Europeans own eight of the top 16 seedsMARANA, Arizona (AP) ― More than ever, the World Golf Championships are living up to their name.The series enters its 13th year when the Match Play Championship gets under way Wednesday at Dove Mountain with Lee Westwood of England as the fifth player to occupy the No. 1 seed in the 64-man field.There are players from 15 countries, which is not unusual or eve

A Chinese consumer confidence index fell in the fourth quarter to the lowest since 2009, indicating that concern about inflation may restrain spending in the world’s fastest-growing major economy.The measure was at 100, compared with 104 in the previous three months, Nielsen Co. and the Chinese statistics bureau’s Economic Monitoring and Analysis Center said in a statement released in Beijing on W

MIAMI (AP) ― LeBron James acknowledges there is a point in the NBA schedule where regular-season games start carrying a little bit more significance.It’s now.He’s not shy about saying that, either. Though they all count the same in the marathon 82-game schedule, games after the All-Star break just seem to carry more weight in James’ mind. The reason is simple: With every passing game, he’s that mu

K-League title hasn’t come to region since 2007 when Pohang lifted the trophySouth Korea is a highly centralized country. In soccer terms, you can extend that from the capital to the surrounding Gyeonggi Province. In 2010, the three big prizes all came to the northwest. The FA Cup was won by Suwon, the K-League trophy now resides in Seoul and Seongnam became the champion of Asia.Still, there is an

Before the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa last summer, Jung Sung-ryong, the new goalkeeper for the Suwon Samsung Bluewings in South Korea’s K-League, had played second fiddle to veteran netminder Lee Woon-jae.But that’s no longer the case today.Jung, 26, has since replaced Lee on both stages. Initially viewed as a backup to Lee, Jung started all four games for South Korea at the World Cup as

The North, with its 1.19 million-strong military, boasts the world’s greatest number of special forces soldiers. According to Seoul’s defense whitepaper, the number increased to around 200,000 last year from some 120,000 in 2006 and 180,000 in 2008.The North has been bolstering its special troops as it apparently believes it can effectively defeat its potential enemies ― South Korea and the U.S. ―

Honduran President Porfirio Lobo showed Sunday his passion for taekwondo during a visit to Korea. Lobo had a special dinner with Choue Chung-won, president of the World Taekwondo Federation and other officials from the sport governing body on the Korean leg of an Asian tour also including Singapore and Kuwait.World Taekwondo Federation president Choue Chung-won (right) presents a statue to Preside

DRESDEN, Germany (AP) ― Simon Cho won gold in the 500 meters at the short track speedskating World Cup on Sunday, a day after the American lost a race by one hundredth of a second.Cho won in 41.070 seconds. Wenhao Liang of China was second in 41.196, and Thibaut Fauconnet of France followed in 41.250. Simon Cho competes to win the men’s 500m finals. (AFP-Yonhap News)Cho won the overall event, fini

SAO PAULO (AP) ― Pele has expressed concern over delays in the preparations for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, saying they could cause an embarrassment for the country.Pele said at a news conference Friday that Brazil has the “obligation of staging a good World Cup but unfortunately everything is delayed.”He said Brazil is facing a “big risk of being embarrassed” because of delays in the modernizat

BHP Billiton Ltd., the world’s largest mining company, may consider acquisitions within a year, saying it sees opportunities in the oil and gas industry.Regulatory concerns are impeding iron-ore acquisitions, though BHP’s potash, copper, and oil and gas businesses aren’t constrained in the same way, Chief Executive Officer Marius Kloppers said on the “Inside Business” program broadcast Sunday on t

Exhibitions“Delpire & Cie”: Though the name might not immediately ring any bells, unlike with other Magnum members, Robert Delpire is a powerful figure without whom photographic history cannot be properly discussed. The 82-year-old photographer, publisher and director of exhibitions, films and campaigns has a lot of clout over not only his fellow photographers but also in other cultural realms. Th

A modern Korean novelThe WingsBy Yi Sang(Jimoondang, 5,000 won)Author Yi Sang (1910-1937) is regarded as one of the most innovative writers in modern Korean literature. Having trained as an architect, Yi blurred the boundaries between poetry, fiction and essay, while breaking the rules of language and its forms.One of Yi’s short stories, “The Wings” exhibits Yi’s inventive literary techniques as w

Grand InterContinental Seoul ParnasThe hotel said French hotelier Kamal Chaoui has taken office as general manager of Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas and InterContinental Seoul COEX as of Feb. 9. The 50-year-old spent a great part of his hospitality career with Hyatt International Hotels. With over 26 years of hotel management experience, Chaoui has broad understanding of Asian culture having

The fixtures for the new K-League season have finally been announced and the 29th edition kicks off on March 5. There is much to look forward to in 2011 but it is a case of getting in at the deep end for the nation’s soccer fans as the opening weekend sees a clash between the country’s two biggest rivals FC Seoul and Suwon Bluewings.More than 60,000 are expected at Seoul World Cup Stadium and it p

14-member panel expresses satisfaction with infrastructurePYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province ― The International Olympic Committee evaluation team on Thursday visited sports venues in PyeongChang, one of three candidate cities bidding for the 2018 Winter Olympics.On fourth day of their visit, the IOC delegation, led by Gunilla Lindberg of Sweden, took a careful look around the Nordic, cross country, bi

Boltonclip Wigan 1-0 in FA Cup 4th-round replayLONDON (AP) ― Arsenal rallied in the second half to beat Spanish giant Barcelona 2-1 in a thrilling first-leg match in the last 16 of the Champions League and three Brazilians scored for Shakhtar Donetsk in its 3-2 victory in Roma.Russia captain Andrey Arshavin came off the bench and capped a flowing length-of-the-field move with the winner for Arsena

VALENCIENNES, France (AFP) ― Having overcome difficulties with the language barrier, Valenciennes’ South Korean youngster Nam Tae-hee has begun to play a central role in his side’s battle to avoid relegation.With two assists in nine appearances this season, the 19-year-old is starting to make his presence felt ― a little over two years since he arrived in France in January 2009.He has also earned

Officials blame poor record keeping for latest questions about ageBEIJING (AP) ― Chinese skating officials are blaming poor record keeping for the latest questions about the age and eligibility of some athletes, including 2006 Olympic pairs silver medalists Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao.The birthdates the Zhangs provided when they entered competitions were “real,” the Chinese Skating Association said in

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province ― With PyeongChang getting into full swing to impress the IOC evaluation commission, Korea’s best winter sports athletes gathered here Tuesday for the 92nd National Winter Sports Festival.The annual competition kicked off Tuesday with the opening ceremony at Yongpyong Resort in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province.More than 2,300 athletes, including Vancouver gold trio Lee S

Annual event introduces winter sports to children from warm countriesPYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province ― It is 9 a.m. on Monday, and he starts complaining.“My hands and feet are freezing, and my face hurts,” says Rockey Mallobe, 17, from Kenya. Rockey is having his first experience of skiing at the Alpensia Resort, in PyeongChang.“Use your poles to scrape snow off your boots,” says the instructor as R