TOKYO (AP) – A Japanese city's plan to seek UNESCO recognition for its collection of documents related to its role as a launching base for ``kamikaze'' suicide attacks in the desperate last months of World War II is raising questions over how such memories should be preserved. Kampei Shimoide, mayor of Minamikyushu, and others associated with the project said Wednesday they hope that registering the document collection as a UNESCO ``Memory of the World'' will help ensure it will convey the horro

SEOUL, May 13 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Wednesday it will stage firing drills near the tensely guarded western sea border this week, according to the South Korean military. In a notice to Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff, Pyongyang said it will "carry out firing drills between 3 p.m. today and Friday in their territorial waters just above the Northern Limit Line (NLL)," the JCS said.The NLL is the de facto inter-Korean sea border in the Yellow Sea, though Pyongyang does not acknowledge it and ha

SAINT PETERSBURG (AFP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday dismissed days of frenzied "rumors" over his health and whereabouts as he appeared in public after an unusually long 10-day absence."We would be bored if there were no rumours," Putin said at a meeting with Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev at the sumptuous Konstantinov's Palace just outside Saint Petersburg.Atambayev said his Russian host had driven him around the palace before the meeting, in an apparent bid to dispel all sp

GENEVA (AFP) – A United Nations rights expert squared off with North Korea Monday by urging the global community to resolve the fate of 200,000 people allegedly abducted by Pyongyang, and refer perpetrators to the International Criminal Court."There is a real sense of urgency to solve this matter once and for all," said Marzuki Darusman, the UN's independent expert on the rights situation in North Korea.Addressing the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva Monday, Darusman presented his latest report

DAMASCUS (AFP) – Syria's President Bashar al-Assad said Monday he was waiting for US "actions" after Secretary of State John Kerry acknowledged talks with Damascus were necessary to end the country's conflict."We are still listening to the comments and we have to wait for the actions and then we'll decide," Assad told Iranian television in comments in Damascus broadcast on Syrian state television.The comments were the first since Kerry said in an interview aired on Sunday that Washington would b

LAUSANNE,  Switzerland (AP) – The United States and Iran are plunging back into negotiations in a bid to end a decades-long standoff that has raised the specter of an Iranian nuclear arsenal, a new atomic arms race in the Middle East and even a U.S. or Israeli military intervention. Two weeks out from a deadline for a framework accord, some officials said persistent differences meant negotiators would likely settle for an announcement that they've made enough progress to justify further talks.Su

SEOUL (Yonhap) – An Asiana Airlines plane flew back to Hong Kong Monday after one of the passengers was found to have boarded the wrong flight on purpose, the company said.Asiana Airlines Co., South Korea's No. 2 carrier, said its OJ722 flight bound for Incheon, South Korea's main gateway, departed from Hong Kong at 2:15 p.m. (Korean time). An hour later, it discovered that one of the more than 250 passengers on board was not booked for that flight and turned the plane back to Hong Kong.The pass

HONG KONG (AFP) – It may be banned in mainland China, but Twitter has launched an office in Hong Kong to help Chinese businesses reach international markets.The San Francisco-based service, which has served as a platform for dissent and free speech, wants to tap into booming growth in Greater China by selling ads to businesses such as exporters.Ahead of the launch, Twitter had said the office would focus on advertising sales, instead of the one-to-many messaging service which is barred in China,

GENEVA (AFP) – US Secretary of State John Kerry was set to arrive in Geneva Sunday for renewed talks with his Iranian counterpart on Tehran's nuclear program, after warning "significant gaps" remain ahead of a key deadline.World powers are trying to strike a deal with Iran that would prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear bomb in return for an easing of punishing international economic sanctions.Iran denies its nuclear program has military objectives.Kerry had been set to arrive in the Swiss c

SEOUL (Yonhap) – The weather office issued this year's first advisory against yellow dust particles in the city on Sunday, the Seoul metropolitan government said, asking citizens to stay indoors.The Korea Meteorological Administration issued the advisory as of 5 p.m. as an hourly average dust concentration of more than 400 micrograms per cubic meter is expected to continue for more than two hours, the city government said.The same advisory is also in place in Gyeonggi Province, it added.Seoul's

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – Turkish soldiers launched an overnight raid into neighboring Syria, evacuating dozens of besieged troops guarding an Ottoman tomb and moving the crypt Sunday back to Turkey after ceremonially planting the country's crescent-and-star flag.The mission, saving Turkish soldiers reportedly stuck for months at the tomb of the grandfather of the founder of the Ottoman Empire, saw troops cross the border near the border town of Kobani once besieged by the Islamic State group. Turke

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) – A river ferry carrying about 100 passengers capsized in central Bangladesh on Sunday, killing at least seven people, officials said. A rescue operation was underway, but it was not clear exactly how many people were missing.The ferry was reportedly hit by a cargo vessel at the Daulatdia-Paturia crossing on the Padma River on Sunday afternoon, said fire department official Shahzadi Begum. Rescue teams were deployed and passing boats were helping in the operation, he said.

MELBOURNE (AFP) - Teenage world No.1 Lydia Ko added the Australian Open to her growing list of achievements with a two-stroke win at Royal Melbourne on Sunday.The 17-year-old New Zealander became the youngest-ever world No.1 earlier this month and is now the youngest player to win the Australian Open crown.It was her first tournament victory since moving to the top of the world rankings.Despite the hot and steamy conditions, Ko finished at nine under 283 after a closing two-under 71 to claim the