BRATISLAVA -- European Union leaders agreed at a post-Brexit summit Friday to forge a new "vision" within six months to restore faith and unity in the bloc as it plans a future without Britain.The 27 leaders meeting, without their British counterpart, in the Slovak capital Bratislava issued a roadmap to heal deep divisions and deal with the problems rocking the EU -- mass migration, security and a faltering economy.In a show of unity after the summit in the hilltop Bratislava Castle, German Chan

WASHINGTON -- The world's five recognized nuclear weapons states denounced North Korea's fifth nuclear test, calling for a complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council or "P5" nations held a two-day meeting in Washington and issued a joint statement condemning the North's Sept. 9 nuclear test and its continued ballistic missile launches, saying such tests violate U.N. resolutions."The P5 reiterated the imp

Korean tax authorities have begun an intensive special tax investigation into two foreign tobacco manufacturers for evading taxes on cigarettes produced before last year‘s tax hike, but sold after the raise, industry watchers said.For the past few months, the National Tax Service has been looking into the excess profits that Philip Morris International and British American Tobacco gained by selling cigarettes produced before 2015 but sold after the government imposed an excise tax hike that rais

Lotte Group Vice Chairman Lee In-won was found dead in an apparent suicide Friday morning, just hours before he was scheduled to be questioned by prosecutors as part of the ongoing investigation into the retail giant.According to police, Lee‘s body was found on a walking trail in Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi Province, at about 7 a.m. Police identified him by his business card and ID. Lee In-won (Yonhap)Police said that there was no indication that Lee‘s death could have been a homicide, adding that

Lotte Group Vice Chairman Lee In-won was found dead Friday morning in an apparent suicide ahead of his appearance in front of prosecutors for questioning regarding the ongoing investigation into Lotte Group, according to police.　He was found on a walking trail in Gyeonggi Province. A note was later found in his car. Details on the note have not yet been confirmed. Lotte Group chief Shin Dong-bin's number two man, Lee In-won, has been found dead in an apparent suicide.Lee was widely known as the

 RIO DE JANEIRO -- The South Korean women's badminton doubles team of Jung Kyung-eun and Shin Seung-chan captured a bronze medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Thursday.Jung Kyung-eun and Shin Seung-chan celebrate after taking bronze in women's badminton doubles at the Rio Olympics. (Yonhap)   Jung and Shin defeated Tan Yuanting and Yu Yang beat 2-0 (21-8, 21-17). This was South Korea's first badminton medal in Rio and will also be the only one this Olympics.   Jung and Shin were the only tea

BEIRUT (AP) -- Syrian opposition activists have released haunting footage showing a young boy rescued from the rubble in the aftermath of a devastating airstrike in Aleppo.The image of the stunned and weary looking boy, sitting in an orange chair inside an ambulance covered in dust and with blood on his face, encapsulates the horrors inflicted on the war-ravaged northern city and is being widely shared on social media. 5-year-old Omran Daqneesh sits in an ambulance after being pulled out of a bu

A special inspector looking into allegations of corruption involving a presidential aide submitted a petition with the state prosecutors' office Thursday seeking a formal investigation, legal sources said.Lee Seok-su, the inspector under the presidential office, filed the report against Woo Byung-woo with the Supreme Prosecutors' Office on charges of embezzlement and abuse of authority. (Yonhap)Lee launched an investigation on the senior presidential secretary for civil affairs last month as a s

NEW YORK (AFP) - Donald Trump on Wednesday shook up his campaign team for a second time in just two months, fending off suggestions that his presidential run is in crisis as polls show Hillary Clinton cruising toward victory.The Republican White House nominee, who is tanking in swing states, hired a news executive from a virulently anti-Clinton website as his campaign chief executive and promoted a leading Republican strategist to campaign manager.Stephen Bannon is executive chairman of Breitbar

Lee Jae-yong, the de facto heir of South Korea's top conglomerate Samsung Group, and his mother donated a combined 4 billion won (US$3.5 million) to a local charity group, justice ministry officials said Wednesday.Hong Ra-hee, wife of ailing Chairman Lee Kun-hee, and the younger Lee each donated 2 billion won to the Korea Juvenile Protection Association, according to the Ministry of Justice.The commitment to the association is the latest in a series of donations that the South Korean electronics

MOSCOW -- Russia's top Olympic official says he expects a final decision by Sunday on whether the entire Russian team will be banned from next month's games in Rio. The International Olympic Committee is examining the legal options following a report by World Anti-Doping Agency investigator Richard McLaren that accused Russia's sports ministry of overseeing doping of the country's Olympic athletes. Russian Olympic Committee president Alexander Zhukov says "the issue will be finally resolved by t

MADRID -- China's property and entertainment giant Wanda has agreed to sell a historic Madrid skyscraper, a source close to negotiations said Wednesday, after feuding with city authorities over plans to renovate the landmark.Wanda acquired the 25-story Edificio Espana, completed in the 1950s under the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, in June 2014 for 265 million euros (now $292 million) and wanted to turn it into a hotel and shopping centre.The group had reportedly planned to knock down

LONDON -- Prime Minister Theresa May is making her first overseas trip as Britain's leader on Wednesday to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a key figure in negotiating Britain's exit from the European Union. A week ago May replaced David Cameron, who resigned in the wake of Britain's decision to leave the 28-nation bloc. May's office says the trip, which also includes a visit to French President Francois Hollande, will help forge "the personal relations that will pave the way for open and f

ANKARA -- President Recep Tayyip Erdogan battled to regain control over Turkey Saturday after a coup bid by discontented soldiers, as signs grew that the most serious challenge to his 13 years of dominant rule was faltering. Turkish police officer (R) embrace a man on a tank after the military position was taken over at the Anatolian side at Uskudar in Istanbul on Saturday.President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Turks to remain on the streets on July 16, 2016, as his forces regained control after a

Police said Saturday it has opened a full-fledged investigation into the confinement of the prime minister during his visit to the southern town of Seongju to persuade residents to accept the deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defense system to the area.During his trip on Friday, angry residents protesting the government's decision to deploy the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) blocked Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn's car for hours and threw water bottles and eggs at him. Prime

ULAANBAATAR -- President Park Geun-hye on Saturday pointed to North Korea as a "missing link" in the effort to achieve a free, peaceful and interconnected Eurasia, saying the unification of the Korean Peninsula will offer a "fundamental" solution. President Park Geun-hye at the ASEM opening ceremony on Friday. (Yonhap)Speaking at a retreat session of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit, Park made an emphatic call for international cooperation in Seoul's efforts to lay the groundwork for nation

ANKARA, Turkey -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the nation Saturday that his government is in charge after a coup attempt brought a night of explosions, air battles and gunfire across the capital that left dozens dead and at least 150 people wounded.  Government officials said the coup appeared to have failed as Turks took to the streets overnight to confront troops attempting to take over the country. However, the sounds of huge blasts, including at least one bomb that hit the par

ULAN BATOR -- EU chiefs Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker on Saturday backed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government and urged a "swift return" to normal after a coup attempt."Turkey is a key partner for the European Union. The EU fully supports the democratically elected government, the institutions of the country and the rule of law," European Council President Tusk and European Commission head Juncker said in a joint statement."We call for a swift return to Turkey's constitution

Korea's minimum wage has been set at 6,470 won ($5.70) per hour for next year, up 7 percent from this year, the labor ministry said Saturday.The new minimum wage translates to 51,760 won a day for those who work eight hours a day and some 1.35 million won a month for those who work full time.The Ministry of Employment and Labor said the pay raise will affect an estimated 3.36 million workers in the nation.Minimum Wage Council Chairman Park Jun-sung (center) and other members of the council condu

LONDON -- Britain's Conservative party starts voting on Tuesday to replace outgoing Prime Minister David Cameron following his resignation in the wake of Britain's shock decision to leave the European Union.   Interior minister Theresa May is the clear frontrunner, pitching herself as a sober operator capable of unifying a party fractured by last month's referendum and of leading Britain out of the EU.   The new leader will also have to ease fears over Brexit's effect on the economy, with the Ba