Initiative offers ASEAN a golden opportunity

Assuming the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2018, Singapore's priority for the regional bloc would be to advance cooperation, innovation and inclusive growth. This is a golden opportunity for ASEAN and China to cooperate and advance the Belt and Road Initiative (the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road) in the region, which will stimulate governments, multilateral organizations and the private sector to join forces to cultivate international cooperation and shared economic advancement.

Feeler to Moon won't make it easy for Abe to win over Seoul

Japanese media and foreign affairs pundits are doing the guesswork: the United States will be the first country newly elected Republic of Korea President Moon Jae-in will visit, followed by China, Russia and Japan.

Chinese shovel helps to reveal ancient city

BEIJING - Wang Cunjin, 61, a farmer from a village in northern China, never thought he would go abroad and help discover a lost ancient city, thousands of kilometers from home.

Astronauts in 200th spacewalk at ISS

MIAMI - Two US astronauts began the 200th spacewalk at the International Space Station on Friday, following a brief delay after NASA discovered a water leak in equipment that helps power their spacesuits.

Cyberattacks wreak havoc worldwide

NEW YORK - Dozens of countries were hit with a huge cyberextortion attack on Friday that locked up computers and held users' files for ransom at a multitude of hospitals, companies and government agencies.

Parachutist in jump from heavy drone

RIGA, Latvia - A team of engineers and a parachutist have pulled off the first jump from a heavy lift drone, local news website Apollo.lv reported on Friday.

Residents hail push for THAAD hearing

SEOUL - Residents living near a site where the previous South Korean government had sought to deploy the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile system, hailed the ruling Minjoo Party's push for a parliamentary hearing and ratification of THAAD.

Hinting at secret tapes, Trump warns ousted FBI director

WASHINGTON - Raging against a political firestorm, US President Donald Trump on Friday shot a sharp warning at his ousted FBI director about possible "tapes" of their disputed private conversations, raising the provocative possibility that recording devices have been installed in the White House.

IN BRIEF (Page 20)

US prepares to ban laptops on flights from Europe

BRUSSELS - The United States is expected to broaden its ban on in-flight laptops and tablets to include planes from the European Union, a move that would create logistical chaos on the world's busiest corridor of air travel.

Inspur taps into Belt & Road

China's biggest server maker Inspur Group Co Ltd aims to increase the contribution of its overseas revenue stream to 40 percent of its total sales by 2020, as it scrambles to tap into opportunities brought by the Belt and Road Initiative.

Realtor ranks shrink in wake of tighter property rules

The ranks of real estate agents are shrinking in major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, in the wake of the ongoing tightening of regulations by authorities and as a result of a decline in transactions, analysts said on Friday.