has formally invited a United Nations rights rapporteur to investigate the thousands of killings during President Rodrigo Duterte's war on crime, a presidential spokesman said Wednesday."The (presidential) palace has sent the invitation to UN Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard and is awaiting her response," spokesman Ernesto Abella told reporters.Since July Duterte has overseen a brutal crackdown on illegal drugs that has left more than 3,300 people dead

Samsung's corporate car-crash over its exploding Note 7 smartphones has shone a spotlight on South Korea's "chaebol" business culture -- the family-run empires whose rigid corporate structure and opaque governance style aren't always best suited to a crisis.Giant conglomerates like Samsung and Hyundai were widely credited with driving the stellar growth that transformed South Korea from a war-ravaged backwater to Asia's fourth-largest economy in a matter of decades.Their business style was a top

The head of the country's main opposition party was indicted Wednesday on charges of illegal electioneering as the statute of limitations for crimes committed during April's general elections is slated to expire later this week.The Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office said Rep. Choo Mi-ae of the Minjoo Party of Korea is suspected of spreading false information to get elected ahead of the polls for the 20th National Assembly.The 57-year-old lawmaker held a press conference in March and said

China's foreign ministry on Wednesday asked South Korea to stay calm in dealing with Chinese boats illegally fishing in the neighboring country's waters a day after Seoul said it will be more firm with lawbreakers.South Korea's decision to strengthen law enforcement, even authorizing the use of firearms, is not a fundamental solution to the problem and will only cause more trouble, said Chinese ministry spokesman Geng Shuang during a regular press briefing.The remark was made a day after South K

South Korea has confirmed an additional cholera infection, raising the official number of people with the waterborne virus to four, health authorities said Saturday.A man in his 40s, a Busan resident, has been diagnosed with the disease after eating seafood at a local restaurant earlier this week, shortly after he returned from a trip to the Philippines, they said. He traveled to the Southeast Asian nation with two other Busan residents. He is now receiving treatment at a Busan hospital, while h

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday called on North Korea to stop its provocative behavior and respect U.N. Security Council resolutions banning its nuclear and missile tests.During the Eastern Economic Forum in Russia's Far East port city of Vladivostok, Putin also said that Russia has "various channels" with North Korea and will use such channels to help address the ongoing nuclear standoff with the North."Russia is against the proliferation of nuclear arms," he said. (Yonhap)Presiden

South Korea has confirmed an additional cholera infection, raising the official number of people with the waterborne virus to four, health authorities said Saturday.A man in his 40s, a Busan resident, has been diagnosed with the disease after eating seafood at a local restaurant earlier this week, shortly after he returned from a trip to the Philippines, they said. He traveled to the Southeast Asian nation with two other Busan residents. He is now receiving treatment at a Busan hospital, while h

DAVAO, Philippines (AFP) -- Philippine authorities on Saturday blamed a notorious group of Islamic militants for the bombing of a night market in President Rodrigo Duterte's home town that killed at least 14 people.An improvised explosive device tore through the bustling market in the heart of Davao city and close to one of its top hotels just before 11:00pm (1500 GMT) on Friday.Authorities said the Abu Sayyaf, a small band of militants that has declared allegiance to the Islamic State group, mo

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (AFP) -- Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Saturday appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin for a new era in ties hampered by a territorial dispute dating back to WWII."Let's put an end to this abnormal situation, which has lasted 70 years and together start to build a new epoch in Russia-Japan ties that will last the next 70 years," Abe told Putin during a speech translated into Russian after the pair met for talks in Russia's far eastern city of Vladivostok. Tokyo-M

Samsung Electronics Co. has begun the U.S. exchange program for the Galaxy Note 7 smartphones amid concern over a battery problem, the local sales arm of the South Korean tech giant said.On Friday, Samsung announced its findings that some of the new devices that went on sale two weeks ago caught fire due to a "battery cell issue."Samsung announced a global recall of all Galaxy Note 7 phones sold worldwide in a quick and bold response."Samsung is taking a proactive approach to address customer ne