The Obama administration‘s decision requiring church-affiliated employers to cover birth control was bound to cause an uproar among Roman Catholics and members of other faiths, no matter their beliefs on contraception.The regulation, finalized a week ago, raises a complex and sensitive legal question: Which institutions qualify as religious and can be exempt from the mandate?For a church, mosque or synagogue, the answer is mostly straightforward. But for the massive network of religious-run soci

TechnologyFeb. 9, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) -- An outbreak of bacterial infections on the East Coast illustrates the popularity of raw, unpasteurized milk despite strong warnings from public health officials about the potential danger.Even presidential candidate Ron Paul has joined the cause of consumers looking to buy unprocessed “real foods” straight from the farm, saying government shouldn’t deny them that choice.An outbreak of campylobacter illness is a reminder of the potential hazards, however. Raw milk from a dairy

TechnologyFeb. 9, 2012

GENEVA (AFP) - Key players in the pharmaceutical industry pledged on Monday to donate 14 billion drug treatments as part of a new, global push to eradicate tropical diseases.Thirteen companies including Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline have committed to the programme being led by the United States, Britain and United Arab Emirates governments, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Bank.The drugs will target sufferers of so-called Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) such as leprosy and sle

TechnologyFeb. 9, 2012

PARIS (AFP) - A drug tipped for widespread use to prevent breast cancer in post-menopausal women also accelerates loss of bone density, thus potentially boosting the risk of fractures, a study published on Tuesdaysaid.Exemestane -- brand name Aromasin -- is part of a drug class called aromatase inhibitors, which lower levels of the oestrogen that some breast cancers need in order to grow.Canadian bone specialists took a look at a group of patients who had taken part in a study into the effective

TechnologyFeb. 9, 2012

CHICAGO (AP) -- Texting while driving, speeding and back-seat hanky-panky aren’t all that parents need to worry about when their kids are in cars: Add secondhand smoke to the list.In the first national estimate of its kind, a report from government researchers says more than 1 in 5 high school students and middle schoolers ride in cars while others are smoking.This kind of secondhand smoke exposure has been linked with breathing problems and allergy symptoms, and more restrictions are needed to

TechnologyFeb. 9, 2012

The Obama administration’s decision requiring church-affiliated employers to cover birth control was bound to cause an uproar among Roman Catholics and members of other faiths, no matter their beliefs on contraception.The regulation, finalized a week ago, raises a complex and sensitive legal question: Which institutions qualify as religious and can be exempt from the mandate?For a church, mosque or synagogue, the answer is mostly straightforward. But for the massive network of religious-run soci

TechnologyFeb. 9, 2012

Koreans’ desire for luxury goods doesn’t appear to be waning, with high-end fashion brand sales at the nation’s major department stores soaring almost 20 percent last year. According to the Ministry of Knowledge Economy on Thursday, the nation’s top three department stores Lotte, Shinsegae and Hyundai saw their luxury goods sales surge 19.8 percent last year. The figure is up from 12.4 percent in 2010 and more than double the average sales growth of 8.9 percent among the three retail chains last

IndustryFeb. 9, 2012

Starting with the orders for two nuclear power plants to be placed in the second half of next year, bidders offering the highest value, instead of the lowest price, will be selected, the Knowledge Economy said Thursday.As part of efforts to bolster quality control, Seoul will adopt the system in use by the United States, Britain and Japan that appreciates high technological levels as well as low prices, the ministry said.The new system will be applied for the construction of the fifth and sixth

IndustryFeb. 9, 2012

The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry said Thursday that measures should be drafted for firms suffering from shrinking exports due to the sluggish European economy.In its recent study that surveyed 500 firms that focus on exports, 62.9 percent said the economic crisis in Europe is likely to continue next year and beyond. Only 37.1 percent answered they believed it will end within the year.When asked about their difficulties involving the Euro debt crisis, 49.5 percent said it led to a decre

Feb. 9, 2012

Authorities discover Citi, Standard Chartered, Deutsche and HSBC underpaid taxesFour Korean branches of overseas banks are to pay a combined 300 billion won ($268 million) in capital gains taxes on from an offshore fund in Luxembourg, underpaid for the past five years, government officials confirmed Thursday. Citi Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Deutsche Bank and HSBC are to make additional payment on their capital gains from investing in offshore funds called Sicav in Luxembourg, tax authorities

Feb. 9, 2012

Group completes KEB takeover payment to Lone Star and Korea EximbankHana Financial Group chairman Kim Seung-yu confirmed his earlier stance that he will step down from his post.Kim reiterated his willingness to resign during a meeting with reporters right after he participated the financial group’s board meeting on future management policies on Thursday.“We (executives) gave up persuading chairman Kim to serve one more term,” a senior executive also said, adding that the chairman has not reverse

Feb. 9, 2012

Apple on Thursday filed another patent complaint against Samsung Electronics in a federal court in San Jose, California.However, it was not confirmed what the complaint was filed against.“We’re aware that the complaint was filed in the San Jose court, but we need to gain access to the copy of the complaint to confirm why it was filed,” said a Samsung official.In December, a court in San Jose rejected Apple’s Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab injunction claims after the U.S. tech giant filed the patent inf

IndustryFeb. 9, 2012

By Lee Ji-yoonKT Corp., the nation’s largest fixed-line operator, said Thursday that it will limit the Internet access of smart TVs from Friday, urging TV makers like Samsung and LG to pay the costs for network use. “The decision is aimed at protecting a majority of Internet users and preventing (smart TVs) from distorting the market system,” said Kim Hyo-sil, executive vice president of KT’s smart network policy task force. Following the announcement, smart TV watchers who are subscribing KT’s

IndustryFeb. 9, 2012

South Korean stocks closed 0.54 percent higher Thursday on optimism that Greece may wrap up its austerity talks to receive a fresh bailout from its European neighbors, analysts said. The local currency edged up against the U.S. dollar. The benchmark KOSPI gained 10.89 percent to 2,014.62. Trading volume was heavy at 549.9 million shares worth 7.87 trillion won ($7.05 billion) with gainers outpacing losers 440 to 373. In early trading, strong foreign and program selling sent the KOSPI tumbling as

Feb. 9, 2012

KB Financial Group and Shinhan Financial Group reported robust earnings in 2011 on the back of their policy to seek management efficiency.KB Financial posted 2.37 trillion won ($2.07 billion) in net profit last year. Its total assets came to 361.6 trillion won, up 28.1 trillion won from a year earlier.Its flagship KB Kookmin Bank saw its assets reach 276.7 trillion won and KB Kookmin Card recorded 13.4 trillion won.Shinhan Financial, which owns the nation’s largest credit card firm, posted 3.1 t

Feb. 9, 2012