South Korea's Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo and North Korea's Minister of Foreign Trade RiRyong-nam have been invited to an economic forum in Russia slated for next month, a Seoul government official said Monday."Russia invited Minister Hong and the North's minister in charge of economics to the Eastern Economic Forum that opens in Vladivostok earlier next month," the official said. "I am aware that our side has intentions to participate if the North does."The first Eastern Economic Forum w

A Chinese teenager has been detained for allegedly obtaining thousands of dollars in donations after falsely claiming her father was killed in devastating explosions in Tianjin, police said on Sunday.The woman surnamed Yang had initially claimed on microblogging platform Sina Weibo that her father was missing as a result of the blasts, which triggered a massive fireball in the northern port city, leaving 112 people dead and hundreds more hospitalized.The 19-year-old -- who was detained by police

South African prosecutors on Monday filed an appeal calling for Paralympian Oscar Pistorius to be convicted of murder for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.Pistorius was jailed last year after being convicted on the lesser charge of manslaughter over the 2013 killing, and is due to be released from prison on Friday."What I can assure you is that today the papers were filed in the Supreme Court of Appeal," said National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Luvuyo Mfaku.Pistorius' defence team has

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons on Monday voiced "serious concern" over reports that the Islamic State group has used chemical weapons in Iraq.   "Recent reports of possible use of chemical weapons in Iraq by non-State actors are a matter of serious concern," the Hague-based OPCW said in a statement.   German officials said last week that Kurdish fighters had been attacked on Tuesday with chemical weapons, possibly chlorine or mustard gas, in northern Iraq, leaving many

Japan's recovery stalled in the April-June quarter, with the world's third-largest economy contracting at a 1.6 percent annual pace thanks to feeble consumer and corporate demand and slowing exports.   The dismal data reported Monday was expected, based on earlier reported figures, but it raises the likelihood the central bank may opt for fresh stimulus measures in coming months.   It also comes at an awkward time for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has championed a strategy of heavy monetary sti

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has signed into law a new anti-terrorism bill, state media reported on Monday, a text that has prompted criticism from rights groups and even some senior judges.   The 54-article law, published on state news agency MENA, provides an extremely broad definition of terrorism, describing it in one article as any act that disturbs public order with force.   It also prescribes stiff jail sentences for a range of crimes, including promoting or encouraging any “t

South Korea will take all the necessary steps to ease market anxieties that may arise from external risks like the devaluation of the Chinese yuan, Seoul's top economic policymaker said Monday.In a meeting with senior ministry officials, Finance Minister Choi Kyung-hwan said the yuan's depreciation, China's unstable stock market and a possible U.S. rate hike are all contributing to greater downside risks."Under such circumstances, it is imperative that Seoul manages all the risks," the finance m