DEARBORN, Michigan (AP) ― The Ford Escape is getting a long overdue makeover, ditching its boxy styling for a sleek look that Ford hopes will outshine competitors. It has reason to be confident: Ford Explorer SUV sales are at a four-year high thanks to a similar redesign last year. Ford will unveil the 2013 Escape at the Los Angeles Auto Show Wednesday. It goes on sale early next year. Pricing hasn’t been announced, but it will likely start around $25,000. The Escape’s boxy profile was looking s

MADRID (AP) ― Spain lowered its growth forecast for 2011 by half a point to around 0.8 percent Wednesday after official data showed the economy stagnated in the third quarter.After months of stubbornly sticking to a prediction of 1.3 percent GDP growth for this year, Deputy Finance Minister Jose Manuel Campa said the new quarterly figure meant this was no longer realistic.The government thus joined many private economists, thinktanks and international financial institutions that have been saying

Oman, Korea expanding relations and cooperationThe following was contributed by Oman Ambassador to Korea Mohamed Alharthy on the occasion of the 41st National Day of the Sultanate of Oman. ― Ed.This Nov. 18, the Sultanate is celebrating its 41st National Day continuing its modern renaissance with strong steps to maintain the power to achieve its goals, of which the main ones are development and prosperity, the happiness for the Omani citizens, and enhancing the national joint between leader H.M

Countering China, Washington vows to expand influence in AsiaCANBERRA (AP) ― Signaling a determination to counter a rising China, President Barack Obama vowed Thursday to expand U.S. influence in the Asia-Pacific region and “project power and deter threats to peace” in that part of the world even as he reduces defense spending and winds down two wars.“The United States is a Pacific power, and we are here to stay,” he declared in a speech to the Australian Parliament, sending an unmistakable mes

WASHINGTON (AP) _ A man wanted in an investigation of shots fired near the White House was arrested Wednesday in the state of Pennsylvania, a day after agents discovered two bullets had struck the executive mansion while President Barack Obama was away, the U.S. Secret Service said.Law enforcement o

Google Inc.’s Android software ran on more than half of all smartphones sold in the third quarter as consumers snapped up handsets made by Samsung Electronics Co., said researcher Gartner Inc. The Google system accounted for 52.5 percent of smartphone sales, more than doubling its share from a year earlier, Gartner said in an emailed report. Even as some consumers delayed purchases to wait for Apple Inc.’s latest iPhone and other models, smartphone sales by volume grew 42 percent, it said. “Andr

TOKYO (AFP) ― The Bank of Japan on Wednesday left its key rate unchanged at between zero and 0.1 percent, and held steady on monetary policy despite concerns over the high yen and eurozone debt crisis.In its assessment of the economy, it warned Japan will “face an adverse effect from the slowdown in overseas economies and the appreciation of the yen as well as from the flooding in Thailand.”The central bank, which expects Japan to eventually return to “a moderate recovery path,” added that its p

SAINT EMILION, France (AFP) ― Residents of Saint Emilion, a hugely popular UNESCO World Heritage site in southwest France, were shocked when their mayor sold a medieval monument to pay off debts.And while the council has defended the controversial sale as a means of raising much-needed cash for the upkeep of historic sites, it has undertaken to rethink the strategy and find alternative means of funding in future.“Saint Emilion has a very rich medieval heritage but that leaves them with a lot to

The intense grief that Kim II-nam has felt every day since his father died 27 years ago led to a startling decision: He dug up the grave, cremated his father’s bones and paid $870 to have the ashes transformed into gem-like beads.Kim is not alone in his desire to keep a loved one close ― even in death. Changes in traditional South Korean beliefs about cherishing ancestors and a huge increase in cremation have led to a handful of niche businesses that cater to those who see honoring an urn filled