LONDON (AP) _ Britain's best-selling Sunday tabloid the News of the World signed off with a simple front page message _ ``THANK YOU & GOODBYE'' _ leaving the media establishment here reeling from the expanding phone-hacking scandal that brought down the muckraking newspaper after 168 years.   Journalists crafted the newspaper's own obituary before sending the tabloid's final edition to the prin

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) _ A plane crashed in a thunderstorm as it was attempting to land in the Congo Friday, killing at least 48 people, and leaving a dozen or more buried in the wreckage. 53 passengers survived.``I confirm the crash of one of our planes,‘’ said Stavros Papaioannou, the chairman and CEO of Hewa Bora Airways told The Associated Press by telephone. ``There are already 46 bodies at the

SEOUL, July 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's budget carriers are coming under fire for a string of mishaps that have raised concerns about the safety of the airlines and the quality of flight crews, local industry sources said Saturday.Sources said the discoveries of a Eastar Jet Co. pilot trying to fly a plane while still being under the influence of alcohol last month and the failure of a Jeju Air Co

ADDIS ABABA, July 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak sprayed disinfectant at alleys and toilets in Ethiopia on Saturday as he engaged in volunteer work at a poverty-stricken village in a symbolic gesture of returning the African nation's help during the Korean War.Lee's visit to Kebena Village, one of four major poverty areas in this Ethiopian capital, was one of a series of activi

DECATUR, Georgia (AP) _ Pittsburgh Steelers star wide receiver Hines Ward was arrested early Saturday in Georgia on a drunken driving charge, sheriff's officials said.The former Super Bowl MVP and reigning ``Dancing With the Stars'' champ was booked into the DeKalb County jail just outside Atlanta at 3:41 a.m. and charged with driving under the influence. He was released on $1,300 bond.The sheriff

SEOUL, July 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's leading automaker Hyundai Motor Co. said Sunday that it has launched a new Sonata turbo model with upgraded performance and competitive options designed to meet consumer demands.The new model of the top selling mid-size sedan has a 2.0-liter gasoline direct injection (GDi) engine that produces a maximum horsepower of 271 and 37.2 kilogram-meters of torque.

   WANDO ISLAND -- South Korea's Kim Ju-hee on Saturday routed Fahpratan Looksaikongdin of Thailand to become the new Women's International Boxing Council (WIBC) light flyweight champion, making her the holder of five world boxing organizations' titles.    The 25-year-old won a 3-0 victory over Looksaikongdin, 20, after dominating the bout on Wando, an island off South Korea's southwest coast.   

The U.S. nuclear-powered submarine USS Texas made a port call in South Korea on Saturday as part of a regular deployment to the Pacific area, the U.S. military in the South said.    The Texas, based in Hawaii, arrived at South Korea's southeastern port city of Busan with more than 130 crew members, according to officials at the U.S. Forces Korea.    The 7,800-ton Texas is a Virginia-class attack s

  The head of South Korea's ruling party said Saturday that he agreed to ditch a plan to further cut taxes for big companies, as the conservative party looks to regain votes from the poor ahead of next year's elections.    "It is inconsistent for the government to continue to cut taxes for big companies, which are said to put some 100 trillion won(US$94.6 billion) in banks and block the money from

   DETROIT (AP) _ Betty Ford, the former first lady whose triumph over drug and alcohol addiction became a beacon of hope for addicts and the inspiration for her Betty Ford Center, has died, a family friend said Friday. She was 93.   Mrs. Ford's death was confirmed by Marty Allen, chairman emeritus of the Ford Foundation. He did not comment further, and said he expected the Gerald R. Ford Presiden

  South Korean stocks are expected to continue their upward march next week on the back of favorable market conditions, analysts said Saturday.    The country's key stock index, the KOSPI, gained 2.57 percent, or 54.61 points, this week to close at 2,180.35 on Friday, despite the lingering debt crisis in Europe and a rate hike by China.   Next week is packed with major events such as the central b

Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin has ordered military commanders to inspect the standards of discipline and irregularities, following a shooting rampage earlier this week by a marine that killed four colleagues on a front-line unit, a source said Saturday.    Questions over discipline have been raised since the 19-year-old marine corporal, only identified by his surname Kim, opened fire on Monday at

   WASHINGTON -- The leader of the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday voiced clear opposition to President Barack Obama's push to package three pending trade pacts with a worker assistance program.   "We expect in the House to move four separate bills, and I would hope they would heed our advice," House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) told reporters.   His firm stance came a day after key commi

   JUBA, South Sudan (AP) _ South Sudan became the world's newest nation early Saturday, officially breaking away from Sudan after two civil wars over five decades that cost the lives of millions.   In the new country's capital, Juba, streets pulsed with excitement. Residents danced, banged on jerry cans and chanted the name of the world's newest president, Salva Kiir. One man kneeled and kissed t

   ADDIS ABABA -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak agreed Friday to provide active support for Ethiopia's economic development, pledging to significantly boost relations with the African nation that helped save the South from North Korea's invasion 60 years ago.   In summit talks with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, Lee expressed gratitude for Ethiopia's participation in the 1950-53 Korean War, a