North Korea says it has resumed plutonium production from spent fuel rods and has no plans to stop nuclear tests as long as the United States still "threatens" Pyongyang, Kyodo News reported Wednesday.   The North's Atomic Energy Institute, which has jurisdiction over the country's main atomic complex Yongbyon, told Kyodo it had been producing highly enriched uranium for nuclear arms and power "as scheduled".   "We have reprocessed spent nuclear fuel rods removed from a graphite-moderated reacto

North Korea Aug. 17, 2016

Open water swimming star Rachele Bruni was hailed Wednesday as the first Italian athlete to publicly declare her homosexuality.   Bruni, who won silver in the 10km swim in Rio on Monday, dedicated her medal to her family, her coach and her girlfriend Diletta Faina.   Italian media and gay rights groups said it was a landmark moment for a country which has been slower to recognise same sex relationships than other Western states.   La Reppublica reported that Bruni was the first Italian sportsman

World News Aug. 17, 2016

A lawyer says a German convert to Islam who was convicted over a thwarted plan to attack American soldiers and civilians in Germany has been granted early release from prison.    Fritz Gelowicz was one of four men arrested in 2007 and convicted in 2010. A Duesseldorf court found that they operated as a cell of the radical Islamic Jihad Union and plotted to attack Americans at facilities including the U.S. Air Force's Ramstein Air Base.      Gelowicz was sentenced to 12 years in prison for member

World News Aug. 17, 2016

The man killed in a police shooting that sparked two nights of violence in Milwaukee suffered from cognitive and mental health issues, and he carried a gun because he had been shot more than once in the past, his grandfather said.    Sylville K. Smith had a lengthy criminal past, but was just trying to survive in the inner city, William Brookins told The Associated Press.    ``In this city, there's a lot of killings going on in the street,'' said Brookins, who detailed Smith's problems in a lett

World News Aug. 17, 2016

After making history at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, South Korean shooting champion Jin Jong-oh has returned to his homeland Wednesday with a warm reception from his family and fans.    Jin won the 50m pistol gold medal at the Rio Games and became the first shooter, man or woman, to win a single event at three Olympics in a row. The 36-year-old also became the first South Korean athlete to win a gold medal at three consecutive Olympics, winter or summer.   "I really wanted win the gold medal (at

Olympic Games Aug. 17, 2016

Crowds flocked to the grass lawn in front of Bucheon City Hall on Thursday night for the opening of Asia’s biggest genre film event, the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival. The festival kicked off with fireworks, a modern dance performance, and an outdoor screening of “Captain Fantastic,” this year’s opening film directed by American actor-turned-director Matt Ross. 　　“This is a very personal film, about parenthood and parenting, choices we make as people and how they impact those aro

Film July 22, 2016

South Korea's finance minister on Monday agreed with the City of London's mayor to work closely for bilateral cooperation in trade in the aftermath of the British vote to exit the European Union, or Brexit, the finance ministry here said.   In a Seoul meeting with Jeffery Mountevans, the Lord Mayor of the City of London, Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho said the two countries have to join tight hands for close coordination to prevent any contraction in trade and investment in each nation when Britain

Politics July 18, 2016

Investigators in Australia on Monday were examining a wing flap found last month on an East African island that is suspected to be from the missing Malaysian airliner, officials said.    The "large piece of aircraft debris'' arrived at the Australian Transport Safety Bureau headquarters in the capital, Canberra, for examination as part of the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, said a joint statement by Australian and Malaysian government authorities.    "The large piece of what is likely t

World News July 18, 2016

North Korea is accelerating the development of its county of Samjiyon, where Korea's highest mountain is located, under the direction of its leader Kim Jong-un, a report by the communist country's main newspaper said Monday.   The Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the ruling Workers' Party, reported that Kim instructed the development of the northern area of Ryanggang Province near Mt. Paektu, which is claimed by the North to be the sacred origin point of the Korean revolution.   Pyongyang has claimed

North Korea July 18, 2016

Maestro Chung Myung-whun returned home Wednesday to accede to a prosecution probe later this week into his defamation allegation filed by the former head of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO).   "I don't think it's an investigation. Rather I think the time to disclose the truth has come," the former SPO music director told reporters upon arrival at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul.   Both Chung and his wife, just identified as her family Koo, were accused by former SPO CEO Park H

Performance July 13, 2016