PARIS - A man wielding a knife and an iron bar injured seven people, including three tourists, in Paris, in an attack that bystanders tried to stop by throwing petanque balls at the assailant.Four of the victims were in a critical condition, police said, after the man, believed to be an Afghan national, went on the rampage next to a canal in the northeast of the capital on Sunday evening.Two British tourists, an Egyptian tourist and a local man were among the injured, police added. French police

Alibaba's charismatic co-founder and chairman Jack Ma plans to retire from the Chinese e-commerce giant on Monday to devote his time to philanthropy focused on education, he told the New York Times in an interview.Ma was an English teacher before starting Alibaba in 1999 and built it into a multibillion-dollar internet colossus, becoming one of the world's richest men and a revered figure in his homeland.His own worth has soared along with that of the company, which has added cloud computing, fi

Thai fishermen and labourers whose livelihoods are threatened by rising sea levels kicked off an international day of protests in Bangkok Saturday, where key UN talks are attempting to breathe life into the Paris Agreement on climate change.As global warming races ahead of efforts to contain it, the discussions are deadlocked over a number of contentious issues, with activists demanding immediate action to prevent irreparable damage to the planet. (AFP)The "Rise for Climate" protest movement --

Hundreds of trucks carrying thousands of troops lined a Pyongyang riverbank in the pale light of dawn early Sunday, as nuclear-armed North Korea prepared to celebrate its birthday with a huge show of military strength.Sunday is the 70th anniversary of the 1948 foundation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, as the North is officially known, three years after Moscow and Washington divided the peninsula between them in the closing days of the Second World War.(AFP)Such set-piece dates are

Naomi Osaka became the first Japanese to win a Grand Slam singles title on Saturday as her idol Serena Williams angrily imploded, calling the chair umpire in the US Open final "a thief".Osaka, 20, triumphed 6-2, 6-4 in the match marred by Williams's second set outburst, the American enraged by umpire Carlos Ramos's warning for receiving coaching from her box. (AP)When a second code violation for racquet abuse was handed out to her -- along with a point penalty -- Williams exploded.She tearfully

Severe flooding in North Korea has killed at least 76 people with another 75 missing, many of them children, the Red Cross said Thursday.Thousands of people have been left homeless after heavy rains triggered floods and landslides, toppling more than 800 buildings including houses, clinics and schools in North and South Hwanghae provinces, leaving Red Cross volunteers scrambling to find survivors."Thousands have lost their homes and are in urgent need of health services, shelter, food, safe drin

SEOUL (AFP) -- Before meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, Southern spy “Black Venus” was told to stay up late, shower, and dress neatly. He also hid a micro recorder in his penis.　Few spies have ever got as close to the leader of an enemy state -- let alone one as reclusive as the isolated North -- as Black Venus, real name Park Chae-seo.　In the 1990s he posed as a disgruntled former South Korean military officer turned businessman looking to film commercials for Southern companies in sceni

The International Boxing Association will introduce a right of protest against controversial judging "to ensure fair play" and prevent a repeat of ugly scenes that marred the Asian Games.Two North Korean boxing coaches were thrown out of the Asian Games Saturday after refusing to leave the ring and inciting the crowd after their fighter lost gold on a split decision to a Chinese boxer. (AFP)Police had to move in to escort the duo, who had their Asian Games credentials immediately removed, from t

China hosts African leaders Monday for a summit aimed at promoting Beijing's vision for development on the continent, even as it finds itself increasingly criticised over its debt-heavy approach to foreign aid.President Xi Jinping and leaders from across the continent will hold the two-day Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, with talks expected to focus on Xi's cherished "Belt and Road" infrastructure programme.The massive scheme is aimed at improving Chinese access to foreign markets and resourc

Argentina's Central Bank hiked its benchmark interest rate from 45 to 60 percent on Thursday in a dramatic but fruitless bid to shore up the peso, which plunged to a record low against the dollar.Despite the bank's extraordinary measure to impose one of the world's highest benchmark rates, the currency lost a further 13.5 percent by the close -- its biggest daily loss of the year.The Argentine currency has now lost 53 percent of its value since the beginning of the year, to trade at 39.87 to the

JAKARTA (AFP) -- A joint Korean women’s basketball team slammed Taiwan 89-66 to reach the Asian Games final on Thursday, helped by Las Vegas razzmatazz and some good, old, northern grit.　Roared on by around 100 fans waving Korean unification flags, North Korean Ro Suk Yong joint top-scored with 17 points in a blow-out victory for the defending champions in Jakarta. 　The Koreans advance to face China in this weekend’s gold medal game after they outgunned Japan 86-74 in the second semi-final. (Yon

BEIJING (AFP) -- China on Thursday derided the “irresponsible and absurd logic” of the United States after President Donald Trump accused Beijing of making Washington’s relationship with North Korea more difficult.　Trump doubled down on his suggestion that China was not helping to rein in its Cold War-era ally -- a charge he first levelled when he cancelled a trip to North Korea by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that was due to take place this week.　“A lot of people, like me, feel that the US is

HONG KONG -- A University of Hong Kong professor was on Wednesday charged with murder after police found his wife's decomposing body stuffed in a suitcase in his office, the latest grisly murder to transfix the crowded city.Officers discovered the woman's body, wearing only underwear and with electric wire around her neck, hidden in the suitcase inside a large wooden box in the office of 53-year-old Cheung Kie-chung.The associate professor from the Department of Mechanical Engineering had report

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The United States will end its suspension of military drills on the Korean peninsula, a move that had been decided as a “good faith” measure following President Donald Trump‘s summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the Pentagon said Tuesday.“We took the step to suspend several of the largest military exercises as a good faith measure,” Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters. “We have no plans to suspend any more.”Mattis, however, did not give any indication that ex

Rohingya leaders in Bangladesh on Tuesday challenged the United Nations to ensure Myanmar's generals stand trial after investigators called for top military commanders to be prosecuted for genocide against the minority.A UN fact-finding mission into violations in Myanmar said the country's army chief and five other senior brass should be investigated over a brutal crackdown last year that drove 700,000 Rohingya Muslims into Bangladesh.The report commissioned by the UN Human Rights Council detail