Eight killed in Foshan clothing factory inferno

Key Takeaways: River erosion is destroying farmland in Bajura and Achham, with productive fields turning into riverbeds Dozens of settlements are at risk, and some families have...

North Korean state media remained silent early Monday morning on the country's latest missile launches. The Korean Central News Agency made no mention of Sunday's launch of two short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea, fired hours apart. North Korea has typically reported its missile tests the following day, though that pattern has grown inconsistent in recent months. Three missile launches last month were not reported at all, while a Sept. 12 launch, which came a day after South Korea, the United States and Japan wrapped up a trilateral military exercise, was reported two days later. North Korea on Sunday launched two missiles from the Wonsan area, roughly three hours apart — the first around 3:00 p.m. and the second at roughly 5:50 p.m. — South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. The first flew about 450 km, while the second traveled more than 600 km, according to the JCS. The launches came ahead of the U.N. General Assembly's high-level general debate, slated to open Tuesday (U.S. time), and the upcoming summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese Presiden

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun held separate talks with his Panamanian and Bahraini counterparts in New York and discussed ways to enhance practical cooperation and regional issues, Seoul's foreign ministry said Monday. Cho is in New York to attend the high-level segment of the U.N. General Assembly, scheduled for Tuesday through Saturday, and will hold a series of bilateral meetings with foreign counterparts on the sidelines. During talks with Panamanian Foreign Minister Javier Eduardo Martinez-Acha on Sunday, Cho expressed hope that Korean companies would expand their involvement in Panama's major infrastructure projects, according to the ministry. The two sides agreed to continue close cooperation at multilateral forums, including the United Nations, following their joint work as nonpermanent members of the U.N. Security Council last year, it added. During the meeting with Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, the two sides discussed the situation in the Middle East and agreed to continue cooperating at the U.N. and other international forums to promote regional peace

Senior diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan held telephone consultations Monday to share information and discuss responses following North Korea's latest ballistic missile launches, Seoul's foreign ministry said. On Sunday, Pyongyang fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea, marking the country's 14th ballistic missile launch of the year and the first in eight days, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). Baek Yong-jin, director general for Korean Peninsula policy at the ministry, spoke with David Wilezol, deputy assistant secretary for Northeast Asia at the U.S. State Department, and Takashi Ariyoshi, a senior official at Japan's foreign ministry, according to the ministry. "The three officials shared relevant information and discussed future responses," the ministry said in a release. "The foreign affairs authorities of the three countries operate a channel for promptly sharing information and assessments whenever North Korea launches ballistic missiles," it added. Sunday's launches appeared to have been in response to multinationa

North Korea on Monday urged its people to complete the rice harvest at the right time as part of a broader push to meet targets under its five-year national economic plan. The Rodong Sinmun, the country's most widely read state newspaper, devoted its front page to articles and a commentary on the harvest. Describing the agriculture industry as "the first sector that shows the results of the year's business," the paper said a successful harvest would "inspire the people with confidence and optimism and reinvigorate the nation's economy." "There is no task more important or urgent than the fall harvest," it said, urging people to throw themselves into the effort. The paper also struck an upbeat note on this year's harvest, crediting growing mechanization in the field. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un announced the country's new five-year economic plan during a key party congress in February, stressing agricultural mechanization to increase crop output.

The 13th Latin American Festival was held with the participation of 15 Central and South American countries' embassies on Saturday at the Baram Madang plaza area of Seongbuk District Office in northeastern Seoul. Launched in 2011 and marking its 13th edition this year, the festival was organized by Seongbuk District Office. About 22 booths offered sales and hands-on experiences, inviting visitors to enjoy Latin American foods such as arepas, empanadas, tacos and pupusas — as well as traditional hats, musical instruments, accessories and local specialties. A variety of cultural performances, including traditional Mexican Jalisco dance, Argentine tango, Ecuadorian traditional and popular music, Salvadoran traditional dance, Peruvian Latin music and Colombian traditional dance also provided entertainment during the festival. Angie Shakira Martinez Tejera, ambassador of the Dominican Republic to Korea, said the event offered an opportunity to introduce different sides of her country. The embassy brought her country's music, dance, food, crafts and baseball culture to Seoul as part of the

Thai Ambassador to Korea Tanee Sangrat, sixth from left, poses with participants during the first Loy Krathong Myeongdong with Hana Bank event in Seoul, Saturday. The cultural gathering, celebrating Thailand's traditional festival of lights, was held to promote Thai culture and showcased performances, cuisine, music and tourism. Courtesy of Royal Thai Embassy in Seoul

North Korea on Monday denounced a recent report by a U.S.-led multilateral sanctions monitoring team as illegal, accusing it of distorting normal activities as illicit ones and insisting that its overseas labor program constitutes legitimate economic ties with other countries. In a report released last week, the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) said Pyongyang continues to deploy workers abroad in violation of U.N. sanctions, with around 100,000 workers in at least 17 countries, mostly in China and Russia. It also said some North Korean workers were involved in manufacturing military drones at Russian factories. "The MSMT ... vividly revealed its true colors as a plot-breeding organization which distorts normal as abnormal and brands legal as illegal," a North Korean foreign ministry spokesperson said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "The DPRK's relations of exchange and cooperation with other countries cannot be subject to interference or investigation of a third party in any case as they are the exercise of legitimate rights under bi

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said Monday that it is time to "turn the clock forward" on the Korean Peninsula for peace, calling for renewed efforts to revive dialogue with North Korea. Chung made the remarks during a meeting in Seoul with Stephen Biegun, who served as U.S. deputy secretary of state and special representative for North Korea during the first Donald Trump administration. "Over the past seven years, North Korea's nuclear capabilities have advanced, while the historic Singapore agreement between the United States and North Korea has regressed, and inter-Korean relations have been completely severed by hostility and confrontation," Chung said. "Now, I believe it is time to turn the clock forward again," he said, adding that political decisions by Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un could help move the process forward. Trump has expressed interest in reengaging with the North Korean leader this year, fueling speculation that he could revive the personal diplomacy that led to three meetings with Kim during his first term. The first meeting between Trump and Kim to

A school has been forced to shut after a water outage meant staff were unable to “maintain appropriate hygiene and welfare arrangements”.

Structural assessments are now taking place at a seafront hotel after a devastating fire over the weekend.

Two men were arrested in a dramatic swoop by counter terror cops in the Northern Quarter on Sunday afternoon