BRUSSELS (AFP) -- The European Commission launched legal action on Thursday against authorities in seven EU nations including Germany and Britain for failing to crack down on emissions cheating exposed by the Volkswagen "Dieselgate" scandal.The commission, the EU's executive arm, "is today acting against seven member states on the grounds that they have failed to fulfil their obligations" under EU law, said a statement.The Dieselgate scandal blew open when Volkswagen admitted in September 2015 t

LONDON (AFP) -- Britain will ban junk food ads aimed at children from both print and social media from next year, the advertising rules watchdog said Thursday, a move welcomed by campaigners against child obesity.The new rules, which come into effect in July 2017, extend an existing ban on television ads for "high fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) food or drink products"."The new restrictions will lead to a major reduction in the number of ads for HFSS food and drinks seen by children," the Committees o

President Park Geun-hye, mired in a high-profile corruption scandal centering on her confidante, remained silent Thursday, as political parties barreled towards an impeachment showdown.Since she signaled her determination to accept an impeachment trial during talks with the leaders of the ruling Saenuri Party Tuesday, the embattled leader has kept a wait-and-see stance, failing to deliver on a pledge to hold a press conference to explain her stance on the scandal.On Friday afternoon, the Nationa

Twelve years ago, South Korea’s parliament impeached the president only to face unforeseen consequences: an overwhelming outpouring of public anger. The president was the now deceased Roh Moo-hyun. Key players in the 2004 parliamentary impeachment are back. But they are in different positions, this time. Rep. Choo Mi-ae, chief of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, was then leading the Millennium Democratic Party pushing for Roh’s impeachment. National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun

As nearly 1 in 2 elderly households are living in poverty in South Korea, the poverty rate among senior citizens who live alone has almost doubled since 2006, a study found Monday.According to a report issued by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs recently, about 45.9 percent of elderly in the poverty group were living alone in 2015, up from 27.1 percent in 2006.The poverty rate refers to the ratio of households that make below 50 percent of the median household disposable income,

Twenty days after a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus was first detected in South Korea, the epidemic shows no sign of abating. Nearly 3.4 million poultry had been culled as of Monday morning. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, some 2.5 million chickens, 790,000 ducks and 71,000 quails have been slaughtered nationwide as part of the quarantine, after nearly 70 farms were confirmed or suspected of having avian influenza, or bird flu, outbreaks.Most of the duck

Housewife Shin Yang-joo, 52, finds herself unable to stay calm when she watches TV news.  Agitated and cross, she often gets on her computer to leave comments, sometimes with flavorful language, about the current political situation in South Korea. “It is almost like a knee-jerk reaction for me to express anger when I watch the news these days,” Shin said. The initial shock over the scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil has now turned into feelings of an

In October, a 2014 Facebook post by Chung Yoo-ra, the daughter of President Park Geun-hye’s now infamous friend Choi Soon-sil, drew public ire. “Blame your own parents if they don’t have the ability. Don’t point fingers at us if your parents don’t have what it takes. Money is also a form of ability,” it read, stoking public anger over what is now being called the Choi Soon-sil scandal. Choi, a friend of the president for some 40 years, is accused of meddling in state affairs, extorting money fro

Located at the foot of Namsan, Shinheung market was once the center of the local knitwear industry in the 1960s. It had a vibrant and festive market atmosphere, and attracted people from adjacent towns. Over 20,000 people from across the nation flocked to the market looking for jobs up to the 1990s.But the advent of shopping malls and the decline of the knitwear industry in the face of cheap Chinese products in the years that followed spelled doom for the old market located in the upper part of

South Korean authorities are in hot water after failing to properly deal with the outbreak of a highly pathogenic bird flu in the country, which swept through neighboring countries earlier this year, killing over 20 people.  According to Rep. Kim Hyun-kwon of the opposition Democratic Party of Korea, the quarantine authorities first detected the bird flu from feces of migratory birds on Oct. 28. On Nov. 10, the virus was confirmed to be H5N1, a highly contagious strain of avian influenza that al

Dear people, I apologize for causing concerns. I believe that it is my duty to apologize even more than 100 times to the citizens, seeing you feel so afflicted by this situation.My heart is heavy when I realize even with those apologies I won‘t be able to soothe all the disappointments and anger that I‘ve caused. Looking back, I’ve been so grateful for the past 18 precious years of my political career. From when I first entered politics in 1998 until today as president, I have tried my best to w

Despite the government’s stepped up quarantine measures to contain the outbreak of bird flu, a highly pathogenic aviation influenza virus appeared to be spreading rapidly throughout the nation.Following new reported cases in Yangju in Gyeonggi Province and Sejong in South Chungcheong Province over the weekend, some 200 chickens were found dead on Monday morning in Eumseong, South Chungcheong Province, quarantine authories said.So far, a total of 15 poultry farms were confirmed with AI cases, whi

Grandparents who live with their grandchildren and help raise them are generally more satisfied with life and healthier than their peers, a study found Monday.According to the research led by professor of economics Ahn Tae-hyun at Sogang University, those who lived twith their grandchildren for the past year showed improvements in overall health conditions. Compared to their peers, this group also showed a higher level of satisfaction in their quality of life and relationships with children, mad

A highly pathogenic aviation influenza virus appears to be spreading throughout Gyeonggi Province, the country’s largest poultry production base and most populated province, putting authorities on alert. On Sunday, another possible outbreak of the H5N6 virus bird flu was reported at a chicken farm in Yangju. If confirmed, it will be the fourth confirmed case of bird flu in Gyeonggi Province, and the second in Yangju. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has banned stockbreeders at

Nearly 6 in 10 South Korean adults have an abnormal health status due to diseases or suspected diseases, a government report based on a public health examination showed Sunday.According to the report issued by the National Health Insurance Service, 57.2 percent of South Koreans who received health examinations in 2015 were diagnosed with or were suspected of having diseases. It said 18.7 percent have diseases, with 38.5 percent having suspected cases of diseases.Only 7.9 percent were found to be

The South Korean government stepped up quarantine measures to contain the outbreak of avian influenza Thursday, as a highly pathogenic strain of the bird flu virus shows signs of spreading across the nation. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs raised the watch level to “alert” from “caution,” ordering every provincial government to run emergency operation centers and strengthen disinfection measures in all farming areas. “The spreading pace of the animal disease is so fast that i

With an increasing number of consumers wanting to know where their food comes from, eco-labeled food is becoming more popular, according to marine conservation expert Patrick Caleo.“Fishing has an impact on our marine environment and it’s not just fish stocks that are affected. Sensitive habitats, endangered species and the marine food chain need to be maintained to keep the oceans healthy and productive,” said Caleo, who visited Seoul for the second series of Panda Talks hosted by World Wide Fu

When companies in global markets use credible production standards, consumers will be able to push commodity markets to a tipping point where sustainability becomes the norm, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature, the world’s largest environmental group. WWF’s second series of Panda Talks in Korea was held at Seoul City Hall on Monday, aiming to raise awareness and public consensus by taking steps toward sustainable market transformation.Attended by some 200 participants, the Panda Talks w

Following the confirmation on bird flu cases at two poultry farms last week, the government said Monday that it received additional reports on highly pathogenic aviation influenza, or AI, outbreaks. The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Rural Affairs said that ducks at four farms were culled over the weekend in suspected AI outbreaks. The virus -- confirmed to be the highly contagious H5N1 -- appears to be traveling along the west coastline after two confirmed cases last week, putting authoritie

CHEORWON, Gangwon Province -- From October, hundreds of winged guests arrive at Cheorwon, a rural town near the northern border. On a long, arduous journey to southern wintering grounds, about 800 cranes make a stopover at Cheorwon for its some 10,500 hectares of rice fields, which provide abundant food and resting places for them. Kim Su-ho, a local vet for wild birds with over 20 years of experience, says he is able to tell the difference between cranes that have been there before and those vi