Govt liable for botched ferry rescue

SEOUL - A South Korean court ruled on Thursday that the government and the operator of the Sewol ferry, which sank in 2014 killing 304 people mostly school children, must compensate the victims' families.

US divided over NATO allies' defense spending

WASHINGTON - Nearly half of US citizens believe that the United States should not be required to defend NATO allies from attack if they do not spend more on defense, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted after US President Donald Trump's trip to Europe.

Trump tries tougher tone on Russia amid criticism

US President Donald Trump continued to court controversy on Wednesday over alleged Russian meddling in the US election, while his aides were kept busy with damage control.

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Trump 'misspoke' on Russia meddling

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday made a complete reversal of his so-called Russia-friendly comments in a bid to control damage after his talks in Helsinki with Russian President Vladimir Putin set off a firestorm across the United States.

UN marks Mandela International Day

UNITED NATIONS - The UN was set to mark Nelson Mandela International Day on Wednesday with a vow to continue the struggle for equality.

Thai boys leave hospital, speak to media

CHIANG RAI, Thailand - The 12 Thai boys and their soccer coach rescued from a flooded cave made their first public appearance on Wednesday when they held a nationally-televised news conference in Chiang Rai.

Google hit with record fine for falling foul of EU rules

Tech giant Google was fined 4.3 billion euros ($5.1 billion) on Wednesday by the European Union's regulators who said it abused its dominant position to ensure Android operating system users conducted online searches with the company's Chrome browser.

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Vote Leave faces probe on spending

Vote Leave, Britain's official Brexit campaign group for the 2016 referendum, has been referred to the police for breaking electoral law.

'Lava bomb' injures 23 on boat

LOS ANGELES - A projectile from the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii struck a boat carrying people watching lava from the two-month-old eruption, injuring 23, the fire department said.

Ping-pong diplomacy between neighbors opens 'new chapter'

SEOUL - Table tennis players from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea played together in an international tournament on Tuesday in the latest installment of Korean sporting diplomacy.