Two ruling party lawmakers ― Rep. Lee Sang-deuk, the elder brother of President Lee Myung-bak, and Rep. Jungwook Hong ― said Sunday they will not run in next year’s general election.Reps. Lee Sang-deuk and Jungwook HongTheir annoucement came as the ruling party faces a virtual collapse in the wake of an election defeat and a series of scandals that have been bringing down its prospects for next year’s major elections. .Lee, a six-term lawmaker, was apparently put under pressure by last week’s al

Electronic microchips added to hotel towels to ban snatchingAn American linen company has introduced new towels and robes equipped with electronic chips for hotels in order to prevent guests from taking them home.Linen Tracking Technology, a firm based in Miami, launched the new products attached with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags under association with Fluensee, another technology fi

TEHRAN (AFP) - An Iranian man convicted of throwing acid in the face of a female student who was to have been blinded himself on Sunday in retribution was pardoned by his victim, the state-run television website said."With the request of Ameneh Bahrami, the acid attack victim, Majid(Movahedi) who was sentenced for 'qesas' ('eye for an eye'-style justice) was pardoned at the last minute" after she

WASHINGTON (AP) — Were the Neanderthals simply crowded out by the ancestors of modern humans?That's the theory of a pair of British researchers, who say early modern humans outnumbered Neanderthals by 10-to-1 in a region of southwestern France they studied.Scientists have long debated the circumstances in which modern people replaced Neanderthals across Europe about 40,000 years ago. Leading resea

NEW YORK (AP) -- Like a poodle on a leash, a tiny asteroid runs ahead of Earth on the planet's yearlong strolls around the sun, scientists report.The discovery of this companion, which measures only about 300 meters across, makes Earth the fourth planet in the solar system that's known to share its orbit with an asteroid. This handout image released on July 27, 2011 illustrates the orbit of 2010 T

Residents of mountainside villages hit by multiple landslides from Mount Umyeon may sue local authorities, claiming that their neglect led to the calamity which claimed the lives of 18. Kwak Chang-ho, who represents tenants of Raemian Art Hill Apartment in Bangbae-dong, in Seoul’s southern ward of Seocho, said Sunday that he will work to form an emergency committee of tenants in order to prepare f

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) -- Flight 523 from New York had just touched down and passengers were applauding the pilot's landing in the South American country Saturday when something suddenly went wrong.The Boeing 737-800 slid off the end of a rainy runway, crashed through a chain-link fence and broke in half just short of a deep ravine. Yet all 163 people on board survived.Officials were starting to

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The White House and Republican congressional leaders made significant progress late Saturday toward a deal to avert a government default threatened for early next week, according to officials familiar with the talks.Under the plan, the nation's debt limit would rise in two steps by about $2.4 trillion and spending would be cut by a slightly larger amount, the officials said. The

ROSES, Spain (AP) -- El Bulli, one of the world's most acclaimed and award-winning eateries, has served its last supper.On the final menu Saturday were 50 dishes with intriguing names like ``Clam Meringue,'' ``Olive Spheres,'' and ``Hot Cold Gin Fizz.'' This March 30, 2011 file photo shows Spanish chef Ferran Adria as he tastes some food in the kitchen of his restaurant elBulli in Roses, Spain. (A

Four people were killed and 16 others injured during a fight between two groups of workers after one faction detonated explosives in northwestern Gansu Province on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported.The blast occurred at around 2:30 p.m. near a railway tunnel at a construction site in the Wudu District of the city of Longnan. Workers from the Wuguan highway construction crew, a section of the Lan

BEIJING (AFP) - Knife-wielding attackers in China's ethnically-tense Xinjiang stabbed to death seven people and injured 28 others in a rampage, authorities said Sunday, in the region's latest bout of unrest.One of the attackers was later killed in the violence that erupted Saturday night in Kashgar city -- the second attack this month in Xinjiang, where the mainly Muslim Uighur minority has long s

HONG KONG (AFP) - Apple and Samsung have overtaken long-time leader Nokia for the top two spots in the global smartphone market, a report said Friday, underscoring the Finnish handset maker's ongoing struggles.US-based research firm Strategy Analytics said the US and Korean smartphone makers outpaced Nokia in the second quarter, with the sector posting record quarterly shipments of 110 million uni

LONDON (AFP) - South Korea midfielder Lee Chung-Yong will be out of action for nine months after breaking his leg in a pre-season friendly playing for English Premier League side Bolton.The 23-year-old international had to be stretchered off during the first half of the game against Newport County.  (Yonhap News)It was later confirmed that he had undergone a successful operation to repair a double

TOKYO (Yonhap News) -- Three Japanese lawmakers vowed Saturday they will go ahead with their trip to a Korean island next week, a day after Seoul formally informed Tokyo that it will bar them from entry.Korea quickly reaffirmed its stance on Saturday that immigration officials will deny entry to the lawmakers upon their planned arrival at an airport on Monday and send them back to Japan.The loomin

YEONCHEON (Yonhap News) -- A Korean worker was slightly injured Saturday after an unidentified explosive device went off near the heavily fortified border with North Korea, military officials said.The accident happened around 9:40 a.m. when the 40-year-old, identified only by his family name Cho, was overseeing excavation work near a military base.Cho is currently being treated for debris injuries

Asiana Airlines Co. remained tight-lipped as it was revealed on Saturday that one of the two still-missing pilots of its crashed cargo plane had taken out a number of different life and property insurance policies a month before the accident.The Boeing-747 aircraft, operated by South Korea's second-largest air carrier, crashed into waters about 107 kilometers west of the southern resort island of

Korea's prosecution said Friday that it detained five Koreans on charges of spying for North Korea by forming an underground anti-state organization.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said five locals were imprisoned on suspicions of violating the country's national security law as they allegedly set up an anti-state organization, ordered by North Korea's ruling Workers' Party.A 48-yea

A 35-year-old man was arrested on Thursday for sexually assaulting several would-be entertainers he had enticed disguising himself as a TV program director.The suspect, identified by his surname Kim, was charged with attempted rape and other crimes, Yeongdeungpo Police Station in southern Seoul said.He had served a 10-month term until May for sex crimes.According to police, he tried to rape an asp

About 10 landmines remain buried in a Seoul mountain pounded by recent rainstorms and the military is bracing for possible contingencies, the defense ministry said Thursday.At a press briefing, ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said the military has removed most of the mines buried near an air defense artillery unit on Mount Umyeon, but "about 10 mines" have not been recovered.Dozens of homes in sou

Thousands of rescuers used heavy machinery and shovels Thursday to clear mud and search for survivors after huge landslides and flooding killed at least 39 people in South Korea.Three others were reported missing in the wake of the massive rains that have pounded Seoul and surrounding areas since Tuesday. It was the heaviest rainfall in South Korea this year.Among the dead were 10 college students