South Korea's current account surplus rose to a fresh record high in July as imports fell at a steeper pace than exports amid the protracted eurozone debt crisis, the central bank said Wednesday.The current account surplus reached US$6.1 billion in July, up from a revised $5.88 billion the previous month, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). The current account is the broadest measure of cross-bo

Police said Tuesday two Japanese men are suspected of setting up provocative wooden posts to lay claim to South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo at entrances to two history research-related establishments in Seoul.Wrapping up an internal investigation, Seoul's Seodaemun Police Station said that two Japanese nationals allegedly put three wooden posts with the phrase, "Takeshima (referring to Dok

Pennsylvania Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tom Smith said Monday fetuses conceived out of wedlock and by rape both need to be protected from abortion.In both instances, Smith, who is seeking to unseat Democratic incumbent Bob Casey, said "a life is a life, and it needs to be protected," The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.Following an appearance at a Pennsylvania Press Club luncheon, Smith was a

Emboldened by a triumph in the first round of a U.S. patent suit against Samsung, Apple made a formal request Monday to a U.S. federal judge to ban the sales of eight products of the South Korean firm.Those are Galaxy S 4G, Galaxy S2 AT&T, Galaxy S2, Galaxy S2 T-Mobile, Galaxy S2 Epic 4G, Galaxy S Showcase, Droid Charge and Galaxy Prevail, according to a list submitted to the Northern District Cou

Colombia's government and leftist FARC rebels have agreed to open peace negotiations October 5 in Norway and then shift the talks to Cuba, former vice president Francisco Santos said Monday."In the coming days, (President Juan Manuel) Santos will announce the start of negotiations with the FARC, which will be opened in Oslo October 5 and will continue in Havana," said Santos, who is a cousin of th

South Korea is considering expanding the use of chemical castration of sex offenders and putting repeat criminals under closer watch with growing calls for tougher measures against rapists and pedophiles, government officials said Monday. Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik and senior officials from related agencies agreed to adopt stricter measures to curb sex offenses and increase staff to monitor rapi

(AFP)Shares in Samsung Electronics opened 6.75 percent lower Monday after a U.S. court fined the South Korean firm $1.05 billion for breaching Apple's patents.After 15 minutes of trading the shares had fallen by 6.81 percent to 1,187,000 won.A jury in San Jose, California ruled Friday that Samsung infringed six Apple patents for smartphones or tablet PCs.Analysts said the judge in the case could l

Two members of the punk band Pussy Riot have fled Russia to avoid prosecution for a protest against Vladimir Putin that sent three of their band mates to prison, the group said Sunday.Five members of the feminist group took part in a provocative performance inside Moscow's main cathedral in February to protest the Russian leader's rule and his cozy relationship with the Orthodox Church. The women

It was during breaks between marathon video game sessions in his mother’s apartment in Oslo that Anders Behring Breivik drafted his complicated and chilling plan.He would kill indiscriminately with explosives and guns, surrender to authorities if he survived, then prove himself sane in court _ all to publicize a manifesto accusing Muslims of destroying European society.Self confessed mass murderer

A 48-year-old Texas man is free after spending half his life in prison for a rape he didn't commit.David Lee Wiggins of Fort Worth had been sent to prison in 1989, largely on the basis of the 14-year-old victim picking him out of photo and live lineups. He was cleared by DNA testing that led state District Judge Louis Sturns to free him Friday, though the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals must accep

Fifty-year-old Roger Clemens retired 10 of the 11 batters he faced for the Sugar Land Skeeters Saturday night.Clemens, a seven-time Cy Young Award winner and 11-time all-star, had last pitched for the New York Yankees in 2007.In his 3 1/3-inning stint for the Atlantic League Skeeters, Clemens gave up only one single, to the Bridgeport Bluefish's James Simmons in the second inning, and no walks. He

A Maine woman recently gave birth to her grandson, serving as a surrogate womb for her daughter's baby.Linda Sirois, 49, of Madawaska delivered 7 lb., 14 oz. Madden Brian Hebert Aug. 17 at a hospital in Presque Isle, the Bangor Daily News reported. Madden is the first child for Sirois' daughter Angel Hebert, 25, and her husband Brian, 29."She is amazing," Angel Hebert, who could not carry the baby

This photo is not directly related to the article. (123rf)A girl reported missing more than two years ago when she was 15 told police she escaped a home in Illinois where she had been held captive and repeatedly sexually assaulted.Authorities in Washington Park, a village next to East St. Louis in the southwestern part of the state, raided the house Thursday afternoon and took into custody a 24-ye

In this July 24, 2004, file photo, overall leader Lance Armstrong, right, of Austin, Texas, follows compatriot and teammate Floyd Landis, left, in the ascent of the La Croix Fry pass during the 17th stage of the Tour de France cycling race between Bourg-d`Oisans and Le Grand Bornand, French Alps. (AP-Yonhap News)The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency announced Friday it stripped Lance Armstrong of his seven

U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong poses with his Congressional Gold Medal during a ceremony in the Rotunda of the Capitol in this November 16, 2011 file photo in Washington. (AFP-Yonhap News)Neil Armstrong was a quiet, self-described “nerdy” engineer who became a global hero when as a steely-nerved U.S. pilot he made “one giant leap for mankind” with the first step on the moon. The modest man who entr

South Korea's governing body of basketball held high school basketball matches on Dokdo on Saturday amid heightened tensions sparked by Japan's claim to the easternmost South Korean territory.Players from four high schools formed teams and engaged in three-to-three friendly matches against guards stationed on the rocky islets in a sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, according to the Korea

An Apple Inc. iPad 2 and iPhone 4S smartphone, left, and a Samsung Electronics Co. Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet computer and Galaxy S III smartphone are arranged for a photograph in Seoul, South Korea, On Tuesday. (Bloomberg)After a year of scorched-earth litigation, a jury decided Friday that Samsung ripped off the innovative technology used by Apple to create its revolutionary iPhone and iPad.The jury

(123rf)A Mississippi man will be extradited and charged after fleeing Florida with a 16-year-old British girl he met online, police said.Zachary Miller, 21, allegedly drove to Davenport, Fla., to pick up the girl, with whom he had an online romantic relationship, where she was vacationing with her family. He then drove her to his parents' home to Mississippi, the Polk County, Fla., Sheriff's Offic

The Constitutional Court ruled Thursday the online real-name verification legislation is unconstitutional, paving the way for the controversial system to be repealed five years after its introduction.Under current law, Web sites with more than 100,000 visitors per day are required to authenticate their users' identities through their resident registration number. The policy set up in 2007 aims to

(AFP)An elderly woman's catastrophic attempt to "restore" a century-old oil painting of Christ in a Spanish church has provoked popular uproar, and amusement.The well-intentioned but ham-fisted amateur artist, in her 80s, took it upon herself to fill in the patches and paint over the original work, which depicted Christ crowned with thorns, his sorrowful gaze lifted to heaven.Her work done, the "r