BANGKOK (AFP) - Several hundred Muslims, many waving banners and shouting "execute people who mock Islam", rallied outside the U.S. embassy and Google offices in Bangkok Thursday to denounce an anti-Islam film that has sparked global protests.The demonstration saw a brief scuffle as protesters tried to surge towards the U.S. embassy through lines of riot officers, but police said it passed largely

MADRID (AFP) - Spain's government met Thursday to take an axe to spending in a new budget for 2013, unswayed by angry protests but bowed by markets anticipating a full sovereign bailout, and soon.Spain has said it will lop spending and boost taxes to rake in 39 billion euros ($50 billion) in the budget, adding to the pain that sent thousands of protesters into Madrid's streets on the previous two

The National Assembly on Thursday passed a bill temporarily reducing taxes on purchases and transfers of homes in a move to boost the slumping housing market.The revision comes after the government announced measures earlier in the year aimed at reviving the real estate market that included halving acquisition taxes and scrapping transfer taxes.Under the revised bill, the tax rate on purchases of

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A grand, aging red-brick house in Washington concealed by a pair of towering magnolia trees has become an unlikely setting for South Korea's festering grievances against Japan and a sign of growing tensions between two staunch U.S. allies.More than a century ago, the building housed the first Korean diplomatic mission in the U.S. But shortly before annexing Korea in 1910, imperi

BERLIN (AP) -- Germany's Foreign Minister says the country's embassy in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum has been stormed by protesters and set partially on fire.Guido Westerwelle told reporters in Berlin on Friday that the Embassy building was "partially in flames but fortunately... the employees are safe."He says the demonstrators are apparently protesting against an anti-Islam film produced in

Another powerful typhoon is quickly moving northward and expected to affect all parts of the country early next week, weather officials said Friday.Typhoon Sanba, positioned 830 kilometers south-south-east of Japan's Okinawa, was moving northward at a speed of about 19 kilometers per hour, packing maximum winds of 56 meters per second as of 3 p.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administrat

Statoil ASA hired a supertanker to haul North Sea crude from Mongstad in Norway to South Korea, while Total SA canceled a booking it made yesterday, according to Optima Shipbrokers Ltd.Statoil booked a very large crude carrier, the Front Ariake, to transport crude from Mongstad to South Korea at an undisclosed rate, loading on Oct. 14 to Oct. 15, Athens-based Optima said today. Chartering and Ship

The parents of dozens of students attending foreign schools in Seoul were summoned for questioning over suspicions that the students gained admission based on fraudulent documents, prosecutors said Friday.The parents, including the 39-year-old wife of a lawyer working for one of the country's largest law firms, were questioned about submitting fabricated documents to falsely identify their childre

A group of writers who defected from North Korea gained membership on Friday to PEN International, a London-based worldwide association of writers pursuing freedom of expression, the group said.PEN International approved the establishment of a PEN center for writers who fled North Korea during the 78th PEN International Congress held in the South Korean tourist city of Gyeongju, southeast of Seoul

The South Korean government has finalized 159 programs for its official development assistance to developing countries, as part of an effort to provide each recipient with customized aid, the Prime Minister's Office said Friday.The selected 159 programs under one of the four categories -- economy, society, governance and future-oriented issues -- were made based upon Seoul's development experience

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The White House predicts this year's federal budget deficit will end up at $1.2 trillion, marking the fourth consecutive year of trillion dollar-plus deficits during President Barack Obama's administration.The bleak figures, while expected, are sure to add fuel to the already heated presidential campaign, in which Obama's handling of the economy and the budget is a main topic. F

TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran is expanding its insurance on its fleet of 47 oil tankers through a multi-billion-dollar line of credit as it seeks to get around EU sanctions crimping its crude exports, reports said on Saturday."Iran is ready to give total insurance for the transport of its oil... and the commitments by Iranian insurers are no different from those by Western insurers and therefore all risks a

The leading presidential contender of the ruling Saenuri Party on Saturday vowed to root out corruption, an apparent attempt to distance herself from President Lee Myung-bak amid a public outcry over a string of high-profile corruption scandals."Above all, I will create a clean government," Park Geun-hye said in a speech in the southeastern city of Busan. "I will become a president who will break

Korea's knowledge economy minister on Saturday warned that growing calls for economic democracy should not lead to an assault on local conglomerates."Conglomerates have and will continue to contribute to the local economy. (I) oppose indiscriminate attacks on those companies," Knowledge Economy Minister Hong Suk-woo said in a conference held by the Federation of Korean Industries.The FKI, led by G

LONDON (Yonhap News) -- Swimmer Park Tae-hwan will enter the men's 400-meter freestyle race Saturday, the first of his three events at the London Olympics. He is the reigning Olympic gold medalist and a two-time world champion in 400 meter free.Park isn't the only South Korean medal hopeful on this day. Male archers will compete in the team event, and they've earned the bye to the quarters after s

South Korean stocks are likely to be affected by European and U.S. policy measures next week as investors keep tabs on the European Central Bank and the U.S. Federal Reserve amid lingering worries over economic uncertainties, analysts said Saturday.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 0.34 percent from a week earlier to end at 1,829.16 this week, with the market sinking to the 1,76

North Korea has disabled video camera and memory card functions in new mobile phones, a news report said Saturday, in what appears to be Pyongyang's latest move to tighten control over the flow of information within and across its borders.The North also removed the Bluetooth function, a protocol that allows mobile phone users to exchange data over short distances, and blocked subscribers from usin

NEW YORK (AFP) - Computer and smartphone maker Apple has been discussing with social media company Twitter the possibility of making a significant investment in it, The New York Times reported late Friday.Citing unnamed "people briefed on the matter," the newspaper said Apple was considering investing into Twitter hundreds of millions of dollars, which could increase Twitter's valuation from $8.4

The Defense Department should move more ships to the Pacific and better define its strategy as it pivots toward Asia to counter a rising China, according to a report commissioned by the Pentagon.The U.S. should deploy a second Amphibious Ready Group of ships from the Atlantic to the Pacific to meet the requirements of the Marine Corps, the report made public yesterday recommends. It also calls for

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- Member states failed to reach agreement Friday on a new U.N. treaty to regulate the multibillion dollar global arms trade, and some diplomats and supporters blamed the United States for triggering the unraveling of the monthlong negotiating conference.Hopes had been raised that agreement could be reached on a revised treaty text that closed some major loopholes by Friday's d