China expressed its “firm opposition” to erstwhile ally North Korea's latest nuclear test Tuesday and called for new denuclearization talks.The statement from the Foreign Ministry reflects Beijing's growing frustration with its communist neighbor's provocative behavior, as well as its reluctance to impose more severe measures that could destabilize the North's hardline regime. “The Democratic People's Republic of Korea, heedless of widespread international opposition, has again carried out a nuc

North Korea Feb. 12, 2013

유엔 안전보장이사회가 북한의 3차 핵실험과 관련해 현지시간으로 12일 오전 9시(한국시간 오후 11시) 긴급회의를 개최한다.유엔주재 한국대표부는 2월의 순번제 의장국 자격으로 안보리 이사국들에 회의 소집을 통보했다.미국을 비롯한 다른 이사국에서도 회의를 열자는 요청이 쇄도하고 있는 것으로 전해졌다.현재 한국 정부는 이날 오전 11시 57분 50초에 함경북도 길주군에서 발생한 규모 5.0의 인공 지진이 북한의 핵실험에 의한 것인지 여부를 확인 중이다.연합뉴스가 정부 당국자를 인용해 보도한 바에 따르면 정부는 북한이 3차 핵실험을 했을 가능성이 높다고 보고 있는 것으로 알려졌다.<관련 영문 기사>UNSC to hold emergency meeting over N. Korea's possible nuclear testSouth Korea requested the U.N. Security Council hold an emergency meeting at 11:00 p.m. (Seoul ti

한국어판 Feb. 12, 2013

The light signatures of lichens and algae reflected in a distant planet's distinctive coloring could be evidence of alien life, German researchers say.Seen from space, Earth gives off a large amount of near-infrared light reflected off the chlorophyll in plants, and similar light wavelength might be seen on distant exoplanets if they also host green vegetation, they said.However, Siddharth Hegde and Lisa Kaltenegger of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany, said they thin

Technology Feb. 12, 2013

South Korean households' consumption fell in the third quarter of 2012 from a year earlier, data showed Tuesday, apparently as the country's rising household debts gave limited leeway in their spending.Local households with more than two members saw their consumption-to-income ratio reach 59.6 percent in the third quarter, down 3.13 percentage points from a year earlier, according to the data by Statistics Korea.The number marks the lowest rate since the agency started to compile such data in 20

Feb. 12, 2013

The United States on Monday urged the Group of 20 economic powers, which holds a meeting later this week, to avoid competitive currency devaluation that would threaten economic growth."To ensure growth strategies in the world's largest economies are mutually compatible and promote global growth, the G20 needs to deliver on the commitment to move to market-determined exchange rates and refrain from competitive devaluation," said Lael Brainard, the Treasury official who will lead the U.S. delegati

World Business Feb. 12, 2013

Catholic worshippers and clergy in Africa, where the church is rapidly growing, greeted the news Monday of Pope Benedict XVI's impending retirement with surprise, respect, and a question: Could the next pontiff be from their continent?Some 176 million people in Africa are Catholic _ roughly a third of all Christians across the continent _ according to a December 2011 study by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. Meanwhile, the number of Catholics in Europe, the traditional stronghold of th

World News Feb. 12, 2013

North Korea has pulled manpower and equipment from its nuclear test site, government sources said Monday, a possible sign of an imminent nuclear blast.The South Korean government has been keeping a close watch on North Korea as no movement of manpower and equipment has been observed since Friday at the country's Punggye-ri nuclear test site, the sources said.However, it's unclear whether the withdrawal is temporary or not, they said.North Korea has warned of a third atomic test since last month

North Korea Feb. 12, 2013

After attending an International Olympic Committee (IOC) disciplinary hearing over his Olympic celebration here Monday, South Korean football player Park Jong-woo said he will calmly await its outcome.The IOC's Disciplinary Commission held a meeting over Park's celebration after South Korea's 2-0 victory over Japan for the bronze medal in men's football at the London Olympics last year.Park hoisted a sign that read, in Korean, "Dokdo Is Our Territory," in support of South Korea's sovereignty ove

Soccer Feb. 12, 2013

North Korea said Tuesday that it will continue to launch long-range rockets along with the pursuit of "all-out action of high intensity" to ensure its own security.The message carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Pyongyang's official news agency, was reached at the meeting of the Political Bureau of the ruling Workers' Party Central Committee that was held Monday. "The bureau stressed the need to continue launching satellites of the Kwangmyongsong series and powerful long-range rock

North Korea Feb. 12, 2013