MOSCOW (Yonhap News) -- North Korea and Russia appear to have canceled their plan to hold talks between their leaders later this week, multiple sources here said Tuesday following a series of media reports of the possibility of a trip to Russia by the North's leader, Kim Jong-il."It's my understanding that a summit between Chairman Kim Jong-il and President Dmitry Mevedev was known to be scheduled

Samsung denies involvement in bidding process  CJ Group on Tuesday was selected as the preferred bidder in the controversial race for acquiring a sizeable stake in logistics company Korea Express.  If all goes smoothly, the food-to-entertainment conglomerate will be on its way to achieving its long-term goal of creating Asia’s largest logistics company by 2015. Korea Express is likely to fetch up

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Male mice who were exposed as babies to BPA, a chemical common in canned foods and plastic containers, act more like females and are seen as less desirable mates, a US study showed on Monday.The findings could have implications for how BPA, or Bisphenol A, may affect human development and behavior, said the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences."

 A top Russian astronomer predicted Monday humanity will be able to encounter alien civilizations within the next two decades.Andrei Finkelstein, director of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Applied Astronomy Institute, said 10 percent of the known planets circling suns in the galaxy resemble Earth according to reports by the Interfax news agency and Reuters.  (MCT)If water can be found there, the

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) -- Despite North Korea's reported tightening of border security to block the defection of its hunger-stricken people, the communist nation has made no efforts to prevent human trafficking by screening migrants along its porous border with China and Russia, the U.S. said Monday.In its annual Global Trafficking in Persons report, the State Department ranked North Korea once

A 4-month-old toddler in Missouri, U.S., lost seven of his fingers to a hungry pet ferret while his parents were out.Doctors had to amputate his fingers as they were in critical condition, leaving only two thumbs and a pinky.The parents, who allegedly claimed that they woke up after hearing their child screaming, have been charged with first-degree child endangerment.Although Ryan Waldo and Carrie

Six out of 10 workers feel they are loners in the office, according to a survey.In research conducted by Saramin, a local online recruitment website, about 58.3 percent respondents experienced the feeling of being alone.They said they feel like "the odd one out" most when they don’t have colleagues they feel they can have in-depth talks with. Other answers included; “Nobody helps me with work,” “I

SAO PAULO (AFP) – There is danger the fragile global recovery could collapse unless Europe averts sovereign defaults, the United States gets its fiscal house in order and emerging economies prevent overheating, the IMF warned Friday. "There are very clear risks to the recovery," the International Monetary Fund's research director, Olivier Blanchard, said in Sao Paulo as he presented the Fund's lat

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The U.N. Security Council approved Friday a second five-year term for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, a critical last step before the 192-member General Assembly holds the definitive vote next week.  U.N. Secretary-GeneralBan Ki-moon (Yonhap News)The vote by acclamation came after a one-day delay due to what U.N. diplomats described as procedural and technical hold ups from s

North Korea said Friday that it will dispose of South Korean assets seized or frozen at Mount Kumang under its new law regarding the scenic mount resort.The North also said Hyundai Asan Corp., a key operator of the tour project for the scenic mountain just north of the heavily armed border, should come to the table by the end of the month for talks over the disposal of the assets, according to the

LONDON (AFP) -- Harry Potter fans were abuzz with excitement on Thursday after creator JK Rowling launched a mysterious web site counting down to the announcement of a new project.A spokesman for the multi-million selling writer said the new enterprise was not a new book and was not related to the upcoming release of "Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2", the final film in the epic saga.S

Kim Ki-hoonKim Ki-hoon, chief of Jeonnam Culture Industry Promotion Agency, was found dead at his home in an apparent suicide Friday. Kim, 45, was under investigation over misdeeds related to salary payment at the institution based in Muan, South Jeolla Province. He inhaled toxic fumes after burning coal briquettes in his room, police said. (Herald Online)Edited by Rob York(한글기사) 김기훈 전남문화산업진흥원장 자살

CHUNCHEON (Yonhap News) -- The national marathon team head coach is being probed for allegedly doping his athletes, including an Asian Games gold medalist, local police said Friday.Jeong Man-hwa has allegedly made his marathoners inject themselves with illegal substances that increase red blood cells since April, said a spokesman for the police here, about 85 kilometers east of Seoul, adding these

NEW YORK (AP) -- New York Rep. Anthony Weiner, defiant and combative no longer, soberly announced his resignation from Congress, bowing to the furor caused by his sexually charged online dalliances with a former porn actress and other women.Democratic Party leaders, concerned that Weiner could weigh the party down in the 2012 elections, welcomed the announcement Thursday after days spent trying to

NEW YORK (AP) -- Facebook, it turns out, isn't just a waste of time. People who use it have more close friends, get more social support and report being more politically engaged than those who don't, according to a new national study on Americans and social networks. (Bloomberg)The report comes as Facebook, Twitter and even the buttoned-up, career-oriented LinkedIn continue to engrain themselves i

South Korea has deployed precision-guided land missiles capable of hitting North Korea's capital of Pyongyang, a military source said Friday. The forward deployment of the surface-to-surface missiles, known as the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), came as tensions rekindled after North Korea vowed a retaliation against the South's military over its use of head-shot photos of Pyongyang's top l

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) -- U.S. congressmen are rolling up their sleeves to block the Obama administration from resuming food aid to North Korea, arguing it will only help the communist regime bolster its nuclear and other weapons capabilities."(On Wednesday night) Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, offered an amendment to the Agriculture appropriations

Professor Min Byoung-chul of Konkuk University received a national award Tuesday for his role in fighting cyber bullying and negative online comments.The professor of intercultural education and renowned English educator started the “Sunfull Movement” in May 2007 to promote a healthy culture of online communications.  Professor Min Byung-chul receives a national award for his role in fighting cybe

A businessman and friend of President Lee Myung-bak received a prison sentence on Thursday for taking kickbacks in return for using his influence to help a troubled company.Chun Shin-il, chairman of Sejoong Namo Tour agency, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison and a forfeit of 3.2 billion won (US$2.96 million) for influence-peddling."The jail term was inevitable since we need to eradic

CAIRO (AP) -- Al-Qaida has selected its longtime No. 2 to succeed Osama bin Laden following last month's U.S. commando raid that killed the terror leader, according to a statement posted Thursday on a web site affiliated with the network.Ayman al-Zawahri, who will turn 60 next week, is the son of an upper middle class Egyptian family of doctors and scholars.His father was a pharmacology professor