Pompeo 'consulted with foreign ministers' on next DPRK step

WASHINGTON - The US State Department said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke on the phone with the foreign ministers of the Republic of Korea and Japan to discuss the next step on engagement with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

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Chinese special envoy commends Mnangagwa

Zimbabwe president says he looks forward to attending FOCAC

Macron to tackle welfare spending

PARIS - French President Emmanuel Macron's government will tackle social spending in the next wave of its reforms as weaker than expected growth puts pressure on the budget deficit, the prime minister said on Sunday.

Laos remains target for money laundering

VIENTIANE - Laos continues to face a high risk of money laundering despite the country graduating from the "gray list" of the Financial Action Task Force in 2017, local daily Vientiane Times on Monday quoted Laos' National Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Risk Assessment as saying.

Assad highlights cooperation with Iran

DAMASCUS - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday underscored the importance of placing long-term cooperation plans between Iran and Syria in the face of the challenges, according to the state news agency SANA.

IS chief killed in missile strike

JALALABAD, Afghanistan - The top leader of the Islamic State group outfit in Afghanistan has been killed by long-range missiles fired by US-led NATO coalition forces that struck IS hideouts in Afghanistan's eastern province of Nangarhar, said a statement on Monday.

Florida gunman may have been disgruntled gamer

FLORIDA - Police searched on Monday for a motive in the third mass shooting in the US state of Florida in two years, which left two people dead and 11 wounded in Jacksonville, before the gunman killed himself at a video game tournament.

Lawmakers propose national service for Germans, migrants

Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (known as CDU) has proposed a new form of compulsory national service in Germany for all young people and migrants, though the leader has rejected the idea.

California passes bill to officially recognize Lunar New Year

The Lunar New Year, the grandest celebration for Chinese and many other Asian cultures, was designated a day of special cultural significance in California when Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill into law on Friday.

ROK says Pompeo's canceled visit impacts DPRK office plans

SEOUL - The Republic of Korea's presidential Blue House said Monday that the cancellation of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea will influence the opening date of the inter-Korean liaison office.

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