S. Korea eyes return to U.N. Security Council

South Korean diplomats on Wednesday made their final pitch for Seoul's bid to regain a seat on the U.N. Security Council. A vote will begin at 10 a.m. Thursday at the U.N. General Assembly in New York.South Korea is competing with Cambodia and Bhutan for the seat assigned to the Asian region. The winning nation will replace India for the 2013-2014 term. Asia has two slots for nonpermanent members

Oct. 18, 2012

U.S. 'not neutral' in call for Seoul-Tokyo territorial talks: Burns

The United States is "not neutral" about Japan's move to resolve its territorial tensions with South Korea through arbitration at an international court, a top American official said."Our position is not neutral with regard to the focus on dialogue and finding diplomatic means to address these issues,"Deputy Secretary of State William Burns, on a visit to Tokyo, told reporters Monday (local time),

Oct. 16, 2012

On patrol with Mumbai’s grandma spit inspector

MUMBAI (AFP) ― At a bus stop in south Mumbai, a man hawks loudly before expelling a mouthful of brown saliva into the road without a second thought ― but unfortunately for him, the spit inspector is watching.Rajeshree Rajaram Kamble, a 53-year-old grandmother dressed in a flowery tunic with matching blue shawl and trousers, strides towards her prey and firmly requests a fine of 200 rupees ($3.60).The man appears surprised by her finger-waggling admonishment, and says he does not have any money o

Oct. 14, 2012

Korean students, parents do their pre-college homework

LOS ANGELES ― He’s only 11. Still, BJ Bae blended in with the thousands of people of Korean heritage who swarmed an Orange County, Calif., college fair this weekend. He stopped to sign up for a concentration test so “I can know what job might be good for me.”Angela Kim, 10, headed straight for the Stanford University table, then the University of California-Berkeley, then Columbia University. “We have lots of choices,” she said confidently.The mothers of both children tagged along, stuffing hand

Oct. 7, 2012

Georgian billionaire aims to soothe Russia relations

Georgian opposition leader Bidzina Ivanishvili spent the second day after his election victory toning things down.After a first day of bluster, he moved to soothe Western worries by stating Wednesday that he intended to make his first overseas trip as prime minister to the U.S.He had said that Georgia’s pro-Western President Mikheil Saakashvili should step down, but he moved Wednesday to soften the statement somewhat, saying it was intended as a suggestion rather than a demand. Despite Ivanishvi

Oct. 4, 2012

U.S. keeps mum on missile talks with S. Korea

The United States on Wednesday remained guarded publicly about talks on South Korea's ballistic missile capability, apparently reflecting the sensitivity of an issue associated with nonproliferation efforts.A series of press reports in Seoul said the allies have reached a deal to allow South Korea to develop ballistic missiles with the range of up to 800 kilometers, enough to cover all of North Ko

Oct. 4, 2012

Afghan bombing kills 3 NATO troops, translator

NATO forces in Afghanistan say that a bombing in the country's east has killed 3 international service members and their translator.Coalition spokesman Maj. Adam Wojack says the attack happened on Monday morning. He declined to provide further details, saying the alliance is still gathering information about the incident.Afghan officials said there was a suicide bombing against a joint Afghan-inte

Oct. 1, 2012

Korea brings to Korean court more crimes involving U.S. soldiers

South Korea has brought to court more U.S. soldiers suspected of murder, rape and other serious crimes last year than the previous year, figures from the Justice Ministry showed Monday.A Status of Forces Agreement between Seoul and Washington allows South Korean law enforcement authorities to try U.S. soldiers in cases in which they are suspected of having committed serious crimes.The U.S. station

Oct. 1, 2012

More Japanese visit Korea despite territorial disputes

The number of Japanese visitors surged during the first eight months this year despite Seoul and Tokyo wrangling over territorial and historical disputes.As many as 2.5 million Japanese visited South Korea during the January-August period, up 23.3 percent from a year earlier, according to figures from the Justice Ministry.August also witnessed a rise of 6.5 percent to 345,163 Japanese visitors ami

Oct. 1, 2012

Civic group VANK revs up promotion of Dokdo via SNS

A South Korean civic group said Monday it will launch a campaign to promote South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo via social networking services against Japan's renewed territorial claim.Tension remains high between Seoul and Tokyo over the rocky outcroppings in the East Sea following the unprecedented visit there by South Korean President Lee Myung-bak in August.Lee has cited Tokyo's unrepent

Oct. 1, 2012

Global warming freezes world economy: report

NEW YORK (AFP) ― Climate change caused by global warming is freezing the world economy and already leading to the deaths of millions every year, a report commissioned by 20 of the world’s most vulnerable countries said Wednesday.“Climate Vulnerability Monitor: a guide to the cold calculus of a hot planet” says global warming will not only lead to environmental catastrophe, but is choking the international economy.Key findings include estimates that carbon-intensive economies and associated clima

Sept. 27, 2012

UNSC seat, history row with Japan top agenda for Seoul in U.N. session

Heading into this year's U.N. General Assembly meeting, South Korea has two major goals _ winning a seat in the Security Council and making the case for its firm stance in history disputes with Japan.The 67th session of the 193-member U.N. General Assembly will open on Tuesday in New York for discussions on a range of international issues, including renewed anti-American protests in the Islamic wo

Sept. 17, 2012