Black-robed Islamic extremists armed with AK-47 automatic rifles invaded Gao in wooden boats Sunday to launch a surprise attack on the most populous city in northern Mali, two weeks after French and Malian troops ousted the jihadists.Gunfire echoed for hours across the city of mud-walled buildings. The combat started at about 2 p.m. in downtown Gao and the fighting was continuing as night fell. Later the sound of gunfire was replaced by the clattering of French military helicopters overhead. The

World News Feb. 11, 2013

Global investment banks (IBs) expect the Japanese currency will continue to depreciate against the U.S. dollar in 2013, data showed Monday, sounding alarm bells for the export-reliant South Korean economy.In the latest forecast, 18.3 percent of 60 major global investment banks anticipated the Japanese currency will trade above 100 yen against the greenback in the fourth quarter of this year, market data showed.Credit Suisse predicted an average yen-dollar exchange rate of 105 yen at the end of 2

World Business Feb. 11, 2013

Authorities on Sunday offered $1 million for information leading to the arrest of the former Los Angeles police officer suspected in three killings and the subject of a manhunt in Southern California's snow-covered mountains.Camping gear was found along with weapons inside the burned-out truck belonging to suspect Christopher Dorner. The truck found Thursday in this ski resort town was so charred that investigators couldn't be more specific about the nature of its contents, said Los Angeles poli

World News Feb. 11, 2013

Authorities on Sunday offered $1 million for information leading to the arrest of the former Los Angeles police officer suspected in three killings and the subject of a manhunt in Southern California's snow-covered mountains.Camping gear was found along with weapons inside the burned-out truck belonging to suspect Christopher Dorner. The truck found Thursday in this ski resort town was so charred that investigators couldn't be more specific about the nature of its contents, said Los Angeles poli

World News Feb. 11, 2013

Scotland may have to reapply for membership of international organisations such as the U.N. and EU if it votes for independence, according to legal advice published by the British government on Monday.The rest of the United Kingdom would be a "continuing state" with the same status it currently has in international law if Scotland secedes after a 2014 referendum, two experts said in a legal opinion commissioned by London.But Scotland would become a "new state" and therefore would not automatical

World News Feb. 11, 2013

Three doctors murdered in a knife attack in a northeastern town in Nigeria originally thought to be South Koreans were of North Korean nationality, said South Korean officials on Sunday quoting remarks by police in the African country.Earlier, foreign media reports said that attackers killed three South Korean doctors by slitting their throats and beheading one of the physicians Saturday night in Potiskum, a town in Yobe State that has long been under attack by the radical Islamic sect Boko Hara

North Korea Feb. 11, 2013

U.S. President Barack Obama, under pressure over a lack of diversity in top cabinet appointments, on Wednesday picked business executive Sally Jewell to head the vast Interior Department.Obama has been criticized for naming middle-aged white men to top jobs on his second-term team, but he has pledged to promote diversity in his other picks and has now settled on several prominent females.If confirmed by the Senate, Jewell -- who heads Recreational Equipment Inc., an outdoors retail chain -- will

World News Feb. 7, 2013

South Korea's economy is facing slowing employment and sluggish domestic consumption despite overall improvements in other major indicators, a government report showed Thursday, emphasizing that it will continue its policy efforts to boost economic vitality down the road. "Recently, our economy is seeing its inflation stabilize with production, investment, exports and other major indicators also improving," the finance ministry said in the monthly report that analyzes the latest economic trends

Feb. 7, 2013

The South Korean currency hit an 18-month high against the U.S. dollar last month following monetary easing by economic powerhouses, data showed Wednesday, sparking concern over exporters' profitability.The local currency changed hands at an average of 1,066.54 won against the greenback in January, the highest since July 2011, according to the data by the Korea Center for International Finance. Its previous monthly high against the dollar was 1,047.11 won quoted in August 2008. The won gained 8.

Feb. 6, 2013

A U.S. study found Wednesday that Samsung Electronics has taken the top spot from Apple in smartphones in customer loyalty and engagement. According to the Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index, Samsung was ranked No.1 in the smartphone category recording the highest emotional engagement level with its customers.Apple came in second, followed by LG Electronics in third, Nokia and Sony tied for fourth and Motorola in fifth place, it said. Taiwanese HTC and BlackBerry maker RIM were also ne

Industry Feb. 6, 2013

North Korea could conduct a nuclear test soon with either plutonium-based devices or highly enriched uranium, or with both, "a destabilizing event" that would prevent the United States from returning to negotiations but would not threaten the country, a former U.S. secretary of defense said Wednesday.Pyongyang has vowed to conduct its third nuclear test in retaliation for the U.N. Security Council's resolution condemning its Dec. 12 long-range rocket launch, and there have been a series of signs

North Korea Feb. 6, 2013

Major foreign investment banks' average growth outlook for the South Korean economy has been downgraded to the 2 percent range for 2013 as growth momentum remains weak amid the global downturn, a report showed Wednesday.A total of 10 investment banks forecast that Asia's fourth-largest economy will grow an average of 2.9 percent as of the end of January, down from a 3 percent estimate made in the previous month, according to a report by the Korea Center for International Finance.Their outlooks c

Feb. 6, 2013