South Korea will temporarily allow local dairy farms to increase milk production to counter shortfalls caused by the culling of dairy cows due to the recent foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak, the farm ministry said Tuesday.The move calls for production quotas to be raised by 5 percent for the next two years to help boost supply and preempt price hikes that can exacerbate inflationary concerns

South Korea confirmed an additional case of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the country's central region on Tuesday, though nationwide vaccinations and quarantine efforts are having some effect on containing the disease.The additional case at a pig farm in Yesan, 134 kilometers south of Seoul, brings the total number of confirmed FMD outbreaks to 121, since animals started showing symptoms in late

Fruits are seen in a vending machine at a subway station in Shanghai, east China, Jan. 17, 2011. Fruit vending machines have been placed in subway stations of Shanghai in recent days. (Photo: Xinhua)Apples are seen in a vending machine at a subway station in Shanghai, east China, Jan. 17, 2011. Fruit vending machines have been placed in subway stations of Shanghai in recent days. (Photo: Xinhua) A

South Korea's Army held a send-off ceremony for some 130 elite combat troops set to be dispatched to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to help train the Middle East nation's special forces. (Yonhap News)South Korea's Army held a send-off ceremony Monday for some 130 elite combat troops set to be dispatched to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to help train the Middle East nation's special forces, offici

The Army is pushing ahead with a plan to allow master sergeants to lead squads, small military units currently led by second lieutenants, a military source said Friday, amid a growing shortage of entry-level officers."The Army is working to appoint master sergeants as heads of squads as part of its reform measures," the source said on condition of anonymity. "From as early as next year, master ser

A North Korean Army soldier looks at the southern side using binoculars at the border village of Panmunjom, (DMZ), that separates the two Koreas since the Korean War. (AP)North Korea's actual military spending is believed to be about 15 times the announced amount in 2009 as the communist regime continues to build up its military capacity despite the country's moribund economy, a South Korean defen

President Barack Obama and China's president Hu Jintao (AP)WASHINGTON (AP) _ When Hu Jintao makes what is likely his final trip to Washington as China's president, he will get an honor he desperately wanted but was denied during his first visit nearly five years ago: a White House state dinner.Symbolism and protocol are very important to the Chinese and the opulence of Wednesday's black-tie affair

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) _ A coalition of Alaska Native groups put the federal government on notice Monday that they intend to sue over a recovery plan for polar bears faced with diminishing sea ice and climate change.The groups contend that the Department of Interior ignored their concerns when the agency designated coastal areas of the North Slope as critical habitat for polar bears.The Arctic Slo

WASHINGTON (AP) _ President Barack Obama says he welcomes the first indictment in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.In a statement Monday, Obama called the indictment in by a U.N. tribunal in Lebanon an important step toward ending the era of impunity for murder in Lebanon and achieving justice for its people.He called on all Lebanese leaders and factions to preserve

More than 250,000 expatriates from 166 nations are living in Seoul. (Yonhap News)One in four Southeast Asians living in South Korea has experienced discrimination, more than triple the corresponding figure for foreigners from OECD countries, according to a poll released on Tuesday.According to the survey conducted by the Seoul Development Institute (SDI) on 333 foreign nationals living in the capi

A Buddhist believer in his early 40 has been arreested as a suspect in last month's arson attack. (Yonhap News)A Buddhist believer in his early 40s has been arrested as a suspect in last month's arson attack on a 1,300-year-old Buddhist temple here in the southern port city, police said Monday.The fire on Dec. 16 destroyed a wooden gate of Beomeo Temple located in Busan and cast a shockwave across

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) _ Looting, deadly prison riots and street chaos engulfed Tunisia on Saturday, the day after mass protests forced its strongman to flee. A new interim president was sworn in, promising to create a unity government that could include the long-ignored opposition.It was the second change of power in this North African nation in  less than 24 hours.Amid the political instability, lo

President Lee Myung-bak on Sunday instructed civil servants to step up efforts to stem the nationwide spread of livestock foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) ahead of the three-day Lunar New Year holidays to begin on Feb. 2. President Lee Myung-bak visiting Hoengseong in Gangwon Province to inspect the quaratine efforts against highly contagious livestock epidemic. (Yonhap News)Lee gave the instructions

The crew of a South Korean freighter, hijacked in the Arabian Sea on Saturday apparently by Somali pirates, have been all confirmed to be safe, an official at Seoul's foreign ministry said Sunday.The 11,500-ton chemical freighter, the Samho Jewelry, was en route to Sri Lanka from the United Arab Emirates carrying 21 crew members when it was seized in waters between Oman and India on Saturday."The

BOK Gov. Kim Choong-soo (Yonhap News)South Korea's top central banker stressed on Sunday the need to address global imbalances in a bid to prevent global financial turmoil, calling for swiftly setting "indicative guidelines" for current account imbalances.In November, political leaders from the Group of 20 leading nations agreed to come up with indicative guidelines by the first half of this year

South Korea's consumer prices may grow in the 4-percent range in the first quarter, as rising raw material costs and food prices are putting upward pressure on consumer inflation, experts said Sunday.South Korea's central bank, the Bank of Korea (BOK), forecast the country's consumer prices to rise 3.5 percent this year, up from 2.9 percent in 2010. The bank's inflation projection stood at 3.7 per

(Yonhap News)A prolonged cold spell sent the mercury plummeting nationwide on Sunday, with temperatures in even the usually warmer southern regions dropping to their lowest in decades, the country's weather agency said.Seoul recorded minus 17.8 C, the lowest since a minus 18.6 C reading in the nation's capital on Jan. 15, 2001, said the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).The morning low dro

  (News Corp. and iPad maker Apple Inc. have decided to delay the launch of The Daily.)NEW YORK (AP) _ News Corp. is pushing back the launch of the world's first iPad-only newspaper.The company declined to comment on why. But a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to disclose details, said Friday that News Corp. and iPad maker A

South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan, left, shakes hands with Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara at the joint news conference. (Yonhap News)Japan's foreign minister said Saturday that inter-Korean dialogue should be the starting point for talks with North Korea and urged the communist nation to take specific steps demonstrating its commitment to denuclearize."For dialogue with North Ko

A fronzen waterfall at Mount Huangsan in ChinaA frozen waterfall at Mount Huangshan, a celebrated scenic spot in East China's Anhui province, attracts a photographer on Jan 13, 2011. A mass icefall formed when temperatures dropped at Liuguijian Waterfall, the origin of three rivers in the Huanshan scenic area [China Daily / Xinhua]An icefall adds to Mount Huangshan's winter scenery on Jan 12, 2011