미국 텍사스주(州) 중북부에 있는 비료공 장에서 17일(현지시간) 대형 폭발사고가 발생했다. 이에 따라 최소 100명에서 200여명에 이르는 사상자가 발생한 것으로 추정되고 있으나 현재 심야시간인데다 추가 폭발우려로 현장 접근이 어려워 정확한 사상자 숫자는 확인되지 않고 있다. ABC와 CNN 등 주요방송과 AP통신 등에 따르면 이날 오후 8시와 10시께 텍사스 웨이코 북부지역에 위치한 웨스트시의 비료공장에서 두차례의 폭발사고가 발생했다.텍사스주 공공안전국의 게일 스카보로 대변인은 ABC 방송에 "현시점에서 200여명이 부상했으며 이중 40명이 치명상을 입은 것으로 파악되고 있다"며 "그러나 사망 자 여부와 숫자는 불분명하다"고 말했다. 관계자들에 따르면 현지 힐크레스트 병원에만 60명 이상이 입원했고 인근의 다른 병원 두 곳에도 상당수의 환자들이 이송된 것으로 알려졌다. 사망자 숫자는 언론사에 따라 차이가 나고 있다. CNN 방송은 현시점에서 최소 두명의 구급대원이 사망한 것으로

미국 텍사스에서 비료공장이 터져 60~70명이 사망하고 수백명이 부상당했다고 AFP가 18일 (현지시간) 보도했다.AFP 통신은 사고가 일어난 텍사스 와코 지역의 비상 대책반 담당자 조지 스미스를 인용해 이와 같이 보도했다. 60~70 dead in Texas plant explosion: U.S. mediaAround 60 to 70 people were killed and hundreds more were injured by an explosion at a fertilizer plant in Texas, U.S., local media reported.(More to follow)

South Korean stocks moved down 0.32 percent late Thursday morning due mainly to losses in techs and autos, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) decreased 6.11 points, to 1,917.73 as of 11:20 a.m.Tech blue chips traded lower, with market behemoth Samsung Electronics falling 0.66 percent and its smaller affiliate LG Electronics losing 0.12 percent. Leading chipmaker SK hynix shed 2.78 percent.Carmakers also lost ground, with No. 1 player Hyundai Motor falling 1.3 p

Some 60 to 70 people were killed and hundreds were injured by an explosion at a fertilizer plant outside Waco, Texas, local media reported, citing the local emergency manager.The report could not be immediately verified by AFP, but KWTX television cited West Emergency Management Services Director George Smith as confirming the death toll.The explosion comes as the United States was on edge as it pieces through deadly explosions that hit the Boston marathon on Monday, followed by letters, apparen

Syria's president accused the West on Wednesday of backing al-Qaida in his country's civil war, warning it will pay a price “in the heart” of Europe and the United States as the terror network becomes emboldened.Bashar Assad also lashed out at Jordan for allowing “thousands” of fighters to enter Syria through its borders and warned that the “fire will not stop at Syria's border.” The rare TV interview with the government-run Al-Ikhbariya channel marking Syria's independence day comes as the emba

North Korea warned Thursday that South Korea and the United States should immediately halt all hostile actions and further provocations if they want to engage in dialogue and diffuse tensions on the Korean Peninsula.The North's powerful National Defense Commission and the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea (CPRK) said sanctions imposed by the U.N. Security Council against the DPRK must be rescinded and on-going nuclear war exercises should be stopped. DPRK stands for the Democrati

More than seven out of 10 primary and secondary school students in Seoul participated in private education and other extracurricular activities last year, with a majority of their parents feeling the pinch of high education costs, data showed Thursday.According to the data compiled by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, 73.5 percent of the city's primary, middle and high school students received supplementary education services in 2012, with their monthly expenditure averaging 425,000 won ($387.8

South Korean stocks opened lower Thursday, tracking overnight losses on Wall Street as U.S. firms posted lackluster quarterly results amid the jittery market, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 7.89 points, or 0.41 percent, to 1,915.95 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Most large-cap firms lost ground, with tech heavyweight Samsung Electronics slipping 0.4 percent and steelmaker POSCO dropping 1.6 percent. U.S. markets ended bearish overnight as some ma

A U.S. man was arrested and accused of sending letters to President Barack Obama and a senator that tested positive for the poison ricin, setting Washington on edge a day after the deadly Boston Marathon bombings.The FBI said Paul Kevin Curtis, 45, of Mississippi was arrested Wednesday. The FBI said there was no indication of a connection between the letters and the Boston bombing. The letters were postmarked April 8, before the marathon.Authorities still waited for definitive tests on the lette

The U.S. Senate blocked bipartisan legislation Wednesday aimed at tightening restrictions on the sale of firearms, a huge defeat for President Barack Obama and a rejection of personal pleas by families of the victims of last winter's mass elementary school shooting in Connecticut.An attempt to ban assault-style and a ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines were also rejected in series of showdown votes four months after a gunman killed 20 school children and six staff members at Sandy Hook Ele

Investigators of the deadly Boston Marathon bombing have an image from surveillance video of a man dropping off a bag containing one of the bombs, a politician said Wednesday.City Council President Stephen Murphy said he didn't know if investigators have identified the man, who was seen on surveillance footage from a nearby department store. Murphy said police involved in the probe say investigators have matched information from the footage with witness descriptions of someone leaving the scene.

Serbia and Kosovo raised hopes of a breakthrough deal after hours of talks between their premier Wednesday as the EU made a final push to normalize ties and turn a page on the continent's last trouble-spot.European Union foreign policy Chief Catherine Ashton called surprise talks in Brussels between Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic and Kosovo counterpart Hashim Thaci that kicked off in the morning just two weeks after an EU-brokered dialogue between the Balkans pair broke down despite two year

K-Pop star Psy's new single, "Gentleman," ranked 12th in the Billboard Hot 100 chart updated Wednesday, according to its official magazine.It is the second time that Psy has entered the main chart of Billboard, following "Gangnam Style," which swept the global pop music industry last year.The new song "launches at No. 1 on Streaming Songs with 8.6 million streams registered in the U.S. in just shy of two days since its posting on Saturday," the Billboard Biz said.The rise of both songs was appar

Letters sent to President Barack Obama and a Mississippi senator tested positive for poisonous ricin in preliminary checks, and authorities chased a stream of false alarms about seemingly suspicious packages and mail sent to senators in Washington and beyond.Authorities still waited for definitive tests on the letters to Obama and Sen. Roger Wicker which had raised concern Wednesday at a time when many people were jittery after the Boston bombings.An FBI intelligence bulletin obtained by The Ass