Samsung Electronics Co., the world's top smartphone maker, saw its fourth-quarter smartphone sales lag behind rival Apple Inc. due to robust demand for the U.S. firm's iPhone 5, data showed Monday.Samsung Electronics claimed 28.7 percent of the global smartphone market in the three-month period in terms of revenue, following Apple's 42.7 percent, according to the data by market researcher Strategy Analytics.The change in ranking was largely attributed to robust demand for Apple's iPhone 5, its f

Ahn Cheol-soo, a South Korean software mogul who dropped out of last year's presidential race to support an opposition candidate, was to arrive home from a months-long overseas trip later Monday to run for a parliamentary seat in next month's by-election.Ahn, who founded South Korea's largest anti-virus software firm AhnLab, enjoyed immense popularity among young liberal voters ahead of the December presidential election, posing a serious challenge to the ruling and opposition party contenders.T

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is riding a popularity wave unseen by six immediate predecessors as he pushes his Bank of Japan nominees through a divided parliament, raising the odds of the ruling party winning a July election. Buoyed by a surge in the benchmark stock index to a 4 1/2 year high -- spurred by his anti-deflation policy -- Abe has the highest approval ratings since Junichiro Koizumi stepped down in 2006. This week he may secure his biggest achievement since he took the helm in December,

Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles on Sunday launched what many consider a doomed candidacy to replace Hugo Chavez with a no-holds-barred attack against a government he accused of coldly betraying Venezuelans' trust.Chavez's political heirs have toyed with Venezuelans' hopes, lying to them about his deteriorating health by suggesting he could recover and even producing decrees he supposedly signed, said Capriles, whom Chavez defeated by a 12-point margin in October. He did not make d

남아프리카 공화국에서 한 8세 소년이 61세 여성과 결혼식을 올렸다.영국 데일리 메일, 미러 등이 보도한 바에 따르면 최근 츠와니 지방에서 사넬레란 이름의 소년과 헬런 샤방구 씨와의 결혼식이 열렸다고 한다. 이 커플은 100여명의 하객들 앞에서 반지교환과 키스를 나눴다.사넬레의 어머니인 메이션스 마시엘라 (46) 씨는 이번 결혼은 아이의 할아버지의 마지막 소원을 이뤄주기 위한 것이었다고 설명했다.“사넬레의 이름은 할아버지 이름을 따서 지어졌죠. 그 분은 결혼식을 하지 못한 채 돌아가셨고, 그 것 때문에 아이에게 결혼을 대신 해달라고 하셨어요. 헬런을 선택한 이유는 그분이 헬런을 사랑했기 때문이죠”라고 마시엘라 씨는 말했다.그녀는 결혼식은 조상들을 기쁘게 하기 위한 것이라며 만약 결혼식을 거행하지 않았으면 나쁜 일들이 일어날 것이라고 덧붙였다.사넬레와 샤방구 씨의 이번 결혼은 정식 결혼은 아니기 때문에 두 사람은 혼인 증명서에 사인하지 않았으며 동거할 의무도 없다. 샤방구 씨는 결혼

잉글랜드 프로축구의 명문팀 맨체스터 유나이티 드(맨유)와 첼시가 잉글랜드 축구협회(FA)컵 8강전에서 4골을 주고받는 치열한 경기를 펼쳤지만 승부를 내지 못했다.맨유와 첼시는 10일(현지시간) 영국 맨체스터의 올드 트래퍼드에서 열린 2012-2013 FA컵 8강전에서 2-2로 비겼다.이에 따라 양팀은 추후 첼시의 홈 경기장인 스탬퍼드 브리지에서 재경기를 해 4강 진출자를 다시 결정한다.지난달 레알 마드리드와의 유럽축구연맹(UEFA) 챔피언스리그 8강에서 진 탓에 '트레블 크라운(UEFA 챔피언스리그, 정규리그, FA컵 우승)'이 무산된 맨유는 FA컵에 총력을 기울였다.첼시 역시 정규리그에서 만족할 만한 성적을 내지 못하고 FA컵 우승에 올 시즌의 운명을 건 상황이어서 양팀은 미리부터 혈투를 예고했다.먼저 골을 터뜨리고 경기를 주도한 것은 맨유였다.맨유는 전반 4분 마이클 캐릭의 롱패스를 받은 하비에르 에르난데스(치차리토)가 헤딩슛을 성공, 앞서 나갔다.전반 11분에는 웨인 루니가 찬

Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched in dozens of Spanish cities on Sunday to protest sky-high unemployment, what they say is the government*s inefficient handling of the economy and corruption scandals.Many protesters carried placards critical of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's ruling Popular Party, which is immersed in a corruption investigation centered on former treasurer Luis Barcenas and alleged under-the-table payments to party officials while in opposition.King Juan Carlos' son-in-l

Radical Islamic fighters killed seven foreign hostages in Nigeria, European diplomats said Sunday, making it the worst such kidnapping violence in decades for a country beset by extremist guerrilla attacks. Nigeria's police, military, domestic spy service and presidency remained silent over the killings of the construction company workers, kidnapped Feb. 16 from northern Bauchi state. The government's silence only led to more questions about the nation's continued inability to halt attacks that

A round of heated debates over the effects of the South Korea-U.S. free trade agreement (FTA) is expected in the U.S. capital this week, as the two sides mark the first anniversary of the implementation of the historic deal.After years of political controversies and tumultuous ratification procedures, the agreement, dubbed "KORUS FTA," went into effect on March 15 last year. It is arguably the U.S.'s most commercially significant free trade agreement in almost two decades.South Korea's oppositio

North Korea severed the inter-Korean communication hotline that runs through the truce village of Panmunjom following its threat to do so last week, South Korea's unification ministry said Monday.The ministry said the North seems to have disconnected the emergency link set up to ensure prompt two-way communication to deal with any sudden developments along the demilitarized zone that separates the two Koreas. It said attempts to contact the North by telephone at 9 a.m. failed.Pyongyang warned la

South Korean Sin Da-woon was crowned the men's overall champion at the World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Debrecen, Hungary, on Sunday.Sin earned 89 total points by winning two races and finishing second in another one at the annual event. His compatriot Kim Yun-jae scored 55 points to finish second in the overall standings.Sin won the men's 1,000 meters on Sunday with a time of 1:30.374, beating out Sjinkie Knegt of the Netherlands. This was Sin's second title of this year's world