Discord began to spread within the main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) Friday as it faced growing pressure to pass a controversial bill seen as blocking the new government's launch.The bill, which calls for a reorganization of the government's structural layout, has been stuck in parliament since the end of January due to disagreement between the DUP and the ruling Saenuri Party.The deadlock has led new President Park Geun-hye to hold off on formally appointing chiefs of ministries tha

The great Mariano Rivera is getting set to close his career.The New York Yankees reliever plans to announce this weekend that he will retire after this season, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Thursday.The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because there was no official statement. A news conference was called for Saturday at the Yankees' spring training complex in Tampa, Florida.The 43-year-old closer is Major League Baseball's saves leader with 608.

Seven years of U.N. sanctions against North Korea have done nothing to derail Pyongyang's drive for a nuclear weapon capable of hitting the United States. They may have even bolstered the Kim family by giving their propaganda maestros ammunition to whip up anti-U.S. sentiment and direct attention away from government failures. In the wake of fresh U.N. sanctions leveled at North Korea on Thursday for its latest nuclear test, the question is: Will this time be different?Since 2006, North Korea ha

U.S. job growth probably continued at a modest but steady pace last month, buoyed by consumer spending and strength in the housing and auto industries.Economists forecast that employers added 152,000 jobs in February, according to a survey by FactSet, about the same as in January. The unemployment rate likely dipped to 7.8 percent from 7.9 percent.The Labor Department is scheduled to release the jobs report at 1330 GMT Friday.More hiring is needed to swiftly reduce the unemployment rate, which h

A 52-year-old man has been arrested on the charge of setting fire to a restaurant in Seoul's cultural district of Insa-dong last month, police said Friday.The suspect, only identified by his surname Ahn, is accused of torching the closed restaurant in the dense area of downtown central Seoul on Feb. 17, that ripped through a total of 11 buildings, they said. The blaze caused hundreds of tourists and residents in nearby neighborhoods to be evacuated.Ahn, with a record of mental illness, was found

South Korean President Park Geun-hye vowed Friday to deal strongly with North Korean provocations as tensions on the divided peninsula have risen sharply with the communist nation making harsh war threats day after day."Our current security situation is very grave. North Korea pressed ahead with a nuclear test and long-range missile development, and is threatening to nullify the Armistice Agreement," Park said during a joint commissioning ceremony for graduating military cadets at the Gyeryongda

A lawyer for a woman who says Michael Jordan fathered her teenage son is attacking the basketball hall of famer's allegation that her ex-husband has been established as boy's dad.Pamela Smith last month sued Jordan and asked that he take a paternity test and pay child support. Jordan has said he's not the father and filed motion to have her lawsuit dismissed.A lawyer for Jordan said in a court filing last week that Smith's divorce filings established her ex-husband as the teen's father. The resp

The Senate confirmed John Brennan to be CIA director Thursday after the Obama administration bowed to demands from Republicans blocking the nomination and stated explicitly there are limits on the president's power to use drones against U.S. terror suspects on American soil.The vote was 63-34 and came just hours after Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, a possible 2016 presidential candidate, held the floor past midnight in an old-style filibuster of the nomination to extract an answer from t