WASHINGTON (AP) ― President Barack Obama says he’s willing to make deeper spending cuts if Congress can compromise on a budget deal that would end the threat of a government shutdown.Obama’s appeal for common ground came Saturday in his weekly radio and Internet address, but lacked specifics on how to bridge the $50 billion gulf that divides the White House and Democratic budget proposal from the

U.S. administration’s policy faces difficulty in framing consistent messageWASHINGTON (AFP) ― As a wildfire of revolt whips through the Middle East and North Africa, the White House is embracing pragmatism and shying away from embroidering a grand “Obama doctrine” for a region in turmoil.For a politician as fond of the grand gesture as President Barack Obama, the idea of an eponymous school of for

The appearance of “two suns” in the Taiwanese sky has made people wonder whether the second one is an exploded Betelgeuse, the second biggest star in the constellation Orion. News.com.au reported in January that Betelgeuse was losing mass in its center and would explode when it ran out, creating a second sun in the night sky, citing Dr. Brad Carter, senior lecturer of Physics at the University of

SK Telecom will begin selling Apple Inc.’s iPhone on March 16, it announced Sunday, ending the exclusive distribution here by its rival KT Corp. The country’s largest mobile carrier said it will take pre-orders starting Wednesday at its T World branches and online. “We at SK Telecom are glad that we can introduce the iPhone 4 through Korea’s best network,” said Seo Jin-woo, chief of SK’s platform

Hanwha SolarOne Co., a solar-products maker formerly known as Solarfun Power Holdings Co., formerly announced the change of its name and NASDAQ ticker symbol in a ceremony in New York City on Friday. Peter Xie, president and CEO of the company affiliated with Hanwha Chemical Corp., rang the closing bell to mark the completion of the company’s rebranding. The Shanghai-based company changed its name

New regulations mean major stakeholders face fines if banks take too many lending risksThe financial regulator plans to add new clauses to regulations on savings banks to enhance supervision and punish large shareholders for risky behavior, sources said Sunday.The Financial Supervisory Commission is rewriting rules governing the country’s embattled savings banks suffering the result of their inves

Toyota Korea is receiving pre-launch orders for the compact car Corolla from Monday. The Corolla, which holds the world sales record with more than 37 million units sold since the first generation Corolla was launched in 1966, will be introduced to the local market later in the month. CorollaAs part of the promotion event, the company opened a Facebook page for the vehicle, and is holding a prize

Hyundai Motor Co. launched the hatchback version of its subcompact Accent and added a diesel engine to the subcompact lineup on Wednesday.The new diesel engine, available in both Accent Wit and the original Accent, is a 1.6-liter engine that puts out 128 brake horsepower and manages 20 kilometers per liter of fuel with automatic transmission. With manual transmission, the vehicle manages 23.5 kilo