Eight South Korean adoptees sue Danish state over human rights

COPENHAGEN - Eight people adopted by Danish citizens from South Korea in the 1970s and 1980s are suing Denmark for allegedly denying them the right to their identity, origin and family life, their lawyer said Monday. In the lawsuit, the eight, who were all adopted when they were very young, claim Danish authorities should have known their adoptions were illegal and therefore did not fulfil their responsibility to protect them. The plaintiffs have each sought 250,000 kroner ($39,150) in damages,

2026-05-04 21:45:49:00

Apple CEO Tim Cook to step down after 15 years

John Ternus, iPhone maker's hardware leader, to become new CEO SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) -- Apple on Monday announced that Tim Cook will step down as the tech giant's chief executive officer in September, handing the top job to company veteran John Ternus. The announcement answers long-simmering questions about a successor for 65-year-old Cook, who said he will become executive chairman of the board when he cedes Apple's CEO position. "It has been the greatest privilege of my life to be the CEO of App

2026-04-21 10:26:16:00

Iran says final deal still far off as Hormuz Strait shuttered

The Strait of Hormuz remained closed on Sunday in the stand-off between Iran and the United States, with Iran's powerful speaker of parliament signalling a final peace deal was "far" off despite movement in negotiations. As mediation efforts continued following high-level talks in Pakistan that failed to reach a deal, Iran said it would not reopen the crucial maritime trade route until the United States ended its blockade of Iranian ports. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Iranian parliam

2026-04-19 20:51:18:00

US jails men over IT worker ploy funding North Korea weapons

Two American men have been jailed over a scheme that helped North Koreans obtain remote IT work with US companies and raised funds for the country's weapons programs, the Justice Department said Wednesday. Kejia Wang, 42, was sentenced to nine years in prison after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and conspiracy to commit identity theft. Zhenxing Wang, 39, was sentenced to 92 months after he admitted to conspiracy to commit mail and wir

2026-04-16 08:11:57:00

Netanyahu says Israel supports Trump's Iran naval blockade

JERUSALEM (AFP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel supports US President Donald Trump's decision to impose a naval blockade on Iran, adding that his government is in full coordination with Washington on the matter. "Iran violated the rules (of the peace talks in Pakistan), President Trump decided to impose a naval blockade," Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting, according to a video statement released by his office. "We, of course, support this firm position, and we are i

2026-04-13 20:30:44:00

Seoul seeks to calm rush to buy rubbish bags over Mideast war

South Korea's energy minister sought Monday to ease fears over shortages of plastic rubbish bags after sales in Seoul jumped nearly fivefold due to energy supply concerns sparked by the Middle East war. South Korea is a major importer of oil and related by-products used to make plastic and a vast array of other items, and household trash can only be disposed of in special bags sold in shops. The Seoul city government told AFP that daily sales of the bags surged nearly fivefold to 2.7 million las

2026-03-30 19:05:09:00

High hopes at China's gateway to North Korea as trains resume

DANDONG, China -- Now retired, Wang Meili wants to see the world -- including North Korea, the reclusive nation that lies across the river from her lifelong home in northeastern China. North Korea has long kept tight control over foreign visitors, and effectively sealed its borders at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic six years ago. It has since partly reopened and restored daily passenger train services with China this month, but has not yet resumed issuing tourism visas to Chinese citizens, w

2026-03-29 19:44:05:00

15% global tariff likely implemented this week, Bessent says

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday that Donald Trump's 15-percent global tariff is likely to be rolled out this week, as the president moves to rebuild his trade agenda after a major legal setback. The Supreme Court last month struck down Trump's country-specific tariffs, which he imposed last year on allies and competitors alike, delivering a stinging rebuke of his signature economic policy. Since then, the US leader has tapped a different law to impose a new

2026-03-05 11:43:57:00