BEIJING, Sept. 21 (Yonhap) -- The chief nuclear negotiators of South and North Korea on Wednesday began a second round of talks to discuss terms for resuming the long-stalled six-nation talks on ending the North's nuclear weapons programs, officials said. During the talks, scheduled to last through

North Korea Sept. 21, 2011

SEOUL, Sept. 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's jobless rate declined in August from a year earlier as the number of newly created jobs in the country increased, a government report showed Wednesday.The jobless rate stood at 3 percent last month, down from 3.3 percent a year earlier, according to the repo

Sept. 21, 2011

NEW YORK, Sept. 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak urged North Korea on Tuesday to give up its nuclear programs, saying denuclearization is a key first step toward eventual unification of the two divided states.Lee made the appeal during a speech after receiving a global leadership

Politics Sept. 21, 2011

A mother of two in the state of Georgia was sentenced to 10 years in prison and an additional 10 years of probation for locking up and abusing a senior citizen in her basement, local reports said.Chandra Renee Faust, 44, pleaded guilty to a number of charges including wrongful imprisonment and abuse

World News Sept. 20, 2011

The suicide rate for men in their 50s has soared, driven by a combination of economic hardships and poor health, reports from Statistics Office and Police Agency showed Tuesday.The suicide rate for men aged 50-54 was 62.4 per 100,000 persons in 2009, quadrupling from 20 years ago. It is the highest

Social Affairs Sept. 20, 2011

Thieves stole John Travolta's vintage Mercedes-Benz while he was gone for only minutes -- visiting a Jaguar dealership -- police said.The "Grease" and "Pulp Fiction" star left his vintage Mercedes-Benz 280SL parked in a residential district in Santa Monica on Sunday, said Sergeant Richard Lewis.But

Film Sept. 20, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) — Who believes they'll be a millionaire?About two in 10 Americans do — a small showing of optimism compared to Australians, but downright cheery next to Britons when asked about becoming wealthy in the next ten years, according to a new Associated Press-CNBC poll.In all t

World News Sept. 20, 2011

SEOUL, Sept. 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's top central banker said Tuesday that the U.S. economy may not recover as fast as expected because its real economic sectors have yet to rebound.Bank of Korea (BOK) Gov. Kim Choong-soo said in a monthly meeting with experts that currently, the real economy an

Sept. 20, 2011

SEOUL, Sept. 20 (Yonhap) -- Sales at South Korea's major discount chains and department stores rose from a year earlier in August on growing demand for food and daily household products ahead of a major holiday, a government report showed Tuesday.By lunar calendar, Sept. 12 was Chuseok, the Korean e

Industry Sept. 20, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) — Standard & Poor's Ratings Services has downgraded Italy's credit rating by one notch, saying it sees weakening economic growth prospects for the nation and higher-than-expected levels of government debt.S&P said Monday it cut Italy's long- and short-term sovereign credit rating

Sept. 20, 2011

SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- Prosecutors on Monday requested a four-year jail term for a former prime minister under the previous administration on charges of pocketing illegal political funds. Prosecutors also sought a court order for Han Myeong-sook to forfeit 940 million won (US$827,464), the same

Politics Sept. 20, 2011

MOSCOW (AP) _ A spokesman for Russia's top investigative body says the navigator of a passenger airline that crashed in June killing 47 people was drunk.The Tu-134 slammed into a highway just minutes before it was to land at the Petrozavodsk airport in Russia's northwest on June 20. Five people surv

World News Sept. 19, 2011