South Korea is still facing a high level of inflation despite easing price hikes in recent months, the top economic policymaker said Monday, calling for more efforts to tackle structural problems to guarantee longer-term price stability.“The overall inflation level remains high and the real burden that ordinary people are feeling in their life has yet to be reduced significantly,” Finance Minister Bahk Jae-wan told an anti-inflation meeting.South Korea’s consumer prices rose 3.9 percent last mon

South Korean stocks finished 0.48 percent lower on Monday as investor sentiment was hurt by lingering uncertainty about the European debt situation, analysts said. The local currency fell against the U.S. dollar.After opening 4.54 points higher, the benchmark KOSPI lost 9.31 points to 1,919.1. Trading volume was moderate at 342.9 million shares worth 1.09 trillion won ($957.8 million) with losers slightly leading gainers 415 to 400.“Europe’s sovereign debt issue still exerts great influence on t

Fitch Ratings on Monday raised Korea’s sovereign credit outlook to “positive” from “stable” and kept it’s A+ rating amid signs of improving economic fundamentals, sources said. The country’s sovereign credit fundamentals regained ground in terms of fiscal prudence, a strong sovereign balance sheet and foreign exchange liquidity, the sources close to the matter said.“Korea’s economic fundamentals are stronger than it was during the global financial crisis three years ago and the country has an ex

KABUL (AP) ― Two suicide bombers targeted worshippers on a key Muslim festival in northern Afghanistan, killing seven, including two local police commanders, officials said Sunday.The bombers struck as Muslims were leaving a mosque on the outskirts of Old Baghlan City after prayers at the start of the Eid al-Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice.At least 18 other people were taken to hospitals with injuries from the attack in Hassin Tal, about 10 kilometers east of the city. One bomber blew himself u

WAJIR, Kenya (AP) ― Two people were killed in a suspected al-Shabab attack at a church in an eastern Kenyan town, a police official said Sunday.Kenyan police chief Leo Nyongesa said that a woman and her two grandchildren were also injured when attackers hurled a grenade at the Pentecostal Church in Garissa late Saturday.Ibrahim Makunyi, the head pastor at the church, said the house near the entrance of the church that belonged to a church elder had been bombed.“One of the dead is a member of the

Leading figures of the main opposition Democratic Party on Monday once again called for consolidation of the liberal bloc, while stepping up pressure on professor Ahn Cheol-soo to join them and abandon the potential creation of a new political party.“The DP welcomes the integration plan suggested by Innovation and Integration, which basically agreed with our plan to bring liberal groups as one,” said the party chairman Rep. Sohn Hak-kyu in the party’s Supreme Council meeting on Monday.“Through t

NEW YORK (AP) ― NBA players have until Wednesday to accept commissioner David Stern’s latest offer, though the response already seems obvious.“Right now, we’ve been given the ultimatum, and our answer is that’s not acceptable to us,” union president Derek Fisher said.But the next proposal promises to be worse, surely moving players and owners even further apart and threatening to destroy the season.Early Sunday morning, the league said it offered players up to 51 percent of basketball-related in

BASEL, Switzerland (AP) ― Defending champion Roger Federer beat Kei Nishikori 6-1, 6-3 in the Swiss Indoors final on Sunday to win his first title in 10 months.The former top-ranked Swiss was emotional as he thanked his hometown fans after winning for the fifth time in six years at the event where he once worked as a ballboy.“It’s always the greatest for me to win the title here. See you next year,” he said on court in Swiss-German.Federer had a complete game on display to dominate the 32nd-rank

Jay Don Blake won the Charles Schwab Championship on Sunday for his second victory of the season following a 20-year drought, and Tom Lehman took the season points title and $1 million annuity.Blake closed with an even-par 71 for a two-stroke victory in the Champions Tour’s season finale. He finished at 8-under 276 at TPC Harding Park.Mark Calcavecchia (69), Loren Roberts (70), Michael Allen (71) and Jay Haas (71) tied for second. Lehman shot a 72 to tie for 18th at 2 over, enough to hold off Ca

Zulfiya Chinshanlo of Kazakhstan set a world record in the clean and jerk to win the gold medal in the women’s 53-kilogram division at the world weightlifting championships on Sunday.Chinshanlo lifted 130 kilos in the clean and jerk to beat the previous mark of 129 set by China’s Li Ping in 2007. The 18-year-old Kazakh also managed 97 kilos in the snatch for a combined 227.Aylin Dasdelen of Turkey took silver for the second year in a row with a 219 total. Ji Jing of China finished third with a c

SHANGHAI (AP) ― Golf’s top two tour chiefs and Adam Scott feel the same way about the racial remark that caddie Steve Williams used to disparage Tiger Woods.There’s no place for racism in sport or anywhere else. It was right for Williams to apologize, and that was enough for them to consider the case closed without taking action. Time to move on.In this case, it could be moving from Shanghai to Sydney ― and it figures to be open for discussion.Even as PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem and Europe

LONDON (AP) ― British newspaper the Guardian is reporting that media baron Rupert Murdoch paid former News International chief Rebekah Brooks $2.7 million and the use of an office as part of her severance package.The newspaper says without citing sources that the high-profile CEO of the now-closed tabloid News of The World was also granted continued access to her company limousine and driver for two years.The report said Brooks was given a central London office, adding that her spokesman asked t

BOGOTA (AP) ― Rescuers are searching for signs of life amid mud and rubble after a rain-fueled landslide buried homes in northwestern Colombia, killing at least 29 people.Red Cross rescue director Cesar Uruena says between 20 and 40 people remain missing from Saturday’s landslide in Manizales, 165 kilometers northwest of the capital, Bogota.President Juan Manuel Santos said Sunday that 29 bodies have been identified and he sent condolences to the families.The landslide was caused by heavy rains

Yoon Suk-min of Kia Tigers was named MVP award by the Korea Baseball Organization. Yoon received 62 of the 91 votes cast by baseball writers to beat out Samsung Lions closer Oh Seung-hwan, who had 19 votes.Lions slugger Choi Hyung-woo, expected to be one of the favorites to win the title, received only eight votes while 2010 MVP Lee Dae-ho of Lotte Giants garnered two.Oh, who had a remarkable .63 ERA with 47 saves this season, had announced earlier that he would give up the MVP award in order to