The Dow edged higher to a fresh record Monday after topping 16,000 for the first time, while the S&P 500 breached 1,800 but pulled back in late trade.The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed with a meager gain of 14.32 points (0.09 percent) at 15,976.02 after reaching an intraday high of 16,030.28 shortly after the market opened. It was the blue-chip Dow's fourth consecutive record close.The broad-based S&P 500 shed 6.65 (0.37 percent) at 1,791.53, falling heavily in late-afternoon trade after ea

A U.S. appeals court issued an order Monday for a district court to reconsider Apple's bid to prohibit Samsung Electronics from selling some smartphones in the U.S. market.The ruling by the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit offers a new twist in the long-running patent row between the rival firms.In December, the U.S. District Court in Northern California rejected the injunction request filed by Apple against the South Korean tech giant. Apple has claimed that Samsung products infringed o

South Korean stocks traded 0.48 percent higher late Monday morning, buoyed by gains in autos and oil refiners, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) climbed 9.7 points to 2,015.34 as of 11:20 a.m.Industry leader Hyundai Motor soared 2 percent and top oil refiner SK Innovation rose 1.8 percent. In contrast, some financial blue-chips fell. No. 4 banking group Shinhan Financial shed 1.2 percent, with Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, South Korea's No. 1 nonlife insur

The labor ministry said Monday it has begun looking into allegations that Samsung Group instructed its subsidiaries to foil any attempt by their workers to organize labor unions.The move comes after an opposition lawmaker unveiled the conglomerate's 2012 document on labor-management affairs strategy on Oct. 14, which carries an instruction that companies should lead employees to disorganize a trade union if one is established. Based on the document, the Korean Metal Workers' Union, Lawyers for a

South Korea's economic growth is expected to outperform Japan's growth for the 15th straight year in 2013 amid doubts whether Japan's Abenomics will pay off, data showed Monday.Abenomics refers to a mixture of aggressive monetary and fiscal policies preached by Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.The world's third-largest economy may grow at an average of 1.8 percent this year, according to growth estimates compiled by the Japan Center for Economic Research. In 2012, the Japanese economy grew 1.9

South Korean stocks opened higher Monday as investors continued to react with optimism over U.S.Federal Reserve Chair nominee Janet Yellen's remarks that the stimulus cut won't happen soon, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 5.58 points, or 0.28 percent, to 2,011.22 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Shares gathered ground across the board, with food makers and chemical companies leading the climb. Leading confectioner Orion gained 1.5 percent, and LG Che

South Koreans grabbed two silver medals and one bronze to close out the fourth and the final World Cup Short Track competition of the season on Sunday in Russia, ending their prep event for the upcoming Winter Olympics on a mixed note.In Kolomna, Russia, the women's quartet of Shim Suk-hee, Park Seung-hi, Kim A-lang and Cho Ha-ri claimed the silver in the 3,000-meter relay in 4:09.794, finishing just behind China (4:09.410).In the semifinals on Sunday, South Koreans set a world record with a tim

Visiting French President Francois Hollande vowed to maintain his country's tough stance in upcoming nuclear talks with Iran this week, earning praise from his Israeli hosts Sunday as he began a three-day visit to the Jewish state.Israel has repeatedly voiced concern that the emerging deal global powers are negotiating with Iran gives it too much, without guaranteeing that the Islamic Republic's ability to develop a nuclear weapon is eliminated.Hollande vowed to keep up pressure on Iran and not

Doris Lessing emerged from a black cab outside her home in London one day in 2007 and was confronted by a horde of reporters. When told she had won the Nobel Prize, she blinked and retorted Oh Christ! ... I couldn't care less.”That was typical of the independent _ and often irascible _ author who died Sunday after a long career that included The Golden Notebook,” a 1962 novel than made her an icon of the women's movement. Lessing's books reflected her own improbable journey across the former Bri

South Korea's producer prices declined for the 13th straight month in October as oil prices fell and the local currency strengthened against the U.S. dollar, the central bank said Monday.The producer price index, a barometer of future consumer inflation, slid 1.4 percent in October from a year earlier, compared with a 1.8 percent on-year decline in September, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).On an annual basis, the producer prices have fallen every month since October 2012, when such prices