A new study confirmed that sleep loss can contribute to weight gain by not only by boosting hunger but also slowing down the burning of calories.The research led by Christian Benedict of the Uppsala University in Sweden was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The finding indicated that sleep deprivation appears to put a drag on metabolism, causing the body to use less energy.

PARIS (AFP) - A French government minister said Sunday he could not rule out that IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn's arrest for alleged sexual assault was the result of a set-up with political motives."We cannot rule out the thought of a trap," Henri de Raincourt, minister for overseas cooperation in President Nicolas Sarkozy's government, said in a broadcast interview."I refuse to have a personal

The Bank of Korea should be given rights to supervise financial institutions independent of other financial authorities, BOK Governor Kim Choong-soo said Friday.Speaking after the monthly rate review meeting, Kim said that the central bank should be able to conduct independent supervision under “special circumstances.”“(The BOK) means to conduct (independent investigations) when a particular finan

About half of Korean office workers said they were neutral about marriage, according to research.Korea-based recruitment website Job Korea surveyed 633 office workers on their thoughts on marriage.Although only 2.7 percent said they would not get married at all, 50.2 percent answered that either way was fine. Another 47.1 percent said they were definite about getting married in the future.The resu

A 31 year-old man was arrested for imitating batman while possessing dangerous weapons, according to U.S. police in Michigan.Mark Williams, a comic book fan, was found hanging from the rooftop of a hardware store about 10 meters off the ground. When police arrested the man, they found a striking weapon, gloves, and a can of irritant chemical spray. William’s My Space lists his favorite movie as “T

COPENHAGEN (Yonhap News) -- President Lee Myung-bak said Thursday he does not expect North Korea to respond quickly to his offer to invite leader Kim Jong-il to an international summit in Seoul next year and even a negative response does not necessarily mean a rejection. Lee made the remark a day after the North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland denounced his offer as "r

COPENHAGEN -- An aide to President Lee Myung-bak said Thursday that Seoul may hold working-level talks with Pyongyang to follow up on Lee’s conditional invitation of Kim Jong-il to a global nuclear summit next year.Pyongyang downplayed Lee’s latest overture in Berlin that he would invite the reclusive North Korean leader to the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul next spring if Pyongyang made a firm

A concert hall specially designated for K-pop will open in Tokyo amid increasing popularity of Korean entertainers in the country. The 198-seat facility, to open on May 27, will be located at Yebisu Garden Place, a popular tourist site for shopping and entertainment.The operator expects that it will accommodate audiences of up to 120,000 a year.According to Sankei Sports, a local newspaper, the pr

The average Korean office worker spends twice as much money on drinking as culture and entertainment, a survey showed.According to a survey of 640 people conducted by recruitment website Career, white collar workers typically spend about 109,000 won ($100) a month on alcohol.Just 54,000 won is spent on going to the theater or exhibitions. As the most popular cultural activity, 82 percent of respon

BEIJING (AP) - Chinese police are holding a Korean Bible instructor and his wife following a raid on an underground Protestant church, an activist group said Wednesday, as the government pressures Christians worshipping outside the Communist-controlled church.The instructor, whose Chinese name was given as Jin Yongzhe, was detained Tuesday along with dozens of other Christians during a police assa

A zoo in Malaysia reportedly maintains an appallingly poor environment for animals under its care.Shirley, a 25 years-old orangutan, is frequently seen smoking cigarette butts thrown by visitors, according to the Mirror.She enjoys playing with rubbish dispersed in her cage, while even begging for cigarettes from behind the bars. Shirley also competes with her companion Abu for more tobacco product