Simultaneous car bombings killed more than 50 people and left a trail of destruction in a town near Syria's capital on Wednesday, as rebels downed a military aircraft for a second straight day.The explosives-packed cars were detonated at daybreak in a pro-regime neighborhood of the mainly Christian and Druze town of Jaramana, residents, state media and a rights watchdog reported.The blasts ripped through a central square near a petrol station, sending residents fleeing in panic.There was a ball

South Korea and Paraguay have agreed to strengthen their economic cooperation, as they mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties, the foreign ministry here said Wednesday.Jang Keun-ho, head of the Latin American and Caribbean Bureau of Seoul's foreign ministry, and his Paraguayan counterpart Julio Cesar Arriola held a Joint Economic Commission, the fifth of its kind, in Seoul a day earlier, and discussed ways to strengthen ties on a wide range of issues of mutual concern, including trade, inv

음란 영상이나 사진 등을 많이 보는 사람들은 단기기억 장애에 시달릴 확률이 높다는 연구결과가 나왔다.독일 뒤스베르크-에센 대학 연구진은 음란한 이미지가 사람의 기억력에 미치는 영향을 알아보기 위해, 이성애자인 평균 26세인 독일 남성 28명에게 성적(sexual)이거나 성적이지 않은 이미지를 무작위로 배치한 다음 연속으로 보게 했다.이후 연구진은 참자자들에게 “지금 보고 있는 이미지가 이전에 봤던 이미지와 동일하냐”고 물어본 다음 “예,” “아니오”로 답하게 했다.이는 참가자들의 작업 기억 (working memory)을 시험하기 위한 것으로서, 작업 기억은 과제를 수행하는 도중 정보를 유지하는 능력을 일컫는다. 작업 기억은 추론, 문제 해결, 혹은 의사 결정 등 복잡한 지적 과제를 수행하는데 필수적인 것으로 알려져 있다.실험 결과 참가자들은 성적인 이미지를 본 다음에는 정답률이 67퍼센트에 그쳤지만, 사람이 웃거나 운동을 하는 등 성적이지 않은 이미지를 본 경우에는 정답률이 80퍼

The online version of China's Communist Party newspaper has hailed a report by The Onion naming North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un as the “Sexiest Man Alive” _ not realizing it is satire.The People's Daily on Tuesday ran a 55-page photo spread on its website in a tribute to the round-faced leader, under the headline “North Korea's top leader named The Onion's Sexiest Man Alive for 2012.”Quoting The Onion's spoof report, the Chinese newspaper wrote, `'With his devastatingly handsome, round face, h

The U.S. government remained guarded Tuesday about multiple reports that North Korea appears to be working toward another ballistic missile test.The U.S. attitude marks a contrast with continued intelligence leaks by South Korean and Japanese officials on Pyongyang's missile activities."I'm obviously not going to comment on intelligence issues,"State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said at a press briefing."I'm talking about any intelligence we might have about any DPRK intentions."DPRK s

South Korea posted a current account surplus for the ninth straight month in October as exports gained ground, weathering the global slowdown and the local currency's gain, the central bank said Wednesday.The current account surplus reached US$5.82 billion in October, down from a revised $5.91 billion in the previous month, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). The current account is the broadest measure of cross-border trade.In the first 10 months of this year, the cumulative current account su

The same chants used against Hosni Mubarak were turned against his successor Tuesday as more than 200,000 people packed Egypt’s Tahrir Square in the biggest challenge yet to Islamist President Mohammed Morsi. The massive, flag-waving throng protesting Morsi’s assertion of near-absolute powers rivaled some of the largest crowds that helped drive Mubarak from office last year.“The people want to bring down the regime!” and “erhal, erhal” _ Arabic for “leave, leave” _ rang out across the plaza, thi

The credit rating agency Fitch Ratings on Tuesday downgraded Argentina, which is locked in a court battle in New York over its debt, and said the country would probably default.Fitch cut its long-term rating for Argentina to “CC” from “B,” a downgrade of five notches, and cut its short-term rating to “C” from “B.” A rating of “C” is one step above default.U.S. judge Thomas Griesa of Manhattan federal court last week ordered Argentina to set aside $1.3 billion for certain investors in its bonds b

North Korea may fire off a long-range missile in the next two months, military sources in Seoul said Tuesday, amid speculation that the communist nation is in the final stage of preparations for a launch. Images taken by U.S. satellites showed a marked increase in activity at a North Korean missile launch site in its northwestern tip, suggesting that the country is stepping up preparations for a long-range ballistic missile test.Last week, Japan's Asahi Shimbun reported the U.S. satellites had p

Preparations were underway on Tuesday for a mass rally in Cairo's Tahrir Square to protest against a decree by Islamist President Mohamed Morsi granting him broad powers.Activists who have been camping out in the square since Friday were hoisting banners on lampposts slamming the Muslim Brotherhood, on whose ticket Morsi ran for office."The Muslim Brotherhood stole the revolution" read one banner. Another said the president was "pushing the people to civil disobedience."A new clinic was set up i

Swedish telecommunications equipment maker Ericsson said Tuesday that it was suing South Korean rival Samsung in a U.S. court for violating patents.“Ericsson has today filed a lawsuit in the United States against Samsung for infringing its patents, after nearly two years of negotiations failed to reach an agreement,” a statement said.“The dispute concerns both Ericsson's patented technology that is essential to several telecommunications and networking standards used by Samsung's products as wel

A satellite image by a U.S. company on Tuesday showed increased activity at North Korea's launch site used to fire off long-range missiles amid wide speculation over the North's looming missile test.The image taken on Nov. 23 and released by DigitalGlobe shows "a marked increase in activity at North Korea's Sohae Satellite Launch Station," the U.S. imagery provider said, referring to the North's west coast launch site, often used to send off long-range missiles. The launching site, also known as

South Korea's pop sensation Psy is a candidate for the U.S. weekly news magazine TIME's "Person of the Year 2012."Psy whose real name is Park Jae-sang was on the list of 38 candidates along with U.S. President Barack Obama, late former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and Xi Jinping, the new leader of China's ruling Communist Party, the magazine's Web site showed Tuesday."Korean rapper Psy's slick, wickedly satirical video 'Gangnam Style' broke all kinds of sound barriers this year, clocking more