JAKARTA -- The leaders of the two Koreas have been invited to next month‘s Asian Games in Indonesia, Jakarta said Monday, after the neighbours agreed to field several joint teams at the event.Indonesian president Joko Widodo sent a formal invitation Friday to South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Widodo‘s spokesman said, but it was not immediately clear if either has responded.“The invitation letters have been sent to the leaders,” spokesman Johan Budi told AFP

Russian President Vladimir Putin knows the legacy of his World Cup will be judged partly by the fate of the stadiums after the tournament and he is determined they are put to good use.Russia has spent at least $4 billion on arena construction and refurbishments for the month-long showpiece.Stunning venues rose from the ground in developed cities far from Moscow such as Nizhny Novogrod on the Volga River and in small and isolated places like Saransk.Putin's last TV phone-in show held a week befor

At least 15 people have been killed and dozens injured in a landslide at an old jade mine in northern Myanmar, state media reported on Sunday, as rains complicate the search for more victims.The accident is the latest to strike the multibillion dollar industry centred in Kachin state, the source of most of the world's jade.The poorly regulated and murky business is fuelled by demand across the border in China where the near-translucent green gem is prized. The accident is the latest to strike th

Three more people were rescued from a flooded Thai cave on Tuesday, officials said, bringing to 11 the number saved and raising hopes all members of the young football team who became trapped 18 days ago would survive.An ambulance leaves from the Tham Luang cave area as the operations continue for those still trapped inside the cave in Khun Nam Nang Non Forest Park in the Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai province on July 10, 2018. (Yonhap)Two more were still inside the cave but authorities were co

MAE SAI, Thailand (AFP) - Elite divers on Sunday began the extremely dangerous operation to extract 12 boys and their football coach who have been trapped in a flooded cave complex in northern Thailand for more than two weeks, with some of the rescuers reaching the area where the team is sheltering.　　The “Wild Boars” team has been stuck in a cramped chamber several kilometres (miles) inside the Tham Luang cave complex since June 23, when they went in after football practice and were hemmed in by

As a trade war rages between China and the US, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is meeting leaders from central and eastern Europe in Bulgaria on Saturday to discuss investment opportunities.Road and rail projects funded by China will be high on the agenda at the summit, which has raised concerns in Brussels and richer Western European countries about growing Chinese influence in the region.At the seventh annual gathering of the so-called "16+1 cooperation", Li will meet leaders and firms from 11 EU m

Japan has lowered its military readiness level against North Korean missiles as Washington embarks on delicate nuclear negotiations with Pyongyang, a report said Sunday, citing multiple unnamed sources close to the matter.The report came as Japan finds itself under pressure to soften its hardline stance against Pyongyang following US President Donald Trump's landmark summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last month. (Herald DB)Japan's Self Defense Forces on Friday dropped their programme t

EU leaders headed to Brussels for emergency talks Sunday over migration as Italy's new populist cabinet turned away another rescue ship, vowing no longer to shoulder Europe's migrant burden.The talks involving 16 of the bloc's 28 leaders aim to mend rifts over burden sharing but also to shore up German Chancellor Angela Merkel, pressed by her own government to tighten her liberal approach to asylum.The meeting was called last week to clear the air before a scheduled full summit on Thursday and F

Chinese President Xi Jinping has coached his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong Un on high-stakes diplomacy. Now he seems poised to give the young autocrat another lesson: how to reform a state-controlled economy while keeping an iron grip on power.   Beijing has long pushed for Pyongyang to adopt similar measures to those that fuelled China's dizzying ascent from a communist backwater to one of the world's largest trading powers.   But while the highly secretive, nuclear-armed North has been qui

North Korea's national airline Air Koryo plans to open a new route linking Pyongyang and Xian in China, a staff member said Thursday, in the latest sign of the nuclear-armed state's possible emergence from isolation.   An Air Koryo representative told AFP "there is a plan" for flights to the central Chinese city, a major tourist destination famous for its ancient Terracotta Warriors.   But the staffer said he "did not know" whether the route would begin in July, as reported by the Xian Evening N

PYONGYANG (AFP) - Donald Trump dangled the carrot of foreign investment in front of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at their nuclear summit, but analysts say few will want to put money into one of the highest-risk business environments in the world.　The US president showed Kim a movie of bright lights, high-speed trains and soaring tower blocks -- pitching a future that could be possible if Pyongyang gives up its weapons.　Optimists say that with mineral wealth, cheap labour, and a helpful geogra

MOSCOW -- Germany must shrug off a rocky World Cup build-up as they begin the defence of their title on Sunday against a vastly experienced Mexico side jolted by their own pre-tournament scandal.While Manuel Neuer finally won his lengthy fitness battle after more than eight months out, Mesut Ozil and Ilkay Gundogan were jeered by Germany fans in recent friendlies after posing for a photograph alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos said what is discusse

KALININGRAD, Russia -- Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr admitted his young team had been "naive" in a 2-0 loss to Croatia in their opening Group D game Saturday, continuing a dismal recent record at World Cups.A Luka Modric penalty 20 minutes from time and a first-half own goal sealed victory for a Croatia side brimming with technical ability, and the Super Eagles -- who brought the youngest squad to Russia -- have now won just one of their last 13 games on football's biggest stage.  "We are disappoint

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Saturday called on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to jointly overcome their mutual distrust, as he confirmed ongoing efforts to arrange a Japan-North Korea summit.In a television interview, Abe said his government has contacted the North Korean side "through various channels" in a bid to arrange a meeting with Kim.During historic talks with US President Donald Trump in Singapore on Tuesday, Kim reportedly said he was open to a meeting with Abe.Japan wants t

US President Donald Trump on Friday ignited his trade war with China, slapping tariffs on tens of billions in Chinese imports and sparking immediate retaliation from Beijing.Chinese President Xi Jinping (L), US President Donald Trump (Yonhap)The moves brought the world's two largest economies to the verge of an all-out confrontation long feared by markets and industry.And the China trade offensive is only one side of Trump's multi-front battle with all major US economic partners.The announcement