South Korean stocks opened lower Wednesday as investors continued to take a breather ahead of the U.S. Federal Open Market Committee slated for Dec. 17-18, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) edged down 2.43 points, or 0.12 percent, to 1,991.02 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Tech shares traded mixed, with No. 1 Samsung Electronics falling 0.28 percent, while its smaller rival LG Electronics added 1.04 percent. Top chipmaker SK hynix advanced 1.23 percent.Shi

Defiant demonstrators faced off with thousands of riot police on Kiev's central square as the sun rose Wednesday after an overnight confrontation in which police removed some barricades and tents from the protesters' camp and scuffled with demonstrators.Squadrons of police in helmets and bearing metal shields converged about 1 a.m. on Independence Square, where anti-government protesters have been gathering around the clock to demand the resignation of the government in a crisis that threatens t

Congressional negotiators reached a modest U.S. budget agreement Tuesday to restore about $65 billion in automatic spending cuts from programs ranging from parks to the Defense Department, with votes expected in both houses by week's end.Officials said the increases would be offset by a variety of spending reductions and increased fees elsewhere in the budget totaling about $85 billion over a decade, enough for a largely symbolic cut of roughly $20 billion in the nation's $17 trillion debt.While

South Korea's import prices declined for the 15th straight month in November as oil prices fell and the local currency gained against the U.S. dollar, the central bank said Wednesday.In local currency terms, the country's import prices declined 4.9 percent in November from a year earlier, smaller than the 7.3 percent on-year fall in October, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).It marked the 15th consecutive month of on-year declines in import prices since September last year when such prices di

An investigative hearing on the cause of an Asiana Airlines passenger jet crash in late July has been rescheduled to open on Wednesday, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).It originally planned to hold a two-day hearing from Tuesday at its Washington headquarters but had to postpone due to inclement weather in the Washington, D.C. area.The hearing has been "rescheduled for tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. Condensed to one day, (it) will run until 8 p.m.," the NTSB announced.The hea

South Korea's jobless rate slightly dropped in November from a month earlier as job creation picked up speed, raising hopes that labor market conditions are improving, a government report showed Wednesday.According to the report by Statistics Korea, the jobless rate stood at 2.7 percent last month, down from 2.8 percent in October.The jobless rate adjusted for inflation also inched down to 2.9 percent from the previous month's 3 percent.Job creation accelerated sharply. The number of employed pe

울산에서 한 20대 남성이 성형수술 후 숨져 경찰이 수사에 나섰다.울산 남부경찰서는 10일, 20대 후반의 한 남성이 지난달 18일, 울산 남구 삼산동에 위치한 한 성형외과에서 코와 눈에 성형수술을 받았다가, 이후 염증이 생기는 등 이상이 발생해 결국 지난 7일 사망했다고 밝혔다. 이 남성은 부산의 한 대형병원을 포함해 여러 병원에서 치료를 받았으나 증세가 나아지지 않았다고 한다.유족들은 성형외과가 수술 및 치료를 잘못했다고 주장하고 있는데, 경찰은 해당 성형외과, 그리고 치료 과정에서 내원한 다른 병원의 과실여부를 조사할 방침이다. 또한 성형수술이 실제로 사망과 관련이 있는지 밝히기 위해 시신을 부검할 예정이다. <관련 영문 기사>Man dies after plastic surgery in UlsanUlsan Police on Tuesday said it is investigating a case of a man who died 20 days after getting plastic

A Chinese newspaper lashed out Tuesday at the state broadcaster for crediting the country's choking air pollution with making the nation more equal, branding it a sycophantic stunt to curry favor with Communist authorities.China Central Television (CCTV) carried a commentary on its website that claimed the smoggy haze, which has worsened in recent years and blanketed many Chinese cities last week, has "brought about five advantages to the nation and the individuals"."The forcefulness of smog has

South Korean stocks closed 0.35 percent lower Tuesday as investors sat on the sidelines amid the weak growth momentum in the market, analysts said. The local currency inched up against the U.S. dollar to reach a year-high level.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) moved down 6.93 points to 1,993.45. Trading volume was low at 195.7 million shares worth 2.95 trillion won ($2.8 billion) with losers outpacing gainers 484 to 318.Analysts said Seoul shares lost ground as investors t