A 9-year-old Ukrainian boy spent nearly $4,000 on candy in several days, the money coming from his parents' savings hidden in a couch."The disappearance [of the money] was first spotted by his father. He opened the stash and saw it was empty," said Tatyana Kushnerova of the Konotop, Ukraine police department.After an argument, the son admitted taking the money during his autumn school holiday, $3,300 in U.S. cash and about 600 euros ($635), converting it to Ukrainian hryvnas with the help of an

People who use some lower-wattage microwaves may not be cooking food long enough, a U.S. official warns.Kathy Bernard, of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service, said it is important to know the wattage of your microwave oven.“To find it, look on the inside of the oven door or in the owner‘s manual, or you can test how long it takes to boil a glass of water. If it takes 2 minutes or less it’s a very high-wattage oven, around 1,100 watts. Four minutes or longer it‘s

 U.S. singer Chris Brown, in an interview with a Los Angeles radio station, denied rumors he and singer Rihanna have rekindled their relationship.When asked by Power 106 host Big Boy whether he and Rihanna were back together, Brown said, “No.”“And that‘s just quick, a quick answer.”Brown echoed the denial Rihanna made on Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live,” when she told Andy Cohen she was not dating Brown, despite their collaboration on her latest album, “Unapologetic.”Rihanna did, however, call

The Los Angeles Dodgers have bid nearly $26 million for a chance to sign South Korean pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin.The Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization said on Saturday they accepted a posting fee of $25.7 million for the 25-year-old left-hander. Major League Baseball later announced that the team was the Dodgers.``We are thrilled to have this exciting opportunity,'' Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said. ``We have watched Ryu pitch for a long time and he is another option to consid

Inbee Park, seeking a third victory of the year and trying to catch Stacy Lewis in the LPGA Player of the Year race, seized a two-shot lead at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational on Saturday.South Korea's Park had six birdies -- three on the front nine and three on the back -- in her six-under 66 for a 54-hole total of 15-under par 201 at the Guadalajara Country Club.She was two shots in front of American Cristie Kerr, who carded a 67 for 203. South Korea's So Yeon Ryu also posted a 67 for 204 and Ame

South Korea's Ulsan Hyundai Tigers were crowned the Asian football club champion Saturday after beating Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia 3-0.The new champion rejoiced after the victory at home in Ulsan, about 410 kilometers south of Seoul. It was the Korean club's first AFC Champions League triumph in its third try.The victory also qualified Ulsan for the FIFA Club World Cup next month in Japan, where champions of six continental football confederations plus the league winner of the host nation will coll

The BBC's top executive resigned Saturday night after the prestigious broadcaster's marquee news magazine wrongly implicated a British politician in a child sex-abuse scandal, deepening the crisis that exploded after it decided not to air similar allegations against one of its own stars who police now say was one of the nation's worst pedophiles.In a brief statement outside BBC headquarters, George Entwistle said he decided to do the ``honorable thing'' and step down after just eight weeks in th

The research field of human enhancement, which lets people work without tiring and recall every conversation, is moving fast and will be a tangible reality to prepare for, experts said. Recently introduced “smart” pills, originally made for dementia patients, are already widely used for students who want to stay up late studying. One commonly used “smart” drug is modafinil (brand name Provigil), which is normally prescribed for sleep disorders, and another is the drug methylphenidate (brand name

 　Before K-pop groups with their electro beats and synched dance moves, there was the generation of artists that helped pave the wave for the birth of modern music in Korea. One member of this generation overcame poverty, government suppression, harassment and torture to become one of the world’s most respected guitarists. At 74, legendary rock guitarist Shin Joong-hyun, who was instrumental in the psychedelic rock movement in Korea in the 60s and 70s, can still shred the guitar. After five deca

Chinese President Hu Jintao told a pivotal Communist Party congress on Thursday that China should accelerate the creation of a new growth model as the country's economy slows."In response to changes in both domestic and international economic developments, we should speed up the creation of a new growth model and ensure that development is based on improved quality and performance," Hu told more than 2,200 delegates at Beijing's Great Hall of the People.Hu spoke as the party embarked on a once-a

China's president Thursday warned the Communist Party faces "collapse" if it fails to clean up corruption and called for an economic revamp as he opened a congress to inaugurate a new slate of leaders.The week-long party congress will end with a transition of power to Vice President Xi Jinping, who will govern for the coming decade amid growing pressure for reform of the communist regime's iron-clad grip on power.The party's outgoing general-secretary, President Hu Jintao, delivered his starkest

Hollywood and the entertainment industry on Wednesday hailed the re-election of President Barack Obama, who won widespread celebrity backing and funding help in the race for the White House.Stars took to Twitter en masse to welcome the Democratic incumbent's victory over Republican rival Mitt Romney in the early hours of Wednesday, after a bruising campaign battle."I'm proud of where I come from... but I'm even more proud of where we are going," said singer and producer will.i.am, one of Obama's

The Barack Obama administration is unlikely to push for major changes in its strategy on North Korea in its second term to begin in January, experts here said Wednesday.They said Washington is expected to continue to test Pyongyang's seriousness on denuclearization, while concentrating efforts on domestic and other urgent international affairs, including the volatile Middle East."So the United States will likely not put much energy into a creative new approach for breaking the nuclear and securi

More than 660,000 high school students and graduates in South Korea took the state-administered annual college entrance exam on Thursday, the most crucial test seen as a deciding factor in an applicant's choice of college and subsequent career.A total of 668,522 people applied for the day-long standardized College Scholastic Ability Test, of which about three-quarters were high school students, the ministry said, adding this year's number of test takers dropped by about 4 percent from last year.

Norway's state-owned energy giant Statoil on Wednesday evacuated around 330 non-essential staff from a North Sea platform off the coast of Norway after it began listing."Around 330 people were evacuated and we're halting the evacuation at this stage," said Einar Knudsen, a spokesman for the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Southern Norway.Just over 40 people were to stay on the rig for security work, he added.The Floatel Superior, effectively a floating hotel for staff working on the neighboring

Officials said Wednesday that 23 people were rescued after an overcrowded boat capsized off the Bangladesh coast, but about 50 others remained missing.The boat was reportedly carrying about 70 illegal migrants, mostly Rohingya Muslims, to Malaysia when it sank in the Bay of Bengal early Wednesday.Border commander Lt. Col. Zahid Hossain said no bodies had been recovered so far, but he quoted several survivors as saying they saw some bodies after the boat sank off Bangladesh's Teknaf coast, 320 ki

A newly re-elected President Barack Obama will once again deal with a divided Congress as Democrats handily retained control of the U.S. Senate, while Republicans kept their solid majority in the House of Representatives.The results of Tuesday's election mean that President Barack Obama, despite being re-elected to a second term, will face the same divided Congress in 2013 that has bedeviled efforts to enact his major legislation.Republicans were dealt a bitter blow Tuesday in the Senate races b

The South Korean men's national football team and one of its star players have been shortlisted for annual Asian honors, officials here said Wednesday.The Korea Football Association (KFA) said the national team was nominated for the National Team of the Year in the men's category by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Forward Lee Keun-ho is a candidate for the AFC Asian Player of the Year honors, the KFA added.The team award, which was first presented in 2000, recognizes nations' performance

Managers participating in a continental baseball club championship here predicted on Wednesday a South Korea-Japan final for the regional bragging rights.On the eve of the Asia Series, to be held here in Busan from Thursday to Sunday, managers of the six clubs in action said representatives from the host country and its long-time rival will likely clash for the title.The Asia Series will pit six clubs from South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, China and Australia against each other.South Korea's Korea Bas

South Korean swimming star Park Tae-hwan said Wednesday he will soon travel to Australia to discuss his future plans with his coach there.In a meeting with reporters in Seoul, Park said he will meet with Australian coach Michael Bohl next Tuesday. He added he will fly out to Brisbane on Monday and return on Thursday."We will talk about my training schedules and regimen," the 23-year-old said. "I want to catch up and just listen to what he has to say about my future training."This will be the fir