President Bashar Assad has traveled to Moscow in his first known trip abroad since war broke out in Syria in 2011, meeting his strongest ally Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The two leaders stressed that military operations in Syria_ in which Moscow is the latest and most powerful addition_ must lead to a political process. The surprise visit Tuesday reflects renewed confidence from the embattled Syrian president after Russia and Iran, another staunch ally, dramatically escalated their support re

Prosecutors raided the home and office of the dead nephew of the nation’s largest pyramid schemer on Wednesday as they try to find evidence that the conman may be alive.Cho Hee-pal has been at large since 2008 and is suspected of swindling about 4 trillion won ($3.5 billion) from an estimated 50,000 people, according to prosecutors in Daegu, South Gyeongsang Province, where Cho started the scheme.Cho, who would be 58 if alive, allegedly asked people to invest in a medical device business from 20

South Korea’s state-run gas corporation said Wednesday that it will import 2.8 million tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) annually from the United States starting in 2017.The amount to be imported is equal to 10 percent of what the country needs per annum, Korea Gas Corp. (KOGAS) said. It added that bringing in LNG from North America can reduce the country’s dependence on imports from existing suppliers.Asia’s fourth largest economy is one of the largest consumers of natural gas in the world, w

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has reshuffled his Cabinet to focus on reviving the world's No. 3 economy.A newly appointed minister will steer programs aimed at achieving a strong economy and increased birth rate so the population stabilizes and the country can stay afloat.  Nine ministers were replaced in the reshuffle Wednesday, while key posts, including the foreign, defense and finance ministers, were unchanged.Abe pushed through unpopular security legislation last month and is refocusin

Sweden's Tomas Lindahl, Paul Modrich of the US and Aziz Sancar, a Turkish-American, won the 2015 Nobel Chemistry Prize on Wednesday for work on how cells repair damaged DNA.The three opened a dazzling frontier in medicine by unveiling how the body repairs DNA mutations that can cause sickness and contribute to ageing, the Nobel jury said."Their systematic work has made a decisive contribution to the understanding of how the living cell functions, as well as providing knowledge about the molecula

Education-related institutes in South Korea have been hacked over 120,000 times in the past five years, a lawmaker said Monday.From 2011 to August of this year, a total of 121,185 cyberattacks occurred on education institutes, said Rep. Rhee Chong-hoon of the ruling Saenuri Party. Citing data from Korea Education and Research Information Service, he said that government institutes including the Education Ministry, Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation and Korean Educational Development I

Roughly 75 percent of victims and survivors in last year’s Sewol ferry tragedy have filed for government compensation, the government said Thursday. According to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, families of 208 out of 304 killed or missing have agreed to accept the government’s offer of financial compensation, which is expected to reach up to 470 million won ($399,000) per victim.The families of nine who remain unaccounted for have also requested the compensation, after the ministry vowed t

South Korean prosecutors have requested a preliminary arrest warrant for a former spokesman of the Education Ministry on suspicion of receiving kickbacks from a local college, officials said Thursday.Kim, 48, is believed to have received money and favors worth 60 million won ($51,000) from chairman Lee Jung-hak of Sohae College in Gusan, North Jeolla Province, according to the Jeonju District Prosecutor’s Office. Lee has been investigated for allegedly embezzling some 14.6 billion won in school

Russia launched its first air strikes in Syria on Wednesday after President Vladimir Putin won parliamentary permission to use force abroad, the United States said. A U.S. official said the strike was near the city of Homs in what is Moscow’s first engagement in a distant theatre of war since the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.Russia’s deepening engagement in Syria comes as Putin and U.S. President Barack Obama push rival plans on ways to defeat the Islamic State group in Syria and on the futu

A group of 119 minority shareholders filed a class action suit against Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. on Wednesday, demanding 4.1 billion won (US$3.47 million) in compensation for losses from an investment made based on the company’s doctored financial statement.The plaintiff filed the suit with the Seoul Central District Court, claiming the shipbuilder exaggerated profits in the 2014 financial statement by lowering production costs and hiding losses. They also held Deloitte Anjin

A youth employment fund proposed by President Park Geun-hye drew 1.92 billion won (US$1.62 million) from about 50,000 people in the first five days after its creation on Sept. 21, the presidential office said Wednesday. Park proposed to establish a private fund that helps create jobs for young people to supplement state programs as youth unemployment has become a serious social problem in Asia’s fourth-largest economy. Park donated 20 million won and promised to give 3.2 million won, or 20 perce