U.S. astronomers say a study suggests planets are in fact the cosmic norm and estimate the Milky Way galaxy contains at least 100 billion planets.A team of astronomers at the California Institute of Technology made the estimate while analyzing planets orbiting a star called Kepler-32, worlds they say are representative of the vast majority in the galaxy and are a perfect case study for understanding how most planets form.Kepler-32's planets were detected by the Kepler space telescope, and the re

President-elect Park Geun-hye named former defense minister Kim Jang-soo to lead a transition team handling external affairs, security and North Korea policies Friday as she finalized the selection of about two dozen top committee members.The long-awaited announcement paved the way for the transition committee to begin work -- more than two weeks after Park was elected South Korea's first female president in the Dec. 19 vote.The committee is made up of nine smaller teams and their 23 leaders wer

University professor is the least stressful job available to U.S. workers in 2013, a job-search website said Thursday.CareerCast.com said teaching at the college level combines relatively high pay with a median annual salary of more than $62,000, prestige and a comfortable environment."Their students are largely those who choose the classes they attend, and thus want to be in class," the website said. "Unlike elementary and secondary educators, the performance of college professors isn't evaluat

LG Display agreed to pay damages ordered by the Chinese government for fixing the price of its panels, while Samsung Display said it would need more time to look into the issue.On Friday, the world’s two top makers of liquid-crystal display panels ― Samsung and LG Display ― were ordered to pay $35 million in damages by China’s National Development and Reform Commission for price-rigging its panels.The commission said it fined Samsung 101 million yuan ($16.2 million) and LG 118 million yuan, for

A Chinese arson suspect who was released from a Seoul prison after the court decided not to extradite him to Japan, left for home Friday, according to multiple Seoul sources.The South Korean court on Thursday rejected Japan's request to hand over Liu Qiang, 38, to be prosecuted for an alleged arson attack in 2011 at a controversial World War II shrine in Tokyo, saying that the crime he had committed was politically motivated.Liu departed for Shanghai, China on a 8:55 a.m. flight through Incheon

South Korea's incoming President Park Geun-hye was to meet with special envoys of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday in her first diplomatic test amid concern relations between the two neighbors could worsen further under the right-wing Abe.Aides say Park's meeting with the delegation, led by former Japanese Finance Minister Fukushiro Nukaga, is unlikely to take up hard issues and turn testy as it will be their first meeting. Still, the meeting has drawn attention to see whether Park w

Sergiu Nicolaescu, a prolific and popular Romanian director known for his historical epics who also served as a Senator, died Thursday. He was 82.The Elias Hospital said Nicolaescu died from heart and lung complications following surgery for digestive problems.Nicolaescu quit politics in December, having been Senator for the Social Democracy Party since 1992.Nicolaescu made some 50 movies in his lifetime, and despite his career in politics, continued to direct films such as the “Orient Express”

The most powerful Republican in the U.S. Congress is keeping his post.House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner narrowly retained the position as the new Congress voted Thursday.Boehner has had a bruising time in recent days as the outgoing Congress and the Obama administration negotiated and passed a limited deal to avoid the worst of the so-called “fiscal cliff.”Boehner faced criticism from conservatives in his own party over the fiscal deal. Fellow Republicans from the Northeast then blas

법원이 미성년자 성폭행범에 대한 성충동 약물치료(화학적 거세) 청구를 처음으로 받아들였다.서울남부지법 형사11부(김기영 부장판사)는 3일 미성년자 5명을 성폭행한 혐의(성폭력범죄의 처벌 등에 관한 특례법 위반)로 구속기소된 표모(31)씨에 대해 징역 15년을 선고하고 성충동 약물치료 3년, 전자발찌 부착 20년, 정보공개 10년, 성폭력 치료 프로그램 200시간 이수를 명령했다. 재판부는 "피고인은 강간치상, 특수강도강간 등으로 징역형을 산 적이 있으며 누범 기간에 이번 범행을 저질렀다"며 "다수 피해자를 상대로 장기간에 걸쳐 범행했으며 왜곡된 성의식을 갖고 있고 성욕과잉인 것으로 보여 스스로 통제가 불가능한 상태로 판단된다"고 밝혔다.이어 "약물치료가 피고인의 과다한 성적 환상과 충동을 감소시키는데 도움이 될 것"이라며 "중증으로 보여 치료 3년을 명한다"고 덧붙였다.재판부는 "피고인이 범행을 자백했지만 청소년 피해자의 성을 사고 나아가 강간했으며 그 장면을 촬영해 협박까지 하는

A South Korean diplomat in Saudi Arabia died earlier this week in an apparent car accident, a senior official at Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday. The body of the consular official, who was only identified by his surname Kim, was found inside his car on Wednesday on a motorway in Riyadh, the Seoul official said on the condition of anonymity. "Local police are investigating into the exact cause of the apparent car accident," the official said. The consular official was working at the South

BBC journalist and scientology debunker John Sweeney recently claimed to have found a secret “alien space cathedral” built by the controversial cult of Scientology.According to a report published by British newspaper the Sun on Monday, Sweeney allegedly found a gateway to a secret bunker that the Church of Scientology built to protect their teachings from a nuclear holocaust they thought would take place in the future. It is near the remote community of Mesa Huerfanita, New Mexico, north of Rosw

K-pop star Rain will face disciplinary action for dating a top TV actress while on official military duty, the defense ministry said Thursday, in the wake of an outpouring of criticism over the special treatment of celebrities while they fulfill their mandatory military service. The latest move comes after local media reported the 30-year-old singer, whose real name is Jung Ji-hoon, went on dates with actress Kim Tae-hee on several occasions while he was on leave last month.The top singer well-k

글로벌 선주사인 조디악마리타임에이전시는 STX팬오션의 해외 잠재 인수 후보자 중 하나로 거론 되고 있다.업계관계자들에 의하면, 현재 팬오션은 조디악과 싱가포르에서 협의 중일 가능성이 높다.국내 최대 벌크선사인 팬오션은 싱가포르에 자회사가 있으며 상장되어 있다.조디악의 주요 사업은 용선이며 팬오션 인수 통해서 업계에서 시너지를 창출을 할 수 있을 것이라고 한다.STX그룹은 재무개선 그리고 유동성 확보 위해 핵심 자회사들을 매각 작업에 돌입했다.STX, STX조선해양, STX엔진 그리고 STX 강덕수 회장을 포함한 임원들이 소유하고 있는 팬오션의 36.8프로 지분을 매각중이다.지난 STX그룹의 캐시카우 역할을 해오던 팬오션은 세계 경기 침체와 업계 불황으로 영업적자를 기록하고 있었으나 관계자들은 팬오션의 브랜드 가치는 여전히 높다고 했다.보도에 의하면, STX는 조디악으로 부터 벌크선 수주했으며, 또 팬오션의 매각 정보를 3개 유력한 해외 인수자에게 전달했다고 한다. 국내 잠재 인수후보

A federal judge on Wednesday rejected Apple's claim of false advertising for Amazon.com to refer to its online shop for mobile gadget applications as an "app store.""Apple has failed to establish that Amazon made any false statement of fact that actually deceived or had the tendency to deceive a substantial segment of its audience," US District Judge Phyllis Hamilton said in her ruling."The mere use of 'Appstore' by Amazon to designate a site for viewing and downloading/purchasing apps cannot be

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was released from a New York hospital on Wednesday, three days after doctors discovered a blood clot in her head.Clinton's medical team advised her Wednesday evening that she was making good progress on all fronts and said they are confident she will fully recover, said Clinton spokesman Philippe Reines. Doctors had been treating Clinton with blood thinners to dissolve a clot in a vein that runs through the space between the brain and the skull behind th

South Korean stocks started a tad lower Thursday led by losses in techs and automakers, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) started 10.14 points higher but soon shifted to negative territory to lose 0.84 points, or 0.04 percent, to 2,030.26 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Market bellwether Samsung Electronics lost 0.44 percent and the country's second-largest home appliances maker LG Electronics dipped 0.39 percent.Carmakers were weak, with industry leader Hy

Global investment banks (IBs) have mixed views over South Korea's monetary policy for this year amid a modest recovery forecast with stable inflation predicted for the economy, a report said Thursday. Goldman Sachs expected the Bank of Korea (BOK) to keep its key interest rate steady throughout this year, citing a modest gain in consumer prices projected for 2013, according to the report by the Korea Center for International Finance. The central bank cut the key rate twice last year by a quarter

The United Nations gave a grim new count Wednesday of the human cost of Syria's civil war, saying the death toll has exceeded 60,000 in 21 months _ far higher than recent estimates by anti-regime activists.The day's events illustrated the escalating violence that has made recent months the deadliest of the conflict: As rebels pressed a strategy of attacking airports and pushing the fight closer to President Bashar Assad's stronghold in Damascus, the government responded with deadly airstrikes on

An American journalist who graduated from Marquette University has been missing in Syria since he was kidnapped more than one month ago, his family said Wednesday, less than two years after he was held by government forces in Libya while covering that country's civil war.The family of James Foley, of Rochester, N.H., said he was kidnapped in northwest Syria by unknown gunmen on Thanksgiving day.Foley, 39, has worked in a number of conflict zones around the Middle East, including Syria, Libya and

North Korean football player Jong Tae-se will join a first-division South Korean club next week, an official here said Thursday.Jong, 28, will leave 1. FC Koln in the second division German competition to play for Suwon Samsung Bluewings in the K-League, and will be introduced as the team's newest member next week, a Suwon official said."We've finalized talks with Koln over the transfer fee for Jong Tae-se," the official said. "He will arrive in South Korea as early as next Monday for medical te