Protests hit H&M after 'racist' sweater ad

JOHANNESBURG - An H&M store in South Africa was trashed by protesters on Saturday after the company was accused of racism in a sweater advertisement.

African countries demand apology for Trump slur

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - Vulgar comments attributed to US President Donald Trump have caused outrage and demands for an apology across Africa.

Chinese among 16 injured in boat blaze

BANGKOK - A tourist speedboat carrying 31 passengers exploded in front of Phi Phi Le island in the southern Thailand province of Krabi on Sunday, injuring 16, mostly tourists from China, the Phi Phi police said.

Abe kicks off Europe tour with DPRK on agenda

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe left Tokyo on Friday for Estonia, kicking off his official visit to Baltic and Eastern European states of Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Romania.

Art up for discussion as DPRK and ROK settle date for talks

SEOUL - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea have agreed to hold working-level talks at the Tongil Pavilion on the DPRK side of the truce village of Panmunjom on Monday, the ROK's Unification Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Classic Never Goes Out Of Style

Fashion is a fickle business with the hottest trends coming and going as quickly as the tide that sweeps in and out at the shore. But when fashion is your business, having a central, enduring and classic philosophy is what separates the leaders from the pretenders.

A frosty reception? Well it is made of ice!

Romantic souls wishing to experience the wonder and amazement of Elsa and her ice palace in the Disney hit animation Frozen may just yet have their dreams come true with the opening of a real-life ice hotel.

French vacation specialist signs co-op agreement to develop tourism projects

France's largest vacation real estate company Pierre & Vacances-Center Parcs Group signed a strategic cooperation agreement to expand its business in China with its local business partners in Beijing on Jan 10.

Roundup

A culinary team from Lunar 8 at the Fairmont Beijing Hotel has begun preparing authentic Chinese cuisine to allow for top-class dining experiences. Its offerings includes fish in aged millet wine, stuffed lotus root with glutinous rice, sour and spicy seafood soup, stir-fried beef filet with BBQ sauce, spicy Sichuan wok-fried prawns with cashew nuts as well as other favorites. The hotel has also launched special room and family suite packages for the Chinese New Year holiday from Feb 15 to 23, with booking available through Feb 21.

Dialogue welcomed by the world

The Korean Peninsula has recently enjoyed a rare reconciliatory atmosphere. Less than a week after the reopening of a cross-border phonelink, the two neighbors held high-level talks on Tuesday, the first since December 2015, at the truce village of Panmunjom.

Trains resume in snowbound Swiss resort

ZERMATT, Switzerland - A train packed with tourists left from a snowbound resort town near Switzerland's famed Matterhorn peak on Wednesday, marking the resumption of railway service that had been halted for two days because of avalanche risks and had stranded 13,000 visitors.