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Nice attack: What we know so far

World NewsJul 17, 2016

Eighty-four people were killed after a truck ploughed through crowds of people celebrating Bastille Day in the southern French city of Nice.Here is what we know so far about the attack that the Islamic State group claims was carried out by one of its “soldiers.”How did the attack unfold?A white 19-tonne rented refrigerator truck slammed into the crowd on Nice's seafront around 10:45 pm (2045 GMT) Thursday.Some 30,000 people had gathered on the glitzy beachfront avenue, the Promenade des Anglais,
Turkey regains control after deadly anti-Erdogan coup bid

World NewsJul 17, 2016

Turkish authorities wrested back control of the country Saturday, after crushing a military coup by discontented soldiers seeking to seize power from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that claimed more than 250 lives.After facing down the bloodiest challenge to his 13-year rule, Erdogan triumphantly addressed thousands of supporters in his home Istanbul district after urging people to take to the streets following Friday's chaos in the strategic NATO member of 80 million people.The authorities blam
Seoul shares keep upward trend on foreign buying

Jul 14, 2016

South Korean shares extended a winning streak into a fourth day on Thursday, paring early losses, as foreigners stuck to a buying mode. The South Korean won rose sharply against the U.S. dollar after the nation's central bank froze the key interest rate at the record low of 1.25 percent.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 3.22 points, or 0.16 percent, to 2,008.77.Trade volume recorded 334.3 million shares worth 4.2 trillion won ($3.7 billion), with decliners outnumbering advanc
Korea, Japan reaffirm commitment to sex slaves deal

InternationalJul 14, 2016

South Korea and Japan have reaffirmed their commitment to implementing a bilateral deal to resolve the issue of the Japanese military's wartime sexual enslavement of Korean women, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday.South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam and his Japanese counterpart Shinsuke Sugiyama met in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Wednesday (local time) to discuss bilateral issues ahead of three-way talks with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken.In their talks, Lim stressed th
Hyundai Heavy seeking to sell brokerage unit

Jul 14, 2016

Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., a troubled shipyard, is seeking to sell its brokerage unit as part of its restructuring drive, but its bid may fall through due to lack of potential investors, industry sources said Thursday.According to the sources, Hyundai Heavy plans to sell an 85.3 percent stake in HI Investment & Securities Co. which is held by its affiliate, Hyundai Mipo Dockyard Co., a deal estimated at around 500 billion won ($439 million).Hyundai Heavy plans to complete the sale of the brok
Int'l migrants decrease for first time in 6 yrs

Social affairsJul 14, 2016

The number of South Korean overseas travelers and foreign visitors here fell for the first time in six years last year amid a reduction in the number of people studying abroad, a government report showed Thursday.The number of international migrants, referring to those who stay in and out of South Korea for 90 days or more, stood at 1.3 million people in 2015, down 1.7 percent, or 23,000, from a year earlier, according to the report compiled by Statistics Korea. The number involves both foreigne
BOK blames low oil prices for weak price increase

Jul 14, 2016

South Korea's central bank on Thursday named low global oil prices as a main cause of the country's slow consumer price increase in the first half, insisting its local demands have remained strong and will continue to expand.In the first six months of the year, the country's consumer prices have gained only 0.9 percent from the same period last year, falling far short of the central bank's 2 percent target for the 2016-2018 period, the Bank of Korea noted."This was partly because an upward press
Woman sentenced to 12-year jail term for setting lover on fire

Social affairsJul 14, 2016

A woman who burned her unfaithful lover alive has been sentenced to 12 years in prison in an appeals trial, the Seoul High Court said Thursday. The woman, 57, surnamed Jang, poured kerosene on the victim, 52, and lit him on fire after finding out he had an affair with another woman. (Yonhap)Jang and the victim had been in a 15-year-long adulterous relationship. The incident took place at Jang’s bar in Dongdaemun, central Seoul, in August 2013.The victim was hospitalized for five days before dyin
Eating after 6 p.m. increases risk of growing fat: study

Social affairsJul 14, 2016

Eating after 6 p.m. could lead to more belly fat, said a health and nutrition study published Thursday.According to the Hallym University Medical Center research team, people who consumed 57 percent of their daily diet after 6 p.m. had a 1.3 percent higher risk of growing fat around the waist compared to those who ate only 18 percent of their meals after 6 p.m. (123RF)The research had divided some 15,000 participants into five groups according to how much of their daily diet was consumed betwee
Google Korea CEO to stand trial over toxic sterilizers

Social affairsJul 14, 2016

The CEO of Google Korea who formerly headed the local unit of Oxy Reckitt Benckiser has been indicted over the British firm's toxic humidifier sterilizers which resulted in numerous deaths and illnesses here, prosecutors said Thursday.John Lee has been accused of playing a part in the deaths of 73 people and lung damage to another 108 victims, according to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. He headed the consumer goods company from 2005 to 2010 when sales of the problematic steriliz
Park calls for end to 'needless' squabbling over THAAD deployment

DefenseJul 14, 2016

President Park Geun-hye on Thursday called for an end to "needless" squabbling over the planned deployment of an advanced U.S. anti-missile battery here, reiterating that it is a self-defense measure to counter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.Presiding over a session of the National Security Council, the commander-in-chief asked for public understanding, stressing that the government could not hold open discussions over the selection of the deployment site as it is a "grave" security i
China slaps lower anti-dumping duties on S. Korean chemical maker

IndustryJul 14, 2016

China's commerce ministry has slapped anti-dumping duties of 4.1 percent on acrylic fiber manufactured by a South Korean chemical company, the foreign ministry here said Thursday. Taekwang Industrial Co. along with other companies from Japan and Turkey were accused of selling their products at below market prices in China that distorted the market and hurt domestic producers. Beijing began its probe into the allegation in July 2015 and issued a tentative ruling in April this year in which the Ko
BOK slashes growth outlook to 2.7%

Jul 14, 2016

South Korea's central bank on Thursday revised down its growth outlook for Asia's fourth-largest economy to 2.7 percent from 2.8 percent three months earlier, citing sluggish consumption at home and abroad.The quarterly revision by the Bank of Korea came shortly after the government slashed its outlook for 2016 to 2.8 percent from 3.1 percent."The local economy will maintain its modest growth trend on expansionary economic policies, but the bank believes local and external uncertainties surround
Senior prosecutor summoned over suspicious stock dealings

Jul 14, 2016

Prosecutors on Thursday summoned a senior prosecutor who has come under public scrutiny over suspicious stock transactions.Jin Kyung-joon appeared before the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in southern Seoul to face questioning over the wealth he amassed through shares of Nexon Co., the country's leading online game maker."I admit to my wrongdoings and take it seriously," Jin told reporters before entering the prosecutors' office."I sincerely apologize for hiding the truth to cover my
Park to renew calls for expansion of free trade to curb protectionism

Jul 14, 2016

President Park Geun-hye plans to renew her calls for the expansion of free trade to curb the rise of protectionism during this week's Asia-Europe Meeting summit in Mongolia, she said in an interview on Thursday.In her written interview with Mongolia's Montsame news agency, Park stressed that promoting free trade among nations across the world is a "shortcut" to achieving a global economic recovery.The interview was published a day before the two-day ASEM summit in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanb