Colombia's main leftist rebel group on Sunday released a former U.S. Army private who the guerrillas seized in June after he refused to heed local officials' warnings and wandered into rebel-held territory.Kevin Scott Sutay, who is in his late 20s, was quietly turned over to Cuban and Norwegian officials along with the International Committee of the Red Cross in the same southeastern region where he had disappeared four months earlier.U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry immediately thanked Colomb

The candidate backed by Georgia's billionaire prime minister easily won Sunday's presidential election in this U.S.-aligned former Soviet republic, exit polls indicated. His closest rival quickly conceded defeat. With the convincing victory by former university rector Giorgi Margvelashvili in what for Georgia was an unusually calm and predictable election, Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili has cemented his control. Although he may now make more progress in decreasing tensions with Russia, Ivani

삼성전자가 스마트 안경의 국내 디자인 특허를 등록했다.25일 특허청 특허정보넷 키프리스(KIPRIS)에 따르면 삼성전자는 지난 3월 ‘스포츠용 안경’이라는 이름의 스마트 안경 디자인 특허를 출원해 이달 초 등록이 완료됐다. 등록번호는 3007115210000번이다.현재 스마트 안경은 구글이 ‘구글글라스’라는 이름으로 내놓은 것이 사실상 거의 유일하다.삼성전자의 이 스마트 안경이 출시되면 갤럭시 스마트폰과 연동해 전화를 받거나 내비게이션 등 기능을 활용할 수 있을 것으로 기대된다.다만 아직 디자인 특허만 출원 중인 상태이므로 삼성전자가 실제로 스마트 안경을 개발하고 있는지는 확인되지 않고 있다.삼성전자는 최근 스마트 손목시계 갤럭시 기어를 내놓는 등 앞서 입는 컴퓨터(wearable computer) 분야에 진출한 바 있다. (연합뉴스) <관련 영문 기사>Samsung patents smart glassesSamsung has registered a patent for smart gl

미국 언론이 메이저리그 (MLB)의 뉴욕 양키즈가 삼성 라이온스의 마무리 투수 오승환 (31)에 관심을 가지고 있다고 최근 보도했다.뉴욕 포스트 보도에 따르면 현재 양키즈는 리베라가 은퇴하고 조바 체임벌린, 분 로간 등의 이적이 유력한 상황에서 마무리 투수 보강을 노리고 있다고 한다.스포츠 전문 매체인 SB네이션에 따르면 리베라의 빈 자리를 데이빗 로버트슨이 메울 것으로 보이고, 이에 따라 양키즈는 로버트슨이 맡았던 8회를 막아줄 선수가 필요하다고 한다.양키즈가 노릴 것으로 예상되는 선수에는 오승환 외에 기아 타이거즈의 윤석민 (27), 일본의 다나카 마사히로 (25) 등이 있다고 한다.오승환은 2005년 데뷔 후 통산 444경기에 출전, 277세이브로 한국 프로야구 최다세이브를 기록하고 있다. 올 시즌에는 48경기에 나와 4승 1패, 28세이브 평균자책점 1.74를 기록했다.<관련 영문 기사>Rivera-less Yanks eyeing pitcher Oh: reportThe New

야구팬이라면 누구나 꿈꾸는 가을야구 무대, 그 정점인 한국 시리즈에서 치열한 포스트시즌의 생존자인 두산 베어스와 디펜딩 챔피언 삼성 라이온즈가 맞붙고 있다.여느 때와 다름없는 광경이지만 이번 포스트 시즌의 대진표는 특이한 점이 눈에 띈다. 한국시리즈에 직행한 1위 삼성을 제외한 세 팀이 모두 서울연고 팀이라는 것.2013시즌의 경우 유독 서울팀들의 선전이 눈에 띄었다. 두산 베어스의 경우 올해까지 최근 10년간 단 두 차례를 제외하고 포스트시즌에 진출한 강호이지만, 베어스와 같이 잠실경기장을 홈으로 쓰고 있는 LG 트윈스의 경우는 2002년 한국시리즈 진출 이후 기나긴 가을야구 가뭄에 시달려야 했다.지난 시즌에도 페넌트레이스 7위에 그쳤던 LG가 이번 시즌 달라졌다. 엘지의 낮은 성적을 빗댄 “꼴쥐,” 시즌 초반의 돌풍이 후반까지 이어지지 못한 것을 비꼬는 “엘레발 (LG+설레발),” DTD 효과(내려갈 팀은 내려간다” 등 굴욕적인 별명만 잔뜩 얻은 LG가 달라진 것을 올해부터였다.

President Park Geun-hye on Friday tapped judge Hwang Chan-hyun and Korea Development Institute researcher Moon Hyung-pyo to head the Board of Audit and Inspection, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, respectively. Hwang and Moon will need to undergo parliamentary hearings before taking office. In addition, chief of Hanyang University’s College of Performing Arts and Sport Kim Chong was named Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism.Hwang, the chief of the Seoul Central District Court a

South Korean stocks fell 0.6 percent Friday due mainly to weak data from the eurozone which sparked concerns over economic turmoil in advanced countries, analysts said. The local currency fell against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) declined 12.3 points to finish at 2034.39. Trading volume was low at 230 million shares worth 3.95 trillion won ($3.72 billion), with losers outpacing gainers 470 to 318.Analysts said Seoul shares lost ground as a weak economic

The prosecution said Friday it has found evidence that agents of the state spy agency quoted press releases of the ruling party to post Twitter messages ahead of last year's presidential election.The National Intelligence Service (NIS) has been probed over allegations that it launched an online smear campaign to sway public opinion in favor of President Park Geun-hye, the then ruling Saenuri Party's candidate, ahead of the December election.The episode has already resulted in the arrest of forme

A court on Friday upheld ousted politician Bo Xilai's conviction and life sentence for corruption and abuse of power in the final decision of one of China's most politically charged trials in decades. The denial of Bo's appeal by the Shandong Provincial Higher People's Court came as no surprise, with many political analysts saying such an outcome was predetermined by Communist Party leaders keen to put Bo away long enough to prevent him from making a comeback. Bo, a former Politburo member and p

Seoul City said Friday it plans to diversify its tourism programs and boost infrastructure investment as part of its efforts to become the world's fifth most-visited city by 2018.Under a five-year plan, the South Korean capital city aims to attract 20 million visitors a year by 2018. In 2012, more than 10 million foreigners visited Seoul, making it the world's 11th most-visited  city, according to government data."More efforts will be made to transform the city into a perfect model place for bot

South Korean stocks traded 0.83 percent lower late Friday morning, dented by losses in large-cap shipyard and chemical companies, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 16.91 points to 2,029.78 as of 11:20 a.m.Blue-chip shipyard and chemical makers lost ground. Hyundai Heavy Industries, the world's biggest shipyard, slumped more than 3 percent, with LG Chem dipping 2.6 percent. But auto shares trended bullish. Hyundai Motor was up nearly 2 percent, with its a

North Korea on Friday returned home six South Koreans, who had been held in the reclusive state apparently since early 2010, via the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjeom.The six men, aged between 27 and 67, walked past the military demarcation line running through the village at around 4:50 p.m., some 20 minutes later than they were set to return here.They are presumed to have been caught crossing the border between the North and China, Seoul officials believe.Investigators from the militar

A North Korean diplomat based in Ethiopia defected to Seoul in August after seeking asylum at the South Korean Embassy in the African country, multiple sources said Friday.The North Korean man, whose identity is unknown, stormed into the South Korean embassy in Addis Ababa, asking for help for his defection to the South, they said."At that time, he worked for the North Korean office of the trade representative in Ethiopia ... I've learned that he is not a senior official, though," one source sai

FC Seoul will compete for its first-ever AFC Champions League football crown against a surging rival from China starting on Saturday.FC Seoul, the reigning South Korean league champ, will host Guangzhou Evergrande, the Chinese Super League's title holder from 2011 to 2013, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Seoul World Cup Stadium in the opening match of the two-leg final at Asia's premier club competition.The second leg will be in Guangzhou on Nov. 9, and the aggregate score after the two contests will d

South Korea ranked among the lowest in terms of gender equality as women's economic participation, health and education conditions remained poor, an international organization's report showed Friday.According to the report by the World Economic Forum (WEF), South Korea came in at 111th place out of 136 countries on the "gender gap index," which is three notches lower than a year earlier.The report is based on its analysis of women's economic participation, level of education, health and politica

Japan's consumer prices rose in September for the fourth straight month, boosted mainly by higher energy costs, in the latest set of data showing fitful progress toward revitalizing the economy.The core consumer price index, which excludes food, was up 0.7 percent  compared with 0.8 percent in August, the Management and Coordination Agency said. With food prices factored in, the index was up 1.1 percent.The government is striving to end a long bout of deflation through aggressive monetary easing

Twitter has set a price range of $17 to $20 per share for its initial public offering and says it could raise as much as $1.6 billion in the process. The pricing is relatively conservative considering that Twitter is poised to pull off the year's hottest IPO.Twitter Inc. said in a regulatory filing Thursday that it will put forth 70 million shares in the offering. If all the shares are sold, the underwriters can buy another 10.5 million shares.At the $20 share price, Twitter's market value would

European leaders united in anger as they attended a summit overshadowed by reports of widespread U.S. spying on its allies _ allegations German Chancellor Angela Merkel said had shattered trust in the Obama administration and undermined the crucial trans-Atlantic relationship. The latest revelations that the U.S. National Security Agency swept up more than 70 million phone records in France and may have tapped Merkel's own cellphone brought denunciations from the French and German governments. 

A huge blast rocked a US-owned candy factory in northern Mexico on Thursday, injuring more than 40 people and leaving 20 more missing, officials said.Hundreds of people were working at the Blueberry factory when the explosion ripped through the building in Ciudad Juarez, a city bordering the US state of Texas, officials said.Smoke billowed from the building, located in an industrial park, while a side wall collapsed following the early afternoon blast, an AFP correspondent said."We are searching

Microsoft posted quarterly revenue and earnings Thursday that easily topped Wall Street forecasts, marking a healthy start to a companywide overhaul it announced in July that should help the software giant transform into a devices and services company.Its stock rose nearly 6 percent in after-hours trading.“Our devices and services transformation is progressing,” CEO Steve Ballmer said in a statement with the company's fiscal first-quarter results. Ballmer said in August he'll step down within 12