DURBAN, South Africa (Yonhap) -- Bid officials of PyeongChang, a South Korean candidate for the 2018 Winter Olympics,held a lively and spirited press conference here Monday, handling questions with aplomb with an International Olympic Committee (IOC) vote on the host fast approaching.In the final run-up to the IOC vote scheduled for Wednesday, PyeongChang kept hammering home its message of bringin

NEW YORK (AFP) ― The U.S. Federal Reserve wound up its $600-billion “QE2” program to boost the ailing economy with easy liquidity on Thursday, having generated more controversy than jobs and growth.Without fanfare the U.S. central bank’s New York branch paid banks $4.9 billion for U.S. Treasury bonds in the program’s last step Thursday morning, as economists and bankers continued to argue its effe

A Chinese manufacturing index fell to the lowest level since February 2009, signaling that the world’s second-biggest economy is cooling as export demand weakens and the government reins in credit to control inflation. The Purchasing Managers’ Index was at 50.9 in June compared with 52 in May, the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing said in an emailed statement on Friday. A separate surve

NEW YORK (AP) ― Former International Monetary Fund Leader Dominique Strauss-Kahn will have his pricey bail substantially reduced in his sexual assault case because of issues with his accuser’s credibility, a person familiar with the case said Thursday.The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss matters not yet made public in court, said prosecutors have raised issues about the credi

ATHENS (AP) ― Greece has faced down street violence and strikes for the sake of financial aid it was promised and needs to avoid bankruptcy. Now its fellow European countries will be expected to come up with a second rescue package to convince investors that the 17-nation euro will survive the debt crisis.A new austerity package that lawmakers cleared in Athens is required to get more rescue loans

NEW YORK (AFP) ― NBA team owners ordered a lockout of players to commerce one minute after midnight on Friday as last-ditch talks failed, setting up a shutdown that threatens the 2011-2012 season.The first NBA work stoppage since the 1998-1999 season was slashed to 50 games will halt trades, free agent signings and contract talks. Players, who would not be paid, also would be barred from using tea

LONDON (AFP) ― Maria Sharapova will attempt to complete her long journey back from the wilderness at Wimbledon on Saturday when she takes on Czech eighth seed Petra Kvitova for the women’s singles crown.The 24-year-old Russian fifth seed is the overwhelming favorite to reclaim the title that she won for the first time in 2004, when as a fresh-faced teenager she took the All England Club by storm.S

LONDON (AFP) ― English Premier League side Sunderland on Thursday announced the signings of South Korea striker Ji Dong-won and English midfielder Craig Gardner.Ji, 20, joined from Chunnam Dragons for an undisclosed fee and signed a three-year contract at the Stadium of Light.He has scored six goals in 11 appearances for South Korea, including four at the Asian Cup in Qatar in January. Ji Dong-won

Activist’s detention was part of major government crackdown on ‘Jasmine’ protestersBEIJING (AFP) ― Outspoken Chinese artist Ai Weiwei was released on bail in Beijing Wednesday nearly three months after he was detained during the government’s biggest crackdown on activists in years.Police released him after he confessed to tax evasion and because he suffers from a “chronic disease,” the official Xi

Ban Ki-moon, who succeeded in securing his second term as the U.N. chief on Tuesday, is well known for his diligence and sincerity.U.N. diplomats who have assisted the South Korean U.N. secretary-general for four and a half years all cite his “tireless efforts” in steering the global organization. They say Ban made them realize that diligence and perseverance are the most important values of all.B

NEW YORK (Yonhap News) ― Ban Ki-moon, who was reelected as United Nations secretary-general here Tuesday, has had his share of success in his first term, fending off critics in the process, but he has some work cut out for him over the next five years in his second tour of duty.A former South Korean foreign minister, Ban has so far successfully answered questions surrounding his leadership with hi

Suicide attackers launch assault near Karzai’s office; Taliban claims responsibilityKABUL (AP) ― Afghan President Hamid Karzai acknowledged Saturday that the U.S. and Afghan governments have held talks with Taliban emissaries in a bid to end the nation’s nearly 10-year war, even as suicide attackers launched a bold assault in the heart of the county’s capital, killing nine people.The attack, which

ISLAMABAD (AP) ― The Pakistani army denied Wednesday that one of its majors was among a group of Pakistanis who Western officials say were arrested for feeding the CIA information before the American raid that killed Osama bin Laden.The New York Times, which first reported the arrests of five Pakistani informants Tuesday, said an army major was detained who copied license plates of cars visiting t

TOKYO (AP) ― The operator of Japan’s tsunami-damaged nuclear plant said Tuesday it is installing rooftop vents and taking additional safety measures at two other plants to help cope with any severe accident in the future.Tokyo Electric Power Co. said it will add vents to seven reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in north-central Japan to prevent devastating hydrogen explosions like those that

BEIRUT (AP) ― Elite Syrian troops backed by helicopters and tanks regained control Sunday of a town where police and soldiers joined forces with the protesters they were ordered to shoot ― a decisive assault from a government prepared for an all-out battle to keep power.Troops led by the president’s brother shelled Jisr al-Shughour as the gunships hovered overhead, paving the way for scores of tan

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) ― The head of the European Central Bank signaled another likely interest rate hike in July, warning that higher oil and commodity prices must not be allowed to fuel an inflationary spiral as Europe’s economy grows.Jean-Claude Trichet also reiterated the bank’s opposition to letting Greece restructure its massive debts and was skeptical about a German proposal to get Greece’

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (AP) ― Mindy Kim shot a career-low 64 to take a two-stroke lead after the first round lead of the LPGA State Farm Classic on Thursday.Sarah Kemp and Jiyai Shin were tied for second at 6-under at the Panther Creek Country Club. Brittany Lincicome, last week’s winner at the ShopRite Classic, birdied the final hole to finish at 67 and in a tie for fourth with Yani Tseng and Juli

Government knew reactor design inadequacies, need for independence of regulatorsTOKYO (AP) ― Japan admitted Tuesday it was unprepared for a severe nuclear accident like the tsunami-caused Fukushima disaster and said damage to the reactors and radiation leakage were worse than it previously thought.In a report being submitted to the U.N. nuclear agency, the government also acknowledged reactor desi

NEW DELHI (AP) ― Hundreds of police officers swooped down Sunday on the venue of a hunger strike by a charismatic Indian yoga guru and forcibly removed him and thousands of his supporters.Officers detained Baba Ramdev for security reasons, but later released him, said Rajan Bhagat, a police spokesman in the Indian capital, New Delhi. Renowned yoga guru Baba Ramdev performs Yoga exercises before go

HONG KONG (AFP) ― Hong Kong police said Sunday they arrested 53 people for illegal assembly after a candlelight vigil attended by tens of thousands of people to mark the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.Police said in a statement that the 53 had marched to another site following the peaceful vigil on Saturday and then refused to disperse after midnight.Television news footage showed a tense standof