The Korea Herald

U.S. growth slowed to 2.2 percent in first quarter

World BusinessApr 27, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The U.S. economy grew more slowly in the first three months of this year. Stronger consumer spending was offset by cutbacks in government spending and business investment. The Commerce Department said Friday that the economy expanded at an annual rate of 2.2 percent in the January-March quarter, compared with a 3 percent gain in the final quarter of 2011. Consumers spent at
Nokia downgraded by S&P after Samsung pushes past

World BusinessApr 27, 2012

HELSINKI (AP) -- Standard and Poor's says it has downgraded Nokia's credit rating by one notch and warned that it may reduce it again unless it improves performance. Friday's downgrade comes after huge losses in the Finnish company's first quarter and a report that Samsung Electronics Co. has overtaken it as the world's largest maker of mobile phones. Last week, Nokia Corp. announced one of
Jobless figures up as French election nears

World NewsApr 27, 2012

PARIS (AP) -- France's bleak economic outlook has returned to the forefront of the country's presidential campaign after new figures Friday showed the number of job seekers rose for the 11th consecutive month in March. Francois Hollande -- the Socialist front-runner in the May 6 runoff election -- was quick to seize on the new data from the Labor Ministry showing the number of job seekers ros
27 injured in 4 blasts in eastern Ukraine city

World NewsApr 27, 2012

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) -- Four blasts within minutes rocked the center of the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipropetrovsk Friday, injuring at least 27 people, including nine children, in what prosecutors believed was a terrorist attack, officials said. Emergency Situations Ministry spokeswoman Yulia Yershova said the first blast occurred at a tramway stop in the center of Dnipropetrovsk, injuring 13 pe
Explosion rocks Syrian capital as protesters mass

World NewsApr 27, 2012

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) -- A suicide bomber blew himself up across the street from a mosque in the Syrian capital Friday, killing at least five people and wounding 20, state TV said. Thousands of Syrians protested elsewhere to denounce persistent violence by President Bashar Assad's regime. The explosion was the latest in a wave of blasts in Syrian cities in recent months, despite a diplomatic pus
9,000 U.S. Marines to leave Okinawa

World NewsApr 27, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) ― About 9,000 U.S. Marines stationed on the Japanese island of Okinawa will be moved to the U.S. territory of Guam and other locations in the Asia-Pacific, including Hawaii, under a U.S.-Japan agreement announced Thursday. The move is part of a broader arrangement designed to tamp down tensions in the U.S.-Japan defense alliance stemming in part from opposition in Okinawa to what many view as a burdensome U.S. military presence. It also reflects a desire by the Obama administrati
Pakistan deports bin Laden family to Saudi Arabia

World NewsApr 27, 2012

ISLAMABAD (AP) ― Pakistani authorities deported Osama bin Laden’s three widows and his children to Saudi Arabia early Friday, less than a week before the first anniversary of the unilateral American raid that killed the al-Qaida leader in his hideout in a military town.The departure of the family closed another chapter in an affair that cemented Pakistan’s reputation as a hub of Islamist extremism and cast doubt on its trustworthiness as a Western ally.Once outside Pakistan, the wives may be wil
Ireland on track with deficit cuts: EU, IMF

World BusinessApr 27, 2012

DUBLIN (AP) ― Ireland is successfully cutting its deficits, bolstering its banks and pursuing job-creation strategies, its international bailout creditors said Thursday as they signaled support for a further round of loans.Ireland welcomed the verdict from the European Union, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund following the organizations’ latest 10-day review of Irish efforts to rein in runaway debts as part of the country’s 2010 bailout agreement.Ireland has already spent mor
U.S. animal feed, beef safe from BSE: FDA

World BusinessApr 27, 2012

WASHINGTON (AFP) ―U.S. food safety authorities on Thursday called a new case of mad cow disease in California “atypical” and said they were confident in measures to prevent the disease from spreading via animal feed.The Food and Drug Administration sought to tamp down fears that the new case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy that surfaced Tuesday could herald a broader outbreak and disrupt the country’s huge trade in livestock and beef.“The FDA is confident in the effectiveness of the existing
Geithner urges China to keep up reforms

World BusinessApr 27, 2012

Treasury secretary urges China to push forward with financial reforms ahead of Beijing visitSAN FRANCISCO (AP) ― Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner called on China Thursday to move forward with economic reforms ahead of his meeting with leaders in Beijing. Geithner spoke about the state of China-U.S. relations and a host of other economic issues during a San Francisco event hosted by the Commonwealth Club of California. He and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are traveling to Beijing next wee
Indian child marriage annulled in landmark case

World NewsApr 27, 2012

An Indian couple who “married” when aged just one and three have had their wedding annulled in a ground-breaking case that activists hope will challenge the culture of child marriages.Laxmi Sargara, 18, unknowingly wed her husband Rakesh, 20, in the desert state of Rajasthan 17 years ago after their families decided that when they grew up they would live together and have children.In the first pro
Video shows Syrian rebel buried alive

World NewsApr 27, 2012

Youtube footage of rebel activist being buried alive by soldiersVideo footage uploaded to YouTube shows what appears to be Syrian soldiers burying a rebel activist alive.The video, which went viral Thursday, shows a blindfolded man buried up to his head as armed soldiers call him an “animal” and a “dog,” ynetnews.com reported.The man pleads for his life while one of the soldiers says to his comman
S&P cuts Spain's long-term credit rating 2 notches

World BusinessApr 27, 2012

Standard & Poor's lowered Spain's long-term credit rating by two notches on Thursday, saying the country's budget problems are likely to get worse because of the weak economy. S&P reduced Spain's long-term sovereign credit rating to ``BBB+'' from ``A.'' The agency also lowered Spain's short-term rating and assigned a negative outlook, which suggests the possibility of another downgrade in the
Marine discharged for Obama Facebook criticism

World NewsApr 27, 2012

A sergeant will be discharged for criticizing President Barack Obama on Facebook in a case that called into question the Pentagon’s policies about social media and its limits on the speech of active duty military personnel, the Marine Corps said Wednesday.Sgt. Gary Stein will get an other-than-honorable discharge and lose most of his benefits for violating the policies, the Corps said.The San Dieg
The ’92 riot: Revisiting dark day in L.A. history

World NewsApr 26, 2012

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Henry Keith Watson remembers April 29, 1992, as if it happened just last week. History won’t allow him to forget it. It was a day that marked the beginning of one of the deadliest, most destructive race riots in the nation’s history, and one in which Watson’s spur-of-the-moment decision to take part made him one of the enduring faces of the violence. He was at home that day like thousands of others when he heard the news that was racing across Los Angeles: A jury with no black