RIO DE JANEIRO -- Brazil's president named a new foreign minister Monday night following an embarrassing diplomatic maneuver involving neighboring Bolivia.The resignation of Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota was announced in a terse, two-paragraph statement from the office of President Dilma Rousseff. The same statement named Luiz Alberto Figueiredo, a career diplomat and most recently Brazil's head of mission at the United Nations, as the new foreign minister. A Rousseff spokeswoman said Patrio

Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday outlined the clearest justification yet for U.S. military action in Syria, saying there was ``undeniable'' evidence of a large-scale chemical weapons attack, with intelligence strongly signaling that President Bashar Assad's regime was responsible.Kerry, speaking to reporters at the State Department, said last week's attack ``should shock the conscience'' of the world.``The indiscriminate slaughter of civilians, the killing of women and children and innoce

Three in 10 college students in South Korea are planning to take a semester or year off in order to secure tuition fees, a survey showed on Monday.Job search site Saramin conducted a survey on 271 university students and discovered that 27.3 percent, or 74 students, were considering a leave of absence to raise college funds.When those surveyed were asked about their plans during the voluntary break, 66.2 percent answered they would get a part-time job. Another choice favored by students was to g

국내 대학생 10명 가운데 3명은 등록금이 없다는 이유로 휴학을 계획한다는 사실이 알려졌다.  취업포털 사람인이 대학생 271명을 대상으로 설문조사를 한 결과, 조사대상자 중 27.3% (74명)이 ‘학비 마련을 위해 2학기 휴학을 고려하고 있다’고 답한 것으로 26일 전해졌다.휴학 중 등록금 마련을 위해서는 아르바이트를 하겠다는 학생이 66.2%로 가장 많았고, 단기 기업 취업을 하겠다는 답변이 뒤를 이었다. 조사결과, 이상적인 휴학기간은 1년, 그 다음은 6개월인 것으로 나타났다.학비 마련을 위해 휴학 중인 학생들은 늦어지는 졸업과 높아지는 자신의 취업 연령에 부담감과 조급함을 느끼는 것으로 알려졌다. (임우정 인턴기자 / 코리아헤럴드)<관련영문기사>Korean college students struggle with tuition fees: surveyThree in 10 college students in South Korea are planning to take a semes

President Park Geun-hye said Monday she is firmly committed to reforming the state intelligence agency accused of meddling in last year's presidential election, reaffirming once again that she never benefited from the alleged wrongdoing.Park made the remark during a weekly meeting with senior secretaries as the opposition party increased pressure and criticism of her over allegations that the National Intelligence Service mobilized some of its agents to post Internet comments critical of Park's

South Korean stocks shot up nearly 1 percent Monday as stabilizing emerging markets helped investors dispel concern about a financial jolt, analysts said. The local currency rose against the U.S. dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) advanced 17.70 points to close at 1,887.86. Trading volume was moderate at 312.4 million shares worth 3.23 trillion won (US$2.90 billion) with gainers outstripping decliners 535 to 266. "External risks needed to be eased for the main index

Two-time world figure skating champion Kim Yu-na on Monday announced her new programs for the upcoming season.Through her Seoul-based agency, All That Sports, Kim said she will perform her short program to "Send in the Clowns," a ballad composed by Stephen Sondehim for the 1973 musical, "A Little Night Music." Her free skate will be choreographed to the tune of "Adios Nonino," written by Argentine tango composer Astor Piazzolla in 1959.Kim is slated to compete in two Grand Prix events hosted by

South Korea's 10 major conglomerates slashed their investments by 8.2 percent in the first six months of this year, data showed Monday, despite the government's efforts to boost corporate investments.The combined investments by 75 companies affiliated with the country's top 10 business groups reached 36 trillion won (US$32 billion) between January and June, compared with 39.2 trillion from a year ago, according to data compiled by CEOscore, a website that tracks the country's top 10 conglomerate

The average annual income of bankers in South Korea reached 120 million won (US$107,768) last year, with a few banks raising their salaries by a double-digit figure over a few-year period, data showed Monday.The 2012 annual income of full-time employees at 11 banks rose at an average rate of 11.5 percent last year, from 83 million won in 2010, according to the data by the Financial Consumer Agency, a local advocate group.Hana Bank raised the pay of its workers by a whopping 57.46 percent between

The level of South Korea's foreign reserves might not be sufficient enough to cope with a possible steep cross-border capital outflow sparked by external market volatility, experts said Monday.According to data provided by the Bank of Korea, the finance ministry and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), South Korea held US$329.7 billion worth of foreign reserves as of end-July.This is about 130 percent of what the IMF recommended for South Korea.The ratio, however, is lower than those of other

Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp., South Korea's top two carmakers, saw their sales in the so-called BRIC markets jump more than 15 percent in July from a year ago, data showed Monday.Hyundai and Kia sold a combined 190,000 vehicles in Brazil, Russia, India and China in July, up 15.9 percent from 164,000 units from the same period a year earlier, according to the data released by Hyundai's Korea Automotive Research Institute.Hyundai and its smaller sister company Kia are the two major flags

South Korean stocks got off to a strong start Monday, led by bullish large-cap shares, as investors opt for risky bets on the main bourse after steep falls last week, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) climbed 8.87 points, or 0.47 percent, to 1,879.03 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Auto and telecom stocks gathered ground, with Hyundai Motor soaring 2.19 percent and top mobile carrier SK Telecom rising 1.4 percent. Market watchers expect the KOSPI to move

Susie was a nurturer of his family (수지는 워런 집안의 교육자였다)Susie was a born nurturer who took care of everything from dressing Warren to caring for their home and three children to arranging their social life and engaging with his family. Warren’s mother Leila was a difficult woman prone to hysteria and vicious verbal attacks on her children. Susie headed her off and managed her needs so that Warren could be left to do what he was good at ― making money.수지는 워런 버핏의 옷을 챙겨주고 그들의 집을 돌보고 세 자녀들을 돌보는 일에서부터 그

중국 경찰이 중국계 미국인 갑부 벤처캐피탈리스트이자 열렬한 블로거로 활동 중인 찰스 슈에를 매춘 혐의로 체포한 사실이 지난 일요일 밝혀졌다.  베이징 경찰이 공식 웨이보를 통해 60세 남성 슈에(중국명: 슈에 만쯔)와 한 22세 여성 체포 사실을 올렸다. 경찰은 “그 둘은 솔직히 매춘 혐의를 인정했다. 현재 그들은 구금 중이다”고 밝혔다. 슈에의 체포는 중국 정부가 최근 고위 간부의 직무 유기를 고발하고 인터넷에 허위 사실을 퍼트린 기자를 체포하는 등 영향력 있는 인터넷 사용자들의 온라인 활동 단속을 강화하는 와중에 이루어졌다. 슈에는 중국에서 가장 인기 있는 파워블로거 중 한 명으로, 개혁적인 발언으로 12만 팔로워를 끌어 모았고 구금 몇 시간 전까지도 중국의 트위터인 웨이보에 활발히 활동 중이었다. 그는 과거 환경 오염에 대해 진실을 요구하는 캠페인을 지지하거나 어린이 인신매매 문제를 제기하는 등의 활동을 펼쳐왔다.  (윤하연 인턴기자 / 코리아헤럴드)

경기도 일부 학교가 화장실에 CCTV를 설치하거나 복도에서의 대화내용을 녹음해 학생들의 인권을 침해해 온 것으로 드러났다.23일 도교육청 감사관에 따르면 도내 한 중학교는 2012년 2월 학교건물 2층과 3 층 남녀화장실 4곳 내부에 CCTV를 각각 1대씩을 설치해 1년이 넘도록 운영했다.CCTV는 화장실 안쪽을 비추고 있어 학생들이 볼일을 보러 칸 안으로 들어갔다 나오는 장면이 그대로 녹화됐다. 이 CCTV로 촬영된 영상은 교무실에 설치된 화면으로 생중계되다시피 외부로 노출됐다. 화면은 학교 관리인만 볼 수 있도록 했지만 학생들은 화장실 안에서도 일거수일 투족을 감시 받아 왔다.학교는 감사조사에서 "화장실 칸 출입문 훼손과 학교폭력 예방을 위해 설치했지 다른 의도는 없었다"고 말했다.도교육청은 학생들의 인권침해 소지가 분명한 곳에 CCTV를 설치하면서 학교운영 위원회에서 충분히 논의하지 않은 것으로도 보고 있다.도교육청 감사관 관계자는 "학교운영위원회 회의록에 화장실 내 CCTV