WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President Barack Obama on Friday offered his "condolences" to the people of Japan and said his country stood ready to help them after a massive earthquake and tsunami.   "(First Lady) Michelle (Obama) and I send our deepest condolences to the people of Japan, particularly those who have lost loved ones in the earthquake and tsunamis," he said in a statement.   "The Unite

World News March 11, 2011

     TOKYO (AFP) - Japanese shares plunged 1.72 percent on Friday, falling sharply in the closing minutes of trade after the country was hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami.   The Nikkei index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange fell 179.95 points to 10,254.43. The Topix index of all first section shares tumbled 1.7 percent, or15.33 points, to 915.51.   The market was already weighed down before the e

World Business March 11, 2011

 South Korea is ready to dispatch a team of rescue workers to Japan to help the neighboring country cope with the aftermath of a powerful earthquake and tsunami, an official said Friday, amid fears of massive casualties from the disaster.   The 8.9-magnitude quake struck off northeastern Japan at 2:46 p.m. (local time), leading Japan's meteorological agency to issue a tsunami warning for the entir

Latest News March 11, 2011

   Taiwan's central weather bureau on Friday warned people living on its east and northeast coasts to be on guard for tsunamis set off by a major quake off Japan.  The Philippines also warned people living on its entire east coast to be on alert for the possibility of tsunamis after a major quake off Japan, the government's seismology agency   Russia's emergency ministry issued a tsunami warning F

World News March 11, 2011

   WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- The chief U.S. intelligence official Thursday did not rule out chances of North Korea provoking South Korea further after the North's attacks on a South Korean border island and a warship last year.   Speaking at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, James Clapper, national intelligence director, said, "It is also our assessment at this time that there is a low proba

Politics March 11, 2011

  WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- North Korea may have already developed nuclear warheads that are small enough to be mounted on missiles and aircraft, a senior U.S. intelligence official said Thursday.   "The North may now have several plutonium-based nuclear warheads that it can deliver by ballistic missiles and aircraft as well as by conventional means," Lt. Gen. Ronald Burgess, director of the Defense

Politics March 11, 2011

   A groundbreaking ceremony was held in Gyeongju on Friday for a furnace dust recycling plant that can help South Korea cut back on zinc imports and costs of burying harmful electric arc furnace dusts (EAFD).   The plant, which is being built by Britain's ZincOx Resources PLC in Gyeongju, 370 kilometers southeast of Seoul, will cost around US$250 million, with two recycling facilities to go onlin

Industry March 11, 2011

   South Korea's two full-service carriers, Korean Air Lines Co. and Asiana Airlines Inc., said Friday that they are gearing up to increase their overseas flights to meet busy summer season demand.    The two carriers plan to raise their overseas flights by a combined 165 flights per week between late this month and the end of October, they said in a statement. The plan is subject to approval by t

Industry March 11, 2011

The Bible is to change certain expressions in the new American Bible, according to The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Some changes in the new translation of 2011 include changing “virgin,” into “young woman.”Isaiah 7:14 “the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel,” will be using “the young woman” instead. It is because whether the original Hebrew world “almah

World News March 7, 2011