U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to hasten consultations with South Korea's incoming leader, Park Geun-hye, on a variety of important issues, including North Korea and alliance issues, experts here said Wednesday.The U.S. government has not issued any formal response to Park's victory in Wednesday's tight South Korean presidential election. She is the first woman president in South Korean history.The White House is expected to release a congratulatory message later in the day, followed by

Politics Dec. 20, 2012

There‘s a gap between what the holidays should be and what they can be and the real holidays we live, a U.S. pediatrician says. Pediatrician Dr. George Askew said there is a big difference between the holidays people experience and the expectations we carry in our minds. “If we can’t do in our real holidays what we‘ve come to believe we should do, what then? If you have 10 holiday must-dos, and you can’t do all 10, shorten the list,” Askew said in a statement.“When you give yourself some room to

Technology Dec. 19, 2012

Ratings agency Standard and Poor's raised Greece's sovereign debt rating by six notches on Tuesday encouraged by a burst of support for Athens from eurozone partners.The upgrade from selective default to B-/B "reflects our view of the strong determination of European Economic and Monetary Union (eurozone) member states to preserve Greek membership in the eurozone," an S&P statement said.The outlook for Greek public debt was stable because of the government's commitment to fiscal and structural a

World Business Dec. 19, 2012

South Korea has suspended its imports of Brazilian beef, becoming the sixth country to do so over a two-year-old case of mad cow disease, authorities said here Tuesday.South Korea joined China, Japan, South Africa, Egypt and Saudi Arabia in halting Brazilian imports in connection with an atypical case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) that was detected in an animal that died in 2010 in the southern state of Parana, the agriculture ministry said.The six countries take in only 3.8 percent

Industry Dec. 19, 2012

Apple and Samsung, the world's top two smartphone makers, each scored a significant victory on different continents that will allow both to keep selling their products without legal interference this holiday season.A federal judge in San Jose late Monday rejected Apple Inc.'s demands to block U.S. sales of three smartphones made by Samsung Electronics Corp. The ruling came weeks after a jury found that Samsung infringed six Apple patents.Hours later, Samsung announced it was dropping its demands

Technology Dec. 19, 2012

A national mindset branding working mothers as bad parents is a key factor keeping the German birthrate among the lowest in Europe, creating long-term policy challenges, a study released Monday showed.A lack of nursery spots, inflexible working hours and widespread frowning on mothers who pursue careers are destroying Germans‘ desire to have children, researchers at the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB) found.With the fertility rate of German women at 1.39, there are only 10 Europe

World News Dec. 18, 2012

South Korean stocks closed 0.51 percent higher on Tuesday on the back of foreigners' buying, but the gain was capped due to remaining corporate uncertainties, analysts said. The local currency fell slightly against the U.S. dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 10.02 points to finish at 1,993.09. Trading volume was moderate at 446.9 million shares worth 4.55 trillion won ($4.24 billion) with gainers outnumbering losers 426 to 384."We've seen steady foreign inflows

Dec. 18, 2012

By successfully firing a rocket that put a satellite in space, North Korea let the far-flung buyers of its missiles know that it is still open for business. But Pyongyang will find that customers are hard to come by as old friends drift away and international sanctions lock down its sales. North Korea's satellite and nuclear programs were masterminded by the late leader Kim Jong Il, who ruled for 17 years under a ``military first'' policy and died a year ago Monday. An offshoot of the policy was

North Korea Dec. 18, 2012

A North Korean satellite launched into space last week appears to be malfunctioning but could remain in orbit for several years, a leading expert in the United States said Tuesday.North Korea says the satellite is working. Even if it isn't, its successful launch into space marks a milestone in the impoverished country's technological advances, especially given accusations that the rocket launch was actually a test of systems that could be used to launch long-range missiles targeting the U.S.Data

North Korea Dec. 18, 2012

The United States has no other choice at this time but to ratchet up pressure on North Korea, which has repeatedly defied international obligations, the State Department said Monday.The department, however, strongly indicated its intention to continue engaging Pyongyang either bilaterally or multilaterally, looking for signs that the nation will change its attitude. "What's left to us is to continue to increase the pressure on the North Korean regime," department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said

North Korea Dec. 18, 2012

North Korea unveiled the embalmed body of Kim Jong-il, still in his trademark khaki jumpsuit, on the anniversary of his death Monday as mourning mixed with pride over a recent satellite launch that was a long-held goal of the late authoritarian leader.Kim lies in state a few floors below his father, national founder Kim Il Sung, in the Kumsusan mausoleum, the cavernous former presidential palace. Kim Jong-il is presented lying beneath a red blanket, a spotlight shining on his face in a room suff

North Korea Dec. 17, 2012