Japan's foreign minister said Tokyo will take "necessary measures" against South Korea if interests of Japanese companies are harmed in an escalating dispute over World War II forced labor.  The neighboring countries and US allies are quarreling over South Korean court decisions ordering Japanese companies to compensate victims of forced labor during Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. Foreign Minister Taro Kono said Friday after summoning South Korean Ambassa

NEW YORK (AP) -- Mexican drug kingpin and escape artist Joaquin "El Chapo'' Guzman was sentenced Wednesday to life behind bars in a US prison, expressing no remorse over his conviction for a massive drug conspiracy that spread murder and mayhem for more than two decades.Instead, a defiant Guzman took a parting shot at a judge in federal court in Brooklyn by accusing him of making a mockery of the US justice system in refusing to order a new trial based on unsubstantiated allegations of juro

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- HBO's "Game of Thrones" slashed its way to a record-setting 32 Emmy nominations Tuesday for its eighth and final season, leading HBO back to dominance over Netflix, the streaming service that bumped it last year from atop the increasingly crowded television heap.The bloodthirsty saga's total eclipsed the all-time series record of 27 nods earned by "NYPD Blue" in 1994.If "Game of Thrones" successfully defends it best drama series title and claims

PYONGYANG (AP) -- North Korea on Tuesday suggested it might call off its 20-month suspension of nuclear and missile tests because of summertime US-South Korean military drills that the North calls preparation for an eventual invasion.The statement by the North's Foreign Ministry comes during a general deadlock in nuclear talks, but after an extraordinary meeting of the US and North Korean leaders at the Korean border that raised hopes that negotiations would soon resume.The comments ramp up pres

WASHINGTON (AP) -- In a remarkable political repudiation, the Democratic-led US House voted Tuesday night to condemn President Donald Trump's "racist comments" against four congresswomen of color, despite protestations by Trump's Republican congressional allies and his own insistence he hasn't "a racist bone in my body."Two days after Trump tweeted that four Democratic freshmen should "go back " to their home countries - though all are citizens and three were born i

The parents of Otto Warmbier have filed a claim for a seized North Korean cargo ship, seeking to collect on a multimillion-dollar judgment awarded in the American college student's death.     The Warmbiers filed court papers Wednesday in New York federal court saying they have a right to the assets after North Korea failed to respond to a wrongful death claim that accused it of abducting Warmbier, who had traveled there for a guided tour ahead of a study abroad program in Hon

Australia's prime minister says an Australian student has been released from detention in North Korea.Prime Minister Scott Morrison told Parliament on Thursday that Alek Sigley had left North Korea and was "safe and well.''The 29-year-old Pyongyang university student lost contact with family and friends in Japan and Australia on Tuesday last week.Morrison's announcement was the first confirmation that he had been detained. (AP)

North Korea’s UN Mission is accusing the Trump administration of deliberately trying to undermine peace efforts by pressuring all countries to implement UN sanctions. The mission said Wednesday that while the US is talking about dialogue it is "more and more hell-bent" on hostile acts.It cited a joint letter from the US, Britain, France and Germany on June 29 to UN member states calling for all North Korean workers abroad to be sent home _ the same day President Donald Trump prop

BEIJING (AP) -- Recent anti-government protests in Hong Kong are echoing in Taiwan, possibly giving the island's President Tsai Ing-wen a lift in her campaign to resist Beijing's pressure for political unification and win a second term in next year's elections. The demonstrations sparked by Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam's now-shelved push for unpopular extradition legislation have turned a glaring spotlight on China's "one country, two systems" framework for ruling the former Br

Hundreds of protesters swarmed into Hong Kong's legislature Monday night, defacing portraits of lawmakers and spray-painting pro-democracy slogans in the chamber before vacating it as riot police cleared surrounding streets with tear gas and then moved inside.The three-hour occupation, which ended early Tuesday, came on the 22nd anniversary of the former British colony's return to China, a city holiday, and reflected mounting frustration with Hong Kong's leader for not responding to protesters'

With a smirk and a finger point, President Donald Trump dryly told Russia's Vladimir Putin ``Don't meddle in the election'' in their first meeting since the special counsel concluded that Russia extensively interfered with the 2016 campaign.The tone of the president's comment, which came after a reporter asked if he would warn Putin, was immediately open to interpretation. But it would seem to do little to silence questions about Trump's relationship with Russia in the aftermath of special

President Donald Trump began his most consequential overseas trip of the year on Thursday with a warm dinner with the prime minister of Australia, a friendly opening act before the impending gauntlet of negotiations on international crises, trade wars and a growing global to-do list.Trump landed in Osaka, Japan, for the annual Group of 20 summit amid a tropical cyclone that is predicted to turn into a typhoon _ a possible metaphor for the four days of high-stakes diplomacy that lie ahead. As his

MEXICO CITY (AP) -- The man and his 23-month-old daughter lay face down in shallow water along the bank of the Rio Grande, his black shirt hiked up to his chest with the girl tucked inside. Her arm was draped around his neck suggesting she clung to him in her final moments. The searing photograph of the sad discovery of their bodies on Monday, captured by journalist Julia Le Duc and published by Mexican newspaper La Jornada, highlights the perils faced by mostly Central American migrants fleeing

LOS ANGELES -- Writer Judith Krantz, whose million-selling novels such as “Scruples” and “Princess Daisy” engrossed readers worldwide with their steamy tales of the rich and beautiful, died Saturday at her Bel-Air home. She was 91.Krantz’s son Tony Krantz, a TV executive, confirmed her death by natural causes on Sunday afternoon. He said he’d hoped to re-create the “Scruples” miniseries before her she died but it is still in the works.“She ha

PARIS -- It was quite literally the final curtain for Kenzo’s Carol Lim and Humberto Leon at Paris Fashion Week on Sunday, after the duo’s eight successful years at the creative helm of the house came to a close.With a 100-meter curtain on set, a surprise performance by singer Solange and thousands of guests in attendance, the duo’s departure was a farewell to remember.Here are some highlights from the final day of spring-summer 2020 men’s and coed collections from the Ke