Two French doctors contend in a new book that half of all drugs prescribed in the country are useless at best and dangerous at worst.Professor Philippe Even, director of the Necker Institute, and Bernard Debre, a physician and member of Parliament, maintain the French health service could save as much as 10 billion euros ($13 billion) annually if dozens of drugs were no longer prescribed, The Guar

Technology Sept. 17, 2012

South Korean stocks opened higher on Monday as investor sentiment got a boost from the U.S. Fed's latest stimulus measure, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) climbed0.85 points, or 0.04 percent, to 2008.43 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Tech blue chips drove up the shares, with LG Electronics gaining 1.59 percent and SK hynix, the world No. 2 memory chipmake

Sept. 17, 2012

A nuclear reactor at one of South Korea's nuclear power plants stopped generating power due to malfunctions on Sunday, plant operators said.A turbine and a generator of the Wolsong 1 reactor in Gyeongju stopped at 4:51 p.m. due to the malfunction of a device that supplies exiting currents to the generator, according to an official from the state-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd. The reacto

Social Affairs Sept. 17, 2012

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

International Sept. 17, 2012

South Korea unveiled an additional 5.9 trillion won (US$5.23 billion) worth of fiscal support Monday as part of its efforts to boost domestic demand amid worries tough overseas market conditions are casting a pall over the country's export-driven economic growth.According to the finance ministry, the government will push for additional fiscal support worth 4.6 trillion won this year and 1.3 trilli

Sept. 10, 2012

The government is considering revising the law to punish sex offenders without a complaint from their victims, the justice ministry said Monday, in response to growing calls to eliminate loopholes in the current law. Under the current law, those suspected of committing sex-related crimes are indictable only if a formal complaint is made by the victim, stoking concerns that sex offenders sometimes

Social Affairs Sept. 10, 2012

The 4-year-old daughter of a British couple slain in the French Alps was flown home Sunday, while her sister, 7, came out of a coma, officials said.Four-year-old Zeena al-Hilli was the only member of her family not harmed in the Wednesday shootings that left her parents, a grandmother and an innocent bystander dead, The Guardian reported.Saad al-Hilli, an Iraqi-born engineer, along with his wife I

World News Sept. 10, 2012

President Lee Myung-bak said Sunday South Korea wants to help Greenland pursue economic development in an environment-friendly way, expressing sadness and concern after seeing Arctic glaciers that are melting due to global warming.Lee arrived in Greenland earlier in the day to take a first-hand look at problems resulting from climate change and to hold talks with Premier Kuupik Kleist of the Danis

International Sept. 10, 2012

South Korea is currently developing a new bullet train that has already set a new speed record during its initial test run, the government said Monday.The HEMU-430X is an indigenous express train with an anticipated maximum speed of 430 kilometers per hour (km/h).The train was developed as part of a national research and development project and began its test run in June, according to the Ministry

Industry Sept. 10, 2012

South Korea's producer prices rebounded in August from the previous month as oil costs and agricultural product prices increased, the central bank said Monday.The producer price index, a barometer of future consumer inflation, rose 0.3 percent last month from a year earlier, compared with a 0.1 percent on-year fall in July, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). July marked the first month in nearl

Sept. 10, 2012

South Korea finished 12th in the overall medal tally of the London Paralympics that came to an end in London on Sunday.South Korean Paralympians won a total of 27 medals -- nine gold, nine silver and nine bronze -- from the Aug. 29-Sept. 9 Paralympics.A total of 135 athletes and officials in eight sports, including sailing, archery, shooting and tablet tennis, participated in the 2012 Paralympics,

Olympic Games Sept. 10, 2012