The United States on Friday criticized Israel's decision to build 3,000 settler homes in east Jerusalem and the West Bank, with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calling it a setback for peace.The White House earlier called the move -- which came in response to a historic vote in the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday to recognize Palestine within the 1967 borders as a non-member observer state -- "counterproductive.""In light of today's announcement, let me reiterate that this administration --

World News Dec. 1, 2012

North Korea's crop imports from China plunged 62 percent in October from a year earlier, data showed on Saturday, spawning speculation Pyongyang's crop yield was not hit as hard by floods this year as was predicted.According to the data compiled by the Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI), North Korea imported 22,331 tons of crops such as flour, rice, corn and bean in October from its neighboring country, compared with 59,369 tons a year earlier.The October figure was also down 38 percent from

North Korea Dec. 1, 2012

South Korea's trade surplus widened in November from the previous month as exports posted positive growth on the back of steady global demand, the government said Saturday.The country's trade surplus came to $4.48 billion in November, compared with the surplus of $3.7 billion the previous month, according to the Ministry of Knowledge Economy. The country's exports grew 3.9 percent from the same month last year to $47.79 billion with imports gaining 0.7 percent on-year to $43.32 billion.The expor

Dec. 1, 2012

A custodian at a New Jersey school resigned after he was arrested for allegedly photographing students in clothes-changing areas using hidden cameras.John Martin, 41, chief custodian and operator of the video surveillance system at Gloucester Catholic Junior/Senior High School in Gloucester City, N.J., admitted he installed small cameras, hidden in ventilation ducts and smoke detectors, in eight rooms that included rooms in which students changed clothes, the Camden County, N.J. Prosecutor's Off

World News Dec. 1, 2012

People can be startled at the depth of the Grand Canyon. Now, scientists say dinosaurs may have been, too -- the mighty gouge in the earth is that old.Scientists have long argued over the age of the multicolored canyon, which is over a mile deep (nearly two kilometers) as many as 18 miles wide (29 kilometers) and 280 miles long (450 kilometers.)Most believe it was carved out about five or six million years ago, based on the age of gravel washed downstream by the ancestral Colorado River. But new

Technology Dec. 1, 2012

Washington politicians have one month to step back from the so-called “fiscal cliff,” across-the-board tax hikes and austerity-driven spending cuts likely to return the country to recession, and a top Republican declares there has been no real progress after two weeks of talks between President Barack Obama and a divided Congress.The president, who has called for settling the issue before Christmas, visited a Philadelphia suburb to campaign for his demand that any deal include higher tax rates o

World Business Dec. 1, 2012

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un remains the solid front-runner in Time's poll of influential figures in this year's world news and culture for good or ill, according to the U.S. magazine.As of noon on Friday, Kim had gained 1,248,275 votes, followed by Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi with 332,029 and Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teenage activist shot by Taliban attackers for advocating girls' rights to education, with 155,904.South Korea's popular rapper Psy, known for his global hit song "G

North Korea Dec. 1, 2012

Moody's cut the triple-A rating of the European Stability Mechanism rescue fund on Friday by one notch and gave it a negative outlook, citing its earlier downgrade of key ESM backer France.Moody's said the French downgrade on November 19, a one-step cut also from Aaa, reflects its view that there has been "a marginal diminution" in the likelihood that Paris will keep to its financial obligations, including its commitment to support the ESM.For that reason, Moody's also lowered the ESM's rating t

World Business Dec. 1, 2012

Mexico's incoming president Enrique Pena Nieto named his cabinet Friday, picking close advisors for key posts managing the drug war and the economy on the eve of his inauguration.Pena Nieto takes the oath of office on Saturday, marking the return of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) after a 12-year absence from the presidency. The PRI ruled Mexico for most of the 20th century.His 20-member cabinet includes only three women, a few left-leaning independents and one holdover from the admi

World News Dec. 1, 2012

Samsung extended its lead as the top mobile phone maker in the U.S. market and Apple moved into second place, an industry tracker said Friday.A survey by comScore showed that in the three-month period ending in October, South Korea's Samsung was the top manufacturer with 26.3 percent market share, up from 25.6 percent in the prior period.Apple, which sells only smartphones, moved into second place in the U.S. market for the first time, with a 17.8 percent market share, up 1.5 percentage points.

Industry Dec. 1, 2012

Three of Japan's biggest car makers said Thursday that output in China slumped again last month as they continue to feel the effects of a bitter territorial dispute between Tokyo and Beijing.Toyota, the world's best-selling auto maker in the first six months of the year, produced 61 percent fewer cars in China year-on-year in October, it said, while Nissan cut output by 44 percent and Honda by 54 percent.The figures follow earlier data showing all three companies had seen large falls in sales in

World Business Nov. 29, 2012