DUBAI(AP) -- Businesses around the world bearing U.S. President Donald Trump's name face an increased risk now that he is in the White House, security experts warn, especially as several are in areas previously targeted by violence.As Trump remains a brand overseas, criminal gangs or militants could target buildings bearing his name in gold, abduct workers associated with his enterprises for ransom or worse, they say."They may kidnap a Trump worker and not even want to negotiate," aiming for pub

Tickets to the first Winter Olympics in South Korea will go on sale when the countdown reaches one year next month, the organizers said Monday.The organizing committee for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games said ticket sales will commence on Feb. 9. It has unveiled a 30-second promotional video clip, titled "Get Your Tickets and Share the Passion," on its website.The organizers had earlier planned to launch ticket sales last October. But it decided to postpone it for a few months to further stabi

Two workers have been trapped under rubble after a building that was being demolished collapsed on Saturday, rescuers said.The motel in central Seoul collapsed at around 11:30 a.m. while the workers were dismantling it, they said. A rescue operation is underway for the two who are known to be trapped underground, according to the rescuers. "The two were sprinkling water on the construction site to avoid raising dust," a firefighter said.Two other workers sustained minor injures and were taken to

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. banker Jim Donovan is the front-runner to be President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for undersecretary of domestic finance, according to a person familiar with the decision. He’d be the fourth appointee with close ties to the investment bank tapped to serve in the administration.If chosen and confirmed, he would be responsible for coordinating policies on banking, capital markets and regulation and managing the issuance of the country’s debt. The person agreed to discuss in

MEXICO CITY (AFP) -- Mexico is already having a year to forget.Mexicans woke up from their New Year celebrations on January 1 with the highest increase in gasoline prices in years that sparked daily protests and looting that left at least three people dead.On top of that, Ford scrapped a new car factory, the peso fell to new lows and, to cap the terrible week on Friday, US President-elect Donald Trump renewed his vow to make Mexico pay for a border wall."Everything has come together like a perfe

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a hidden campaign to influence America's presidential election in favor of Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton, U.S. intelligence agencies declared Friday in the government's first formal allegation supporting sensational claims that Trump and his supporters have staunchly resisted.The intelligence report, an unclassified version of a more-detailed classified account given earlier to Trump, the White House and congressional leaders, withh

A pack of Nobel Prize-winning economists gave Donald Trump and his policy plans the thumbs-down on Friday, with one saying the president-elect’s programs could lead to a deep recession.Speaking on a panel during the first day of the annual American Economic Association meeting in Chicago, the Nobel laureates voiced a variety of concerns about the billionaire developer’s stance, from his haranguing of US companies about their outsourcing plans to the risk that his tax and spending proposals could

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Apple penalized CEO Tim Cook for the iPhone maker's first sales slump in 15 years with a 15 percent pay cut.Cook still did extremely well, with a compensation package valued at $8.7 million for Apple's fiscal year that ended Sept. 24, according to a regulatory filing made Friday. But the amount was down from nearly $10.3 million in the prior year.The Cupertino, California, company cited a downturn in Apple's revenue and operating profit as the main reason it cut the pay of

French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen said the U.K. economy is weathering Brexit, giving her confidence to seek an immediate renegotiation of France’s relationship with the European Union if elected."Brexit has not been a disaster," Le Pen said at a meeting with English-language reporters in Paris on Friday. "The economic signals are good."National Front leader Le Pen, who polls suggest will reach the presidential runoff in May, said she would seek talks with France’s EU partners "the day

NEW YORK (AFP) -- As a candidate one of the ways Donald Trump shocked America was by locking horns nastily with anybody who got in his way.He once mocked a journalist with a disability. He argued for a couple of days with the Pakistani-born parents of an Army captain who was killed in Iraq. Now, Trump is days away from being sworn in as president and little has changed: he dwells on minutiae far removed from things presidential and spends a lot of time settling scores.Before breakfast on Friday,

LAS VEGAS (AFP) -- Virtual reality sought its stride Friday at the Consumer Electronics Show, where despite being a hot topic there was little sign it is racing into mainstream culture.Show floor space devoted to virtual reality abounded with companies diving into the market with headsets, content, or tools for better creating or delivering immersive experiences.Last year at CES, virtual reality was an eye-grabbing sensation. This time around there was a focus on what it is going to take to get

TAIPEI (AFP) -- Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen left for the United States Saturday on her way to Central America, a trip that will be closely watched by Beijing, incensed by her congratulatory call to Donald Trump. While the focus of the nine-day trip is to visit Taiwan's ally nations in Central America, Beijing-sceptic Tsai's transit stops in Houston this weekend and San Francisco next weekend will be under scrutiny as cross-strait tensions rise.Tsai's conversation with Trump in December after