Thousands of rescuers used heavy machinery and shovels Thursday to clear mud and search for survivors after huge landslides and flooding killed at least 39 people in South Korea. Three others were reported missing in the wake of the massive rains that have pounded Seoul and surrounding areas since Tuesday. It was the heaviest rainfall in South Korea this year. Among the dead were 10 college stu...

LONDON (AP) _ Before he carried out the attacks that killed scores of people in Norway, Anders Behring Breivik wrote of his allegiance to the Knights Templar, which he described as a secret society created to carry out a crusade against Islam in Europe. While law enforcement agencies said they had never heard of the group, a man named Paul Ray, who writes an anti-Muslim blog called ``Lionheart,'...

South Korea's current account surplus hit an eight-month high in June on record exports, the central bank said Thursday, showing that overseas shipments are humming along despite strong currency and global economic uncertainties. The current account surplus reached US$2.99 billion in June, up from a revised $2.18 billion the previous month, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). The current accou...

A South Korean Catholic charity group delivered 100 tons of flour to North Korea on Thursday, following the resumption of South Korea's flour aid to the impoverished North earlier this week, officials said. Four South Korean trucks carrying 100 tons of flour crossed the heavily fortified border on Thursday morning to deliver the aid to North Korea to help ease the country's chronic food shortage...

Researchers have warned of the health risks of electronic cigarettes, increasingly popular among smokers who want to quit the habit or at least smoke less. E-cigarettes look like the real thing but consist of a rechargeable battery, a cartridge and a mouthpiece. The e-cigarettes are said to have no tobacco, offering an alternative to the nicotine patch or gum. With the U.S Food and Drug Adminis...

South Korean swimming star Park Tae-hwan failed to advance to the 100-meters final at the World Championships in Shanghai on Wednesday. Park finished sixth in his heat and 14th overall with a time of 48.67 seconds, while Australia’s James Magnussen finished first in 47.90 seconds and American Nathan Adrian came second at 48.05. His time was only 0.16 seconds behind his personal record of 48.70. ...

Campaign guidelines on the upcoming Seoul referendum on free school meals are so ambiguous that they will likely cause confusion for both sides of the poll. The National Election Commission set guidelines for the vote Thursday which allow campaigners to guide citizens to participate in the vote, but bans them from actively encouraging them to vote. The concepts of “guiding to participate in the...

South Korea is considering sending anti-malaria supplies to North Korea, an aid group here said Wednesday, indicating Seoul’s softening stance toward its northern rival. The Seoul government is positively considering the group’s request to approve sending two items of ultrasonic diagnostic equipment to the North, the Korean Sharing Movement said. Charity groups here need government approval to ...