Portugal's centre-right government coalition on Thursday averted its break-up in a dispute over austerity policies after finding "a formula" that secures its survival, Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho said."A formula has been found that will secure the stability of the government," said Passos Coelho after talks with President Anibal Cavaco Silva.The policies squeezing the bailed-out nation had led markets to plunge on Wednesday before rallying afterPassos Coelho said he was "convinced" he cou

President Barack Obama spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday to address mounting European concerns about broad U.S. surveillance programs.Germany and other European nations are in uproar over last month's revelations by a U.S. IT contractor that the National Security Agency has been scooping up vast amounts of data on Americans and foreigners."The president assured the chancellor that the United States takes seriously the concerns of our European allies and partners," according

South Korea unveiled a set of measures, including expanded tax benefits, to stimulate business activity in the service sector Thursday, as it believes the area will likely help create more jobs and lead to overall economic growth.The service-sector development measures were the first of their kind mapped out by the Park Geun-hye government since it took office in February. They were announced jointly by the Ministry of Strategy and Finance; the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; and the Mi

The United States on Wednesday said it was gravely concerned about the health of a Korean-American sentenced to hard labor in North Korea who pleaded for help in a rare television interview.And the State Department renewed appeals to Pyongyang to grant Kenneth Bae amnesty and free him immediately.In an exclusive interview, Bae appealed to the United States to secure his early release, saying he has been in poor health."I ask the US government for help and hope it will make more efforts for my re

The European rerouting of the Bolivian presidential plane over suspicions that National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden was aboard ignited outrage Wednesday among Latin American leaders who called it a stunning violation of national sovereignty and disrespect for the region.But as President Evo Morales headed home after an unplanned 14-hour layover in Vienna, there was no immediate sign that Latin America anger would translate into a rush to bring Snowden to the region that had been seen a

Insurgents unleashed a new wave of attacks on Tuesday in Iraq, killing at least 49 people, officials said, the latest in a surge in violence across the country that has raised concerns over a return to sectarian bloodshed. Also, seven militants were killed.There was no claim of responsibility for the attacks, mostly car bombs in Shiite areas. Al-Qaida's Iraq branch, which has been gaining strength in recent months, frequently targets Shiites, security forces and civil servants in an effort to un

The U.S. and China will hold their annual high-level talks on bilateral and global issues in Washington next week, the U.S. government announced Tuesday.The fifth round of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue will open on Wednesday for a two-day run.The U.S. will be represented by Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of the Treasury Jacob Lew, the Treasury said. Their Chinese counterparts will be State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Vice Premier Wang Yang.The session comes about a mo

Tightening the screws on North Korea, the Barack Obama administration imposed sanctions on a Myanmar military general Tuesday, saying he has bought weapons from Pyongyang in breach of U.N. Security Council resolutions.Lt. Gen. Thein Htay, the head of Burma's Directorate of Defense Industries (DDI), is accused of having supported the illegal trade of North Korean arms to Myanmar, according to the Treasury."Thein Htay has disregarded international requirements to stop purchasing military goods fro

The fate of Egypt's first democratically elected president hung in the balance Tuesday, hours before a deadline to yield to the demands of millions of protesters or see the military suspend the constitution, disband parliament and install a new leadership.Embattled Islamist President Mohammed Morsi vowed not to resign, however, and he demanded that the powerful armed forces withdraw their ultimatum, saying he rejected all ``dictates'' _ from home or abroad.In a speech to the nation, he pledged t

South Korea's foreign exchange reserves fell by the largest amount in 13 months in June due to repayment of maturing currency stabilization bonds and a stronger U.S. dollar, the central bank said Wednesday.The country's foreign reserves reached US$326.44 billion as of end-June, down $1.66 billion from a month ago, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).The FX reserves fell by the most since May last year when they declined by $5.97 billion. The June data also marked the lowest level since November

메이코 이토씨는 일반 일본 주부들과 달리 한국을 방문한 단 하나의 분명한 이유가 있다. 이 평범한 67세 일본 주부는 한국의 역사를 조금 더 가까이서 관찰하고 20세기 일제강점기때 한국인이 받은 고통과 안고 있는 상처를 이해하기 위해 긴 여정을 떠났다. 그녀는 현재 이화여자 대학교에서 한글을 배우면서 전범국 일본의 잔인한 실체를 확인하기 위해 틈틈이 전국의 유적지와 박물관으로 견학을 간다.이토씨는 “더 많은 일본인들이 야스쿠니 신사에 대한 진실과 한국 사람들이 받은 고통을 현실적으로 보고 인정했으면 좋겠다”라고 언론과의 인터뷰에서 밝혔다. 그녀는 또 “이번이 한국에서 공부할 수 있는 마지막 기회”라면서 한국 방문의 이유를 밝혔다.이토씨는 한국 문화에 대한 관심은 예전부터 많았다. 그러나 그녀는 “안녕 사요나라” (2005)라는 다큐를 보면서 일본의 역사 부정의 실체를 알게 되었으며, 이를 바로잡고자 나서게 되었다.“안녕 사요나라”는 한국 여성 이하자씨가 전쟁 중에 일본군으로 여겨졌던

Serena Williams joined a growing list of marquee names eliminated early at this wild and unpredictable Wimbledon.The defending champion and five-time Wimbledon winner failed to close out a see-saw third set Monday, dropping the last four games to Sabine Lisicki of Germany and losing 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 in the fourth round. The result ended Williams' career-best 34-match winning streak.It was the latest in a string of improbable exits to jolt the tournament, with defending champion Roger Federer and Ra

The director of the embattled Vatican bank and his deputy resigned Monday, the latest heads to roll in a broadening finance scandal that has already landed one Vatican monsignor in prison and added urgency to Pope Francis' reform efforts.The Vatican said in a statement that Paolo Cipriani and his deputy, Massimo Tulli, stepped down ``in the best interest of the institute and the Holy See.'' The speed with which they resigned, however, indicated that the decision was not entirely theirs.Cipriani,

South Korean teenager Kim Si-woo will make his long-awaited PGA Tour debut this week, having recently met the minimum age requirement to earn a full membership on the prestigious circuit.Last December, Kim became the youngest golfer to survive the notoriously difficult PGA Tour qualifying tournament, commonly known as the Q-School, at 17 years, five months and six days. Under the tour rule, however, he couldn't become a full-fledged member until his 18th birthday.Kim turned 18 last Friday and wi