It is 2.30 pm and time for Michaela Lins and Christine Langanke to get up and prepare for their night shift in a German hospital. The two nurses work through the night, from 8.30 in the evening to 6.15 the next morning, and they find the hours take it out of them."It grinds you down, particularly when you do a week of nights or early shifts," Lins says. Her last shift was a relatively quiet one, b

Technology July 9, 2012

South Korean stocks closed 1.19 percent lower Monday as investors moved to the sidelines on jitters over slowing growth in major economies such as China and the United States, analysts said. The local currency fell against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 22.07 points to 1,836.13. Trading volume was light at 277.6 million shares worth 3.3 trillion won ($

July 9, 2012

A small truck driven by a Seoul man smashed into the Japanese Embassy in central Seoul early Monday morning, but no casualties were reported, police said.The man detained by police on the scene insisted that he attacked the Japanese embassy in a show of protest against a right-wing Japanese activist's nationalistic insult last month over Korean women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese mili

Social Affairs July 9, 2012

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has decided to skip South Korea during her upcoming tour of Asia, Europe and the Middle East, according to her department Thursday.Clinton is scheduled to embark on a two-week trip later in the day to France, Japan, Mongolia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Egypt and Israel, the department said.In Paris on Friday, she will attend the third meeting of

World News July 6, 2012

Rep. Chung Doo-un of the ruling aenuri Party, a former close aide of President Lee Myung-bak, nderwent 14 hours of questioning until late Thursday night about llegations of receiving illegal political funds from a candal-ridden savings bank."I gave a full explanation on all allegations (of bribery),"Chung told reporters as he left the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in southern Seoul at 11:45 p.m. Thu

Politics July 6, 2012

Football finally embraced goal-line technology as FIFA’s lawmaking panel approved two systems for use in matches on Thursday.FIFA will introduce goal-line technology at the seven-team Club World Cup in Japan in December, and plans to use it in Brazil at the 2013 Confederations Cup and 2014 World Cup, secretary general Jerome Valcke said.“We want to make sure that the systems at the World Cup work

Soccer July 6, 2012

South Korean stocks opened lower Friday, as investors were unmoved by the European and Chinese timulus measures taken overnight, analysts said.The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) dipped 4.31 oints, or 0.23 percent to 1,871.18 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Tech blue chips and financials drove the shares down, with arket behemoth Samsung Electronics losing 0.34 percent and No. 2 ender

July 6, 2012

South Korea plans to resume hunting whales for research purposes, officials said Thursday, drawing immediate protests from non-whaling nations and environment groups that suspect the plans may be a cover for commercial whaling.South Korean officials conveyed the plan to the International Whaling Commission during an IWC meeting this week in Panama, according to Seoul's Ministry for Food, Agricultu

Technology July 6, 2012

David Beckham was suspended for one game by Major League Soccer on Thursday for kicking a ball at an opponent in the Los Angeles Galaxy's loss at San Jose.Beckham kicked a ball at San Jose's Sam Cronin during the 4-3 loss on Saturday. Cronin was down in the penalty box at the time, and Beckham's kick set off a prolonged argument between the teams.Beckham was issued a yellow card for the incident.

Soccer July 6, 2012

South Korean stocks closed nearly flat on Thursday as investors refrained from trading ahead of the European Central Bank (ECB) policy rate meeting and Samsung Electronics' guidance release, analysts said. The local currency gained against the greenback.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 1.04 points, or 0.06 percent, to 1,875.49. Trading volume was moderate at 318.4 milli

July 5, 2012

Scottish football was thrown into disarray on Wednesday after indebted Glasgow giant Rangers was barred from competing in the Scottish Premier League following a vote by top-tier clubs.The decision to reject the bid by a new Rangers ownership to play in the top division following the club's financial meltdown could threaten the economic well-being of teams around Scotland. Rangers chief executive

Soccer July 5, 2012

A South Korean worker was banned from working in an inter-Korean industrial zone in North Korea's border city of Kaesong for two weeks in May for a minor offense, the Unification Ministry said Thursday.It was the first time a South Korean has been denied access to the complex under a demerit point system designed to strengthen law and order among the hundreds of South Koreans in the complex.The co

North Korea July 5, 2012

South Korean stocks got off to a weak start on Thursday as investors stepped to the sidelines ahead of the European Central Bank's policy rate meeting, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) slipped 2.97 points, or 0.16 percent, to 1,871.48 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Major blue chips lost grounds with Hyundai Motor and Samsung Electronics falling 1.06 percent

July 5, 2012

Robin van Persie's Arsenal career appears to be over after the Dutch forward announced Wednesday he will not be extending his contract with the Gunners.Van Persie said he held talks about his future with Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis and manager Arsene Wenger before the European Championship “but ... it has again become clear to me that we in many aspects disagree on the way Arsenal should

Soccer July 5, 2012

Refined petroleum products led South Korea's exports in the first half of this year thanks to higher prices, accounting for 9.9 percent of all outbound shipments, a report showed Thursday.The report by the Korea Petroleum Association (KPA) said exports of petroleum products totaled $27.28 billion in the January-June period, up, 11.5 percent from a year earlier."The gain is mainly due to a steep ri

July 5, 2012