A South Korean fishing boat sank in waters far south of the country's southern island of Jeju on Friday, leaving four dead and four missing, the Coast Guard and the foreign ministry said.The 29-ton Hwanggeum 3005 carrying nine people -- two Chinese and seven South Koreans -- caught fire in waters 289 nautical miles off of Jeju's city of Seogwipo around 3:40 a.m., due to an unidentified cause, they said. The boat went down about three hours and 40 minutes later after being burned down. One Chines

China's economy is finally rebounding from its deepest slump since the 2008 global crisis but the shaky recovery could be vulnerable to a new downturn in global trade.Growth rose to 7.9 percent in the three months ending in December, up from the previous quarter's 7.4 percent data showed Friday. For the year, the economy grew by 7.8 percent, which was China's weakest annual performance since the 1990s.Retail spending and factory output rose, but analysts say China could suffer a setback if expor

U.S. troops in South Korea will continue to be restricted to their bases from 1 to 5 a.m. for "mission readiness," according to their top commander."This curfew is imposed due to operation and mission-readiness requirements," Gen. James Thurman, chief of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), said in a recent memorandum carried by the Stars and Stripes, a U.S. military newspaper. "I expect USFK will maintain an appropriate state of awareness and mission preparedness for a significant period."Former USFK

Regional powers have managed to produce "significant progress" in their drawn-out talks on how to punish North Korea for its latest rocket launch, multiple diplomatic sources said Thursday.But nobody can pin down the exact timing of a deal, a source in Washington said."It's true that there has been significant progress in the discussions at the U.N. Security Council," one source told Yonhap News Agency. "Members of the council are working to finalize the consultations. There is a common percepti

North Korea's young leader is more likely to opt for additional rocket launches than pulling out a nuclear test card in the foreseeable future, a renowned U.S. expert said Thursday.The chances of a nuclear test are "still less than 50-50," Frederick Fleitz, formerly a CIA official, told Yonhap News Agency.Fleitz worked at the CIA for 19 years, dealing with weapons intelligence, nonproliferation and arms control.In the early 2000s, he also worked as chief of staff to John Bolton and Robert Joseph

Algerian helicopters and special forces stormed a gas plant in the stony plains of the Sahara on Thursday to wipe out Islamist militants and free hostages from at least 10 countries. Bloody chaos ensued, leaving the fate of the fighters and many of the captives uncertain.Dueling claims from the military and the militants muddied the world's understanding of an event that angered Western leaders, raised world oil prices and complicated the international military operation in neighboring Mali. At

최근 임산부가 독감 예방주사를 맞는 것이 아이에게 더 안전하다는 연구결과가 나와서 화제다. 미국 의학전문지 뉴잉글랜드 저널 오브 메디신(New England Journal of Medicine) 에 따르면 백신을 맞은 산모의 태아사망률이 그렇지 않은 산모보다 25퍼센트 더 낮다. 스웨덴과 미국에서 공동진행된 이번 연구는 신종플루가 기승을 부렸던 2009년과 2010년에 아이를 가진 가임 여성 11만 3천 331명을 대상으로 진행되었다. 연구기간동안 총 사망한 태아는 492명이었다. 이중 414명은 8만7천335명의 예방 주사를 맞지 않은 임산부로부터, 78명은 2만5천976명의 예방주사를 맞은 임산부로부터 발생했다. 예방주사를 맞은 산모의 독감에 걸릴 확률은 그렇지 않은 산모보다 70퍼센트 가량 더 낮다. 하지만 대다수의 여성은 태아에게 악영향을 끼칠 것을 우려해 예방주사를 맞길 꺼려하고 있다. 이번 연구를 이끈 카밀라 스톤버그 박사는 그러한 관습적인 생각에서 벗어나 예방주사를 맞기

Hyundai Rotem was pounded by a U.S.-based public transportation agency for failing to follow through with a $190 million contract for providing new commuter rail cars.The U.S. company -- the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, or MBTA -- has consequently threatened to terminate the contract in case of further delays. According to a letter sent to Hyundai Rotem on Dec. 21 last year from Jonathan Davis, the MBTA’s chief financial officer, obtained by The Boston Globe, the procurement contr

South Korea's presidential transition team on Thursday reversed an earlier announcement that North Korea is suspected of hacking attacks on it, blaming miscommunication for the reversal."We were told by security authorities this morning to pay more attention to (computer) security as the Internet network of the press room is vulnerable to outside hacking forces," a committee official said. "It is not confirmed whether there have been hacking attempts by North Korea."The official said there was a

The United States will on Thursday recognize the first Somali government in two decades, heralding a significant shift in ties since the deadly 1993 attack on U.S. helicopters over Mogadishu.The beginning of the new chapter will come when U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton exchanges diplomatic notes with visiting Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, a top U.S. official said Wednesday."The visit here this week of the new Somalian president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud represents a significant ch