President Lee Myung-bak met with ruling-party presidential candidate Park Geun-hye Sunday in a rare meeting watched closely for signs of a development in their strained relations ahead of December's presidential election.The one-on-one lunch meeting at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae came at the request of Park, a five-term lawmaker and eldest daughter of late President Park Chung-hee, who w

Politics Sept. 2, 2012

South Korea plans to revise down its 2013 economic growth forecast as exports will likely lose steam amid the protracted eurozone debt crisis and China's slowing economy, officials said Sunday.The government said Asia's fourth-largest economy is likely to grow less than its projection of 4.3 percent next year after expanding some 3 percent this year."The government has no plans to revise its 2012

Sept. 2, 2012

Actor Nicolas Cage owes a Los Angeles video store $224.48 in late fees for renting two DVDs and not returning them, the owner of the store said.The actor rented "A Star is Born" and "The King of Comedy" in April, but has yet to return them to Old Bank DVD in downtown Los Angeles, the store's owner, whose name was not reported, said.The owner has taken to Facebook to try to get Cage's attention, TM

Film Sept. 2, 2012

A senior Obama administration political appointee and longtime aide to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is resigning amid allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior lodged by at least three Immigration and Customs Enforcement employees. The agency says Suzanne Barr submitted her resignation Saturday. Barr is chief of staff to ICE Director John Morton and is accused of sexually ina

World News Sept. 2, 2012

Iran and North Korea signed a scientific and technological cooperation agreement Saturday, bringing the two nations deeply at odds with the U.S. closer together.Iranian state TV did not provide further details on the document but said it will include setting up joint scientific and technological laboratories, exchange of scientific teams between the two countries and transfer of technology in the

North Korea Sept. 2, 2012

Rep. Moon Jae-in, a lawyer-turned-politician, won his fifth straight victory in the ongoing regional primary contest of the Democratic United Party(DUP) on Saturday, coming closer to securing the main opposition party's presidential candidacy ahead of the Dec. 19 polls.Moon, formerly chief of staff to the late former President Roh Moo-hyun, garnered 16,350 votes, or 37.54 percent, of the 43,553 ca

Politics Sept. 2, 2012

South Korea sent a diplomatic document to Japan on Thursday, dismissing Tokyo's latest proposal to take the sovereignty issue of South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).Last week, Tokyo handed over to Seoul a "note verbale," a diplomatic document that is unsigned but more formal than a verbal request, suggesting that both sides jointly refer the Dokdo

International Aug. 30, 2012

A 100-year-old driver told police his brakes failed before he struck 11 people, including nine children, Wednesday at a Los Angeles school. Four boys were hurt seriously enough to be transported to a hospital, KTLA-TV reported. Preston Carter, who said he will be 101 next month, said he was backing out of a supermarket parking lot when the brakes gave way, police said. But some witnesses said they

World News Aug. 30, 2012

Mathematical calculation requires the two sides of the brain to "talk" to each other, U.S. scientists say, and the stronger the talk, the better the outcome.The research sheds light on the neural basis of human math abilities and suggests possible help for those who suffer from dyscalculia -- an inability to understand and manipulate numbers, the University of Texas at Dallas reported Wednesday.Pr

Technology Aug. 30, 2012