SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ― Barry Bonds has until March 21 to file written arguments in his appeal to overturn his obstruction of justice conviction.The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in setting a briefing schedule, said federal prosecutors will have until April 20 to respond. After that, Bonds’ lawyers will have another 14 days to file a reply brief if they choose to do so.Bonds’ appeal will be randomly assigned to a three-judge panel that will hear oral arguments this year. A decision is not like

LeBron James and longtime girlfriend Savannah Brinson are engaged.With a number of teammates and close friends looking on, the Miami Heat star surprised his high school sweetheart Saturday night by dropping to one knee and proposing.And yes, she said yes.“It was beautiful,” Heat teammate Chris Bosh said. “I told him, ‘Good luck.’ It was nice. It was real nice.”A representative for James confirmed the news to the Associated Press on Sunday morning, a few hours after close friend Chris Paul and He

Argentine bike rider Jorge Martinez Boero died Sunday following a crash on the first day of the Dakar Rally, a 15-day race that stretches across South America from Argentina to Peru.Police officials said Martinez Boero died as he was being transported by helicopter to a hospital in Mar del Plata.Details of the crash were not immediately available, but reports said he died from head and chest injuries.The Dakar Rally began Sunday with racers embarking on the first leg from the Atlantic coastal ci

Korean stocks edged up 0.03 percent Monday, boosted by gains in tech firms on more positive signs of the U.S. economy, but the gain was limited due to lingering European debt woes, analysts said. On the first trading session of the year, the benchmark KOSPI rose 0.63 points to 1,826.37.Trading volume was moderate at 317.3 million shares worth 3.3 trillion won ($2.85 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 334 to 487.The local currency ended at 1,155.8 won to the greenback, down 4 won from Thu

Korean automakers announced on Monday that their 2011 sales jumped on solid demand overseas, despite the gloom that hit other sectors because of problems in the eurozone. Hyundai Motor Co., Korea’s leading automaker, said Monday that its 2011 sales increased 12.3 percent from a year earlier, propelled mainly by strong overseas demand for its vehicles. The carmaker said it sold more than 4.05 million vehicles overall last year, up from 3.60 million units in 2010. Domestic sales also moved up 3.6

Seoul will request that the U.S. make an exception for Korea in the application of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 that calls for stronger measures against Iran, sources said Monday.“There is a need for the government to visit the U.S. at an appropriate time to hold discussions regarding the National Defense Authorization Act,” an unnamed government official was quoted as saying by a local news agency. In addition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is reported

The government will provide an additional 2.9 trillion won ($2.5 billion) in support to cushion the impact of the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement on farmers and fishermen.The Finance Ministry plans to make an additional outlay of 2 trillion won in direct financing on top of another 0.9 trillion won in tax benefits for the industry that stand to lose competitiveness with the inflow of cheaper goods under the reduced tariffs.Support for agriculture will now total 54 trillion won until 2017, includ

Dozens of homeless individuals that have collectively saved hundreds of millions of won this year were recognized by Seoul City on Monday which is giving them additional opportunities to turn their lives around.According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, 70 homeless individuals living in shelters were recognized for saving 260 million ($224,800), more than half of their earned income, between April and November.The top seven individuals were found to have saved more than 90 percent of their

Business leaders pledge to turn crisis into opportunityChiefs of major conglomerates laid out their New Year’s goals and plans for their businesses on the first day of work this year.Samsung Group chairman Lee Kun-hee said the country’s biggest conglomerate should think outside the box and place more emphasis on new projects, new products and new technologies in his New Year’s message on Monday.Lee said the group’s competitiveness not only comes from its people and technologies but also from soc