Second person dies of hantavirus after Yosemite visit

Yosemite National Park officials say a second person has died of a rare, rodent-borne disease after visiting the park earlier this summer.Spokesman Scott Gediman says health officials this weekend learned of a second death of a person who contracted hantavirus after visiting the park in June.There is one other confirmed case of the illness, and a fourth is being investigated.Park officials are war

TechnologyAug. 28, 2012

Seoul shares open higher on Fed expectations

South Korean stocks opened higher Tuesday, as investors await with hope for the U.S. Federal Reserve to bring about another solution for an economic boost, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) gained 7.83 points, or 0.41 percent, to trade at 1,925.70 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Upward moves in telecom and financial shares drove the index, with top mobile ca

Aug. 28, 2012

Apple seeks sales ban on Samsung's eight products

Emboldened by a triumph in the first round of a U.S. patent suit against Samsung, Apple made a formal request Monday to a U.S. federal judge to ban the sales of eight products of the South Korean firm.Those are Galaxy S 4G, Galaxy S2 AT&T, Galaxy S2, Galaxy S2 T-Mobile, Galaxy S2 Epic 4G, Galaxy S Showcase, Droid Charge and Galaxy Prevail, according to a list submitted to the Northern District Cou

TechnologyAug. 28, 2012

Top 10 conglomerates’ sales equal 76% of GDP

The combined sales of 10 major business groups in 2011 were equivalent to 76 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product, an online financial data provider showed Monday.According to the chaebul.com, total sales of the 10 largest conglomerates including Samsung and Hyundai Motor reached 946.1 trillion won ($837.2 billion) last year.The figure corresponds to 76.5 percent of Korea’s 2011 GDP of 1.23 quadrillion won.The portion of the 10 conglomerates’ sales as part of GDP stood at 53.4 percent

IndustryAug. 27, 2012

80% of Koreans skeptical over strike: KCCI

Four out of every five Koreans responded that they were skeptical about a large-scale strike mulled by one of the nation’s progressive labor unions, a major business lobby group said.Citing its survey of 510 adults, the Korea Chamber of Commerce & Industry said it has found that about 80 percent of them responded that the upcoming strike was not an appropriate way to resolve disputes with employers.Those respondents said a general strike will have a negative effect on the economy.The Korean Conf

IndustryAug. 27, 2012

First auto reliability survey fails to attract consumers, carmakers

The nation’s first state-run consumer survey on vehicles is gaining lackluster participation by car owners, and automotive companies are raising questions about its reliability. In July, the Fair Trade Commission launched a pilot program questioning local drivers on the product quality of their own sports utility vehicles via its website for consumer information. The survey, which collects reviews on 133 SUV models of Korean and foreign carmakers until Aug. 31, has attracted only some 50 partici

IndustryAug. 27, 2012

Samsung-Apple patent case leads to motion filing

Questions arise over fairness of verdict in less than three daysThe latest verdict in favor of Apple by a nine-member jury at a U.S. federal court in San Jose, California, will lead Samsung Electronics to file a motion that it hopes will alter the course of the ongoing dispute between the two tech giants.The Korean company will take the next step of motion filing to re-address its arguments and ask the court to reconsider its points, which it believes have not been fully reflected in this trial,

TechnologyAug. 27, 2012

Korea-China FTA talks pick up pace

Seoul, Beijing agree to remove tariffs on sensitive items 10 years after FTA takes effectKorea’s bargaining for a free trade agreement with China is picking up pace, while FTA talks between Seoul and Tokyo are unlikely to resume any time soon amid a diplomatic row over a territorial dispute.Korea and China agreed during their third round of FTA negotiations last week to remove tariffs on sensitive items 10 years after an FTA takes effect.The two sides agreed to eliminate tariffs on general items

Aug. 27, 2012

IBs lower Korea’s private consumption outlook below 2%

Foreign investment banks lowered their 2012 outlooks on South Korea’s consumption growth in the private sector to the 1 percent range, the Korea Center for International Finance said on Wednesday. HSBC scaled down Korea’s forecast for private consumption growth from 2.1 percent to 1.8 percent year-on-year, lower than the Bank of Korea’s revised outlook of 2.2 percent in July. The global investment bank said that negative outlooks on the nation’s sluggish real estate market prevail, and the secto

Aug. 27, 2012

First auto reliability survey fails to impress both consumers, carmakers

The nation’s first state-run consumer survey on vehicles is gaining lackluster participation by car owners, with automotive companies raising questions about its reliability. In July, the Fair Trade Commission launched a pilot program questioning local drivers on the product quality of their own sports utility vehicles via its website for consumer information. The survey, which collects reviews on 133 SUV models of Korean and foreign carmakers until Aug. 31, has attracted only some 50 participan

IndustryAug. 27, 2012

Psychological interventions help skin

Psychological interventions can provide benefits to patients with skin conditions such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis, researchers in Britain said. Researchers at the University of Sheffield, England, conducted a meta-analysis of 22 studies involving more than 900 participants. The meta-analysis, published in the British Journal of Dermatology, found psychological interventions had a medium-sized effect on skin conditions but that a number of different factors influenced the effectiveness of

TechnologyAug. 27, 2012

Theaters going digital or die

U.S. movie theaters with antiquated projection equipment must convert to costly digital technology or face extinction, an industry official says.Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Saturday that by the end of the coming year the six major movie studios will only release new titles in digital format. The old 35-millimeter film format won‘t be an option.That means theaters with mechanical projectors face spending $70,000 to $85,000 apiece to upgrade to digital versions.The National Association of Th

IndustryAug. 27, 2012