Venezuela's Supreme Court chief on Wednesday endorsed putting off President Hugo Chavez's inauguration, siding with the government in a heated dispute with the opposition while the ailing leader struggles with complications a month after cancer surgery in Cuba. Supreme Court President Luisa Estella Morales made the statement after the opposition urged the top court to rule that the government was violating the constitution by delaying the swearing-in for a new term, which had been scheduled for

World News Jan. 10, 2013

South Korea's import prices declined by the most in more than three years in December on a fall in global oil prices and a strong local currency, the central bank said Thursday. In local currency terms, the country's import prices dropped 8.8 percent last month from a year earlier, compared with a 7.6 percent on-year fall in November, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). The figure declined for all of the second half of last year, except in August, as the Korean won's appreciation against the U

Jan. 10, 2013

South Korea's incoming President Park Geun-hye was to meet with a special Chinese envoy Thursday as Seoul has been struggling to convince Beijing to get tough on North Korea over its long-range rocket launch last month.The issue of North Korea is likely to come up, even at least briefly, in Park's talks with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun, though the meeting is expected to be largely a courtesy call where both sides pledge close cooperation after she takes office next month.Zhang arr

Foreign Affairs Jan. 10, 2013

The government will seek to convert irregular workers in the public sector into employees on regular working contracts as part of its efforts to make sure they have better job security, sources said Thursday. According to the finance ministry sources, the ministry is expected to report the plan to the presidential transition committee in a briefing on its 2013 policymaking scheduled for Sunday.The plan seems to be in line with the campaign pledge of President-elect Park Geun-hye that she will co

Jan. 10, 2013

Syrian rebels on Wednesday freed 48 Iranians they had been holding for months in a swap for 2,130 prisoners detained by the Syrian regime, according to a Turkish charity, a rebel spokesman and Iranian state television."This is the result of months of civil diplomacy carried out by our organization," a spokesman for the Turkish charity the Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH), Serkan Nergis, told AFP in Turkey.The regime's prisoners exchanged for the Iranians were of several nationalities, includ

World News Jan. 9, 2013

Moviegoers in China spent 17 billion yuan ($2.7 billion) on tickets last year, turning the country into the second-largest film market in the world, the state news agency Xinhua said on Wednesday.Sales rose 30 percent from 2011, it said, citing the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT), underscoring the rapid growth that has long attracted Hollywood despite China's tight restrictions on foreign films.After years of pressure, China in 2012 agreed to increase the number of fil

Film Jan. 9, 2013

The government on Wednesday approved Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO)'s request to raise electricity rates by an average 4 percent starting next week, a move partly aimed at offsetting the state-run power company's chronic deficits. The price of electricity used by ordinary households will be increased by 2 percent starting from Monday, which will add an additional 930 won (US$0.88) per month to the electricity bill of each house, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said in a press release.Rates

Social Affairs Jan. 9, 2013

A son of the late Robert F. Kennedy who was acquitted of criminal charges in a maternity ward scuffle is suing two nurses who said on TV that he hurt them.Douglas Kennedy is alleging defamation and malicious prosecution by nurses Cari Luciano and Anna Lane. He says their statements to police and on NBC‘s ``Today’‘ show held him up to ``ridicule and scorn’‘ and led to his prosecution.The lawsuit, filed Friday in White Plains, a suburb north of New York City, stems from Kennedy’s attempt a year ag

People Jan. 9, 2013

In the not-so-distant future, couch potatoes will be waving, pointing, swiping and tapping to make their TVs react, kind of like what Tom Cruise did in the 2002 movie ``Minority Report.'' That's the vision of TV manufacturers as they show off ``smart TVs.''The sets will recognize who's watching and will try to guess what viewers want to see. They'll respond to more natural speech and will connect with your smartphone in a single touch.The idea is to make TV watching easier and more pleasant as v

Technology Jan. 9, 2013

A military disciplinary committee said Tuesday it has ordered K-pop star Rain to not leave his unit for one week, the lightest form of military discipline that can be administered, over dating a top TV actress while on official military duty. The move comes after the 30-year-old singer, who was spotted dating actress Kim Tae-hee while he was on leave last month, faced strong backlash from the public over the special treatment of celebrities while they fulfill their mandatory military service.All

Performance Jan. 8, 2013

대통령직 인수위원회가 정권 변화와 관계없는 국가안보 컨트롤타워(일명 국가안보실) 설치 등 안보강화의 제도적 기반을 추진하는 배경에는 `안보가 기초적 복지'란 박근혜 당선인의 철학이 자리잡고 있는 것으로 전해졌다.8일 인수위 측에 따르면 박 당선인은 "튼튼한 안보와 강력한 안보가 국민에게 드리는 가장 기초적인 복지"란 철학을 표방한 것으로 전해졌다.기본적인 안보의 보장이 전제되지 않는다면 국민의 기초생활 역시 크게 위협받을 수 없다는 인식으로 안보와 경제가 분리된 국정과제가 아니란 생각을 드러낸 것으로 인수위 관계자들은 받아들였다고 한다. 무엇보다 박 당선인은 최근 몇년 새 발생한 천안함 폭침과 연평도 피격, 북한의 핵보유국 선언, 잇따른 북한의 로켓 발사 등 현재 처한 안보상황이 매우 어렵기 때문에 국가안보의 강화는 그 어느 때보다 절실하다는 생각을 갖고 있는 것으로 전해 졌다.국립외교원 외교안보연구소가 발표한 '2013-2017 중기 국제정세전망' 보고서에도 "오는 2월 출범하는

한국어판 Jan. 8, 2013