TUPELO, Mississippi (AP) -- Law enforcement officials searched the home of a second man in connection to ricin-laced letters sent to President Barack Obama and a U.S. senator after charges were dropped without explanation against a man arrested in the case last week.Everett Dutschke, whose home was searched Tuesday by dozens of officials, some in hazmat suits, had feuded with Paul Kevin Curtis, a 45-year-old celebrity impersonator who had maintained his innocence since his arrest.The search bega

The ratio of South Korea's household debt against disposable income rose to the highest level in nine years in 2012 as debt grew at a faster pace than income amid the economic slowdown, central bank data showed Wednesday.The ratio of households' debt against their disposable income came in at 136 percent in 2012, slightly up from 134 percent in the previous year, according to data by the Bank of Korea (BOK).The 2012 figure marked the highest level since 2003 when the central bank began to compil

A man accused of plotting with al-Qaida members in Iran to derail a train in Canada rejected the charges and said Tuesday that authorities were basing their conclusions on appearances. Law enforcement officials in the U.S. said the target was a train that runs between New York City and Canada.Canadian investigators say Raed Jaser, 35, and his suspected accomplice Chiheb Esseghaier, 30, received guidance _ but no money _ from members of al-Qaida in Iran. Iran released a statement saying it had no

France legalized gay marriage on Tuesday after a wrenching national debate that has exposed deep conservatism in the nation's heartland and triggered huge protests that tapped into deep discontent with the Socialist government.Legions of officers with water cannon braced outside the National Assembly for violence that had not come by late evening. The protests against the measure included thousands but were peaceful. Other gatherings were simply celebrations. But it was an issue that galvanized

Polls opened Wednesday for the first by-elections to be held under the new government of President Park Geun-hye, in what is seen as a crucial test of public support for the administration.Voting began at 6 a.m. at 283 polling stations in the 12 electoral districts nationwide and is to run until 8 p.m. At stake are three parliamentary seats and nine posts in local governments and councils.The focal point of attention is the possible comeback of former presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo, who is

SK hynix Inc., the world's No. 2 memory chip maker, said Wednesday it returned to profit in the first quarter on the back of an improved product mix.Net profit reached 179 billion won ($159 million) in the January-March period, reversing from a loss of 271 billion won the previous year, SK hynix said in a regulatory filing.Revenue increased 16.4 percent on-year to 2.78 trillion won in the first quarter. SK hynix said it posted an operating income of 317 billion won in the first three months of t

South Korean stocks opened higher on Wednesday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street following expectations that U.S. firms fared well in the first quarter, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) gained 10.2 points, or 0.53 percent, to 1928.83 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Shares gathered ground across the board, with market behemoth Samsung Electronics rising 0.27 percent and top chipmaker SK hynix adding 2.08 percent. No. 1 carmaker Hyundai Motor moved up

A man has received a suspended prison term for blackmailing figure skater Kim Yu-na demanding that she not appear in a liquor advertisement, court officials said Wednesday.The Seoul Central District Court sentenced the defendant, only identified by his surname Choi, to eight months in prison, suspended for two years.Choi, 39, was found guilty of sending a total of 47 emails to the figure skating star between April and May 2012 threatening her safety if a beer TV commercial that she was in is air

Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Beijing Tuesday with the top U.S. military general as Washington steps up efforts to get Beijing's support in trying to prevent North Korea from taking further provocative steps and to put it back on a denuclearization course.In talks with U.S. Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Xi called for deeper mutual trust between the global powers, according to China's official Xinhua News Agency.In Washington, the U.S. government said Demp

Charges were dropped Tuesday against the man accused of sending ricin-laced letters to President Barack Obama and others, while authorities searched at another man's home in connection with the case.The surprising move was announced in a brief document filed in federal court in Oxford hours after Paul Kevin Curtis was released from custody. The charges were dismissed without prejudice, which means they could be re-instated if prosecutors so choose.Attorneys for Curtis have suggested he was frame

A car bomb blasted the embassy of France in Tripoli early Tuesday, injuring two French guards and causing serious damage to the building, embassy and Libyan sources said.An AFP correspondent at the site said the wall surrounding the property was destroyed and the embassy building extensively damaged. Two cars parked near the embassy were also destroyed.The explosion occurred around 7:00 am (0500 GMT), residents said.A French source confirmed an "attack" against the embassy and said one guard was

Consensus was reached between ruling and opposition parties on Tuesday to extend the legal retirement age of South Korean workers to 60 beginning in 2016.Under the agreement, the public sector and big businesses with 300 or more employees should mandatorily set the retirement age at 60 from 2016 and other firms from 2017.The ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic United Party recommended the public sector and big businesses to gradually adopt the new retirement age. Currently, n