A coal miner was found alive Saturday after being  underground for 17 days following a flood in a northeast China coal mine, authorities said.Twenty-eight miners had been working underground at the time of the May 2 flood at the Junyuan No. 2 Coal Mine in Xing'an district of Hegang city in Heilongjiang Province, Xinhua reported.Ten of the miners escaped, five have been rescued, 10 have been confir

Social Affairs May 20, 2012

Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan pledged Thursday to make diplomatic efforts to press Beijing to swiftly release four South Korean activists who have been detained in China since late March.The four activists, including Kim Young-hwan, a senior researcher for the Network for North Korean Democracy and Human Rights, a Seoul-based civic group for North Korean defectors, were arrested by Chinese police

International May 17, 2012

 One of life's simple pleasures just got a little sweeter. After years of waffling research on coffee and health, even some fear that java might raise the risk of heart disease, a big study finds the opposite: Coffee drinkers are a little more likely to live longer. Regular or decaf doesn't matter.The study of 400,000 people is the largest ever done on the issue, and the results should reassure an

Technology May 17, 2012

North Korea has resumed construction of a new experimental light water reactor at its main nuclear complex, a U.S. institute said Wednesday, citing commercial satellite photos.The secretive communist nation appears to have almost completed work on the reactor containment building at Yongbyon, apparently a hub for its production of not only plutonium but also uranium, according to the U.S.-Korea In

North Korea May 17, 2012

A Wisconsin homeowner said a bear was able to break through a garage window and walk off with a 50-pound bag of sunflower seeds without puncturing the bag.Randy Murray of Lincoln County said he discovered a garage window was broken last week and further investigation revealed his large bag of sunflower seeds was missing, WAOW-TV, Wausau, reported Wednesday.“Must have been a crack in one of the win

World News May 17, 2012

The interim head of the Unified Progressive Party (UPP) set up an emergency committee Wednesday to revive the left-wing opposition party as it reels from a primary fraud scandal."We will immediately embark on activities to reform the party,"Kang Ki-kab, chairman of the UPP's emergency committee said in a news conference. The five-month-old party also plans to name outside figures as members of the

Politics May 16, 2012

The Legion of Christ religious order, still reeling from revelations that its late founder was a pedophile, admitted Wednesday that it knew that its most famous priest had fathered a child years ago yet didn't remove him from teaching morality to seminarians or speaking publicly about ethics. In a statement, the Legion said it was sorry it hadn't acted ``earlier and more firmly'' to remove the Rev

Culture May 16, 2012

U.S. researchers say electricity generated by viruses could bring devices that generate power from everyday human activities like walking.A paper-thin "viral" generator embedded in the sole of a shoe could charge a person's phone as they walk, scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory said.The power would be generated by harmless viruses that convert mechanical energy into electricit

Technology May 16, 2012

The stars of much-loved classic film "Casablanca" may always have Paris, but on Wednesday they will have Facebook.The legendary black-and-white film starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Berman will be streamed free at Facebook in the United States to celebrate the release of a 70th anniversary edition by Warner Home Video."Movie fans across the United States are invited to microwave some popcorn an

Technology May 16, 2012

An 18-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of burglary after police say he left his homework at the crime scene.Police in Orem, Utah, say they tracked a USB drive found at the burglarized home to Dallas Naljahih. They say the computer hard drive contained his homework and was in a backpack abandoned in the backyard.A 75-year-old man and his wife reported their home had been burglarized early Sat

World News May 15, 2012

South Korea has toughened penalties for fishing boats that violate its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) to better protect its maritime resources, the government said Tuesday.The revised rules, which went into effect Monday, double the fines for illegal fishing to 200 million won (US$173,000) from 100 million won, the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said.Under the new guidelines

International May 15, 2012