A United Nations body voted Thursday to embark on a formal investigation into human rights violations in North Korea, a move viewed as largely symbolic but significant in sending a message to Pyongyang.In a meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, the U.N. Human Rights Council unanimously passed a resolution calling for the establishment of a three-member Commission of Inquiry on North Korean Human Rights for a one-year mission. The time of its operation can be extended.It is required to report the resul

미국 대통령 버락 오바마가 이스라엘을 방문하고 있는 가운데 21일 (현지시간) 팔레스타인 무장조직 하마스가 이스라엘 남부에 로켓공격을 감행했다.현지 경찰이 발표한 바에 따르면 하마스가 통치하고 있는 가자지구에서 남부 이스라엘 스데롯 마을에 로켓 두 발을 발사했다고 한다. 이 중 한발은 오전 7시경 한 가정에, 또 한발은 들판에 떨어졌으며 사상자는 없었다.이 지역은 오바마가 대선 후보이던 지난 2008년 방문한 곳이다.집권 후 처음으로 이스라엘을 방문 중인 오바마 대통령은 이번 방문을 통해 집권 1기 내내 껄끄러웠던 베냐민 네타냐후 총리와의 유대를 강화하는데 노력했다.그는 이스라엘의 미사일 방어 시스템인 ‘아이언 돔’을 시찰한 데 이어 시오니즘 이론가인 시어 도르 헤르츨의 묘와 ‘사해의 서’ 박물관 등도 방문했다.그는 이어 팔레스타인 서안지구를 방문할 예정이다. 그는 이스라엘과 팔레스타인 사이의 평화협정 재개를 위해 양측을 설득할 것으로 알려졌다. (코리아헤럴드) <관련 영문 기사>R

Part of the malicious code that paralyzed network systems at South Korean banks and TV broadcasters came from a Chinese Internet Protocol (IP) address, Seoul's communications watchdog said Thursday.Local TV broadcasters KBS, MBC and YTN along with Shinhan, NongHyup and Jeju banks suffered a massive network failure on Wednesday that halted financial services and crippled operations.Following an analysis of source codes, the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) announced that the incident was cau

North Korea's nuclear and missile programs have moved forward faster than expected, especially since the transition of leadership a year ago, a top U.S. military commander told lawmakers Wednesday."I think that North Korea proceeded at a pace faster than we had anticipated," Army Gen. Charles Jacoby, head of the U.S. Northern Command, said at a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee.His command is tasked with managing the operation of the U.S. homeland missile defense system.Among many fa

South Korea doesn't need to feel pressed for time in deciding whether to join the ongoing Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, a top U.S. trade official said Wednesday."There's no formal deadline," Acting U.S. Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis said at a press conference for foreign journalists in Washington. "The idea is that if economies aren't ready right now, that they'll be able to join once it's done and essentially accede to the TPP."Marantis said an envisioned TPP deal woul

The Senate approved a huge spending bill to keep the government open through the end of September, preventing a shutdown next week but locking in $85 billion in budget cuts that will mean job furloughs for hundreds of thousands of federal workers.The bipartisan 73-26 vote in the Democratic-controlled Senate sends the measure to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, which is expected to approve it on Thursday and ship it to President Barack Obama for his signature. The vote represen

Venezuela's government has halted lines of communication established by a top U.S. diplomat to protest what it says has been U.S. interference in the country's internal affairs ahead of an election set next month to replace the late President Hugo Chavez. Foreign Minister Elias Jaua said in a news conference Wednesday that U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta Jacobson had violated Venezuela's sovereignty despite reaching out to the South American country's gov

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday stood by its efforts to keep borrowing costs at record lows, saying it isn't yet convinced that the U.S. economy's growth can accelerate without significant help from the central bank.It wants to see sustained improvement.Fed officials reinforced their plan to keep short-term interest rates at rock-bottom levels at least until unemployment falls to 6.5 percent.An unemployment rate of 6.5 percent is a threshold, not a “trigger,” for a possible rate increase, Chair

Banks in Cyprus will not open before Tuesday at the earliest as government officials try to find a new plan to stave off financial ruin, the central bank's spokeswoman said Wednesday.Aliki Stylianou said the banks would remain shut for another two days, Thursday and Friday. Monday is a national bank holiday in Cyprus.The cash-strapped lenders have been closed since Saturday, when Cyprus said it would raid bank deposits to help fund its international bailout package, to avoid a bank run.The Parli

A lawyer for IMF chief Christine Lagarde says French investigators have searched her Paris home as part of an inquiry into her role in a $400 million arbitration deal in favor of a tycoon.The lawyer, Yves Repiquet (eev ruh-PEE-kay), says Lagarde has nothing to hide and welcomed Wednesday's search as another step in proving her innocence.Lagarde was France's finance minister when magnate Bernard Tapie won a 2008 settlement with a state-owned bank over the mishandled sale of Adidas in the 1990s. C