China-led study reveals ‘Greater Gondwana’ was 80% of Earth’s crust 500m years ago

WASHINGTON — The top diplomats of South Korea and the United States agreed to work together for "good" results from bilateral talks on the Asian country's investment projects in the U.S. during their meeting in Washington on Friday, the foreign ministry said. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met at the State Department as the two countries have been in talks over the investment projects as part of efforts to implement last year's bilateral trade deal under which Seoul committed to investing $350 billion in the U.S. Seoul and Washington were initially expected to announce Korea's first investment project on Friday (Korea time). But the announcement has reportedly been postponed until next week after a related briefing to the National Assembly was delayed. "I called on (Secretary Rubio) to make joint efforts to ensure that ongoing consultations related to strategic investment projects in the U.S. will yield good results, while asking the secretary to play a role in that process," Cho said during a press meeting with South Korean correspondents. "Secretary

In May 2016, Kim Kang-woo, then 21 years old, risked his life crossing North Korea's border into China to defect to South Korea in search of freedom, thinking he might never be able to return to the isolated country ever again. But three years later, in May 2019, he did not hesitate to jump back into the Amnok River — also known as the Yalu River in Chinese — and smuggle himself back into the North to save his mother. "I knew that I could die or face up to five years in prison in South Korea ... But in the end, what made my determination clear was the realization that my mother had raised me for over 20 years, so sacrificing four or five years of my life in prison was the right thing to do. That very evening, I crossed over," Kim told The Korea Times in an interview marking the release of his first book in June. He was born and raised in Ryanggang Province, North Korea, a border region near China. Titled "My Hell Could Not Kill Me" (translated title), the Korean-language memoir recounts his initial defection, his extreme re-entry into North Korea to rescue his mother, his second es

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for his country's artillery forces to have the "most concentrated and destructive" capabilities as he visited major munitions factories earlier this week, state media reported Saturday. Kim inspected munitions enterprises from Wednesday to Friday, accompanied by senior officials, including Pak Jong-chon, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers' Party, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "Our artillery should have the most concentrated and destructive, massive and versatile offensive capability and responsibly perform the two missions of deterring and fighting war," the KCNA quoted Kim as saying. Kim said the munitions industry should play a bigger role in carrying out the strategic policy of the ruling Workers' Party to build the "most powerful army," according to the KCNA. He outlined policy tasks, including enhancing the level of artificial intelligence of offensive and defensive weapons, upgrading the armor and automation of artillery weapons, and improving production conditions, it said. Kim appears

Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, on Saturday rejected a recent resolution by the U.N. nuclear watchdog against Pyongyang's nuclear program, vowing to maintain the credibility of the country's nuclear capabilities in the face of what she called nuclear threats from the United States and others. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) adopted the resolution at its 70th General Conference in Vienna on Thursday, reaffirming that North Korea cannot have nuclear-weapons-state status under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and calling on Pyongyang to immediately cease all related activities. "The IAEA forcibly adopted an anti-DPRK 'resolution' that takes issue with our country's self-defensive and legitimate nuclear activities while turning a blind eye to the grave reality that our security environment is constantly exposed to external nuclear threats," Kim said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). DPRK stands for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Kim's statement came two days af

A record-breaking 1,500 people attended a late-night walk in aid of a Kent hospice charity last night.

For years, the race to build ever more powerful artificial intelligence followed a well-worn Silicon ⁠Valley principle: move fast and break things. But in a series of cascading events over a 10-day stretch, the largest ⁠AI labs found themselves reeling as their own creations threatened to break humanity itself. An Anthropic researcher quit the firm, warning that the pace of AI development poses an existential threat, possibly within a decade. Another researcher at the firm said the odds of human...

"I have a lot of watches at this price range, and this one has got to be my favourite. It is bold, yet understated. Large, yet unassuming. Substantial, yet delicate. I couldn't be happier with it."

Hundreds of guests were evacuated from a major Kent hotel in the early hours after a fire ripped through the basement.

An urgent appeal has again been issued for 13-year-old Lillia

Customs has made the largest seizure of drugs shipped by sea in Hong Kong’s history, discovering HK$125 million (US$15.93 million) worth of marijuana in a 40-foot container and arresting three people. The Customs and Excise Department revealed on Saturday that it had selected a seaborne container at the Kwai Chung Customhouse Cargo Examination Compound for inspection earlier in September after conducting a risk assessment and intelligence analysis. The container had been declared as containing...

US President Donald Trump’s claim of “permanent” security control over Greenland just days ahead of a state visit by his Chinese counterpart is an effort to boost US leverage, according to analysts. However, they warned of a potential negative impact on the high-stakes talks, citing broader risks to major-power trust and peaceful Arctic development. In a social media post on Friday, Trump said: “I am pleased to announce that the United States of America has entered into an Agreement with The...