North Korea rocket shows home-grown technology boost: South Korea

North Korea rocket shows home-grown technology boost: South Korea


North Korea rocket shows home-grown technology boost: South Korea

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 10:58 PM PST

Video grab from KCNA shows Unha-3 rocket launching at North Korea's West Sea Satellite Launch Site, in Cholsan countySEOUL (Reuters) - Reclusive North Korea made most of the key parts of the long-range rocket it launched in December, South Korea said on Monday, evidence of home-grown technology moving it a closer to designing a missile system capable of hitting the United States. The North is banned from carrying out missile and nuclear-related activities under U.N. sanctions and the Security Council is closing on a resolution that will see it punished again for December's launch. ...


Syrian opposition postpones forming government

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 11:09 PM PST

Fighters from Fateh al Sham unit of the Free Syrian Army enter a house in Haresta neighbourhood of DamascusISTANBUL (Reuters) - Syrian opposition leaders meeting in Istanbul have postponed forming a transitional government, the Syrian National Coalition said on Monday, in a setback for efforts to fill a power vacuum in the war-torn country. The talks launched on Saturday were the opposition's second bid to form a government, with its credibility at stake as the country slides into sectarian conflict between majority Sunni muslims and President Bashar al-Assad's minority Alawite sect. ...


Taliban attack Kabul police facility for hours

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 11:08 PM PST

An Afghan security officer looks at smoke rising from a rocket fired by militants which landed near the Kabul traffic police headquarters during an attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Jan. 21, 2013. Taliban insurgents wearing suicide vests attacked the Kabul traffic police headquarters before dawn Monday, police said, and eyewitnesses heard numerous explosions while a gun battle was still raging nearly four hours later. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Taliban suicide bombers blew up a car and stormed Kabul traffic police headquarters before dawn Monday, setting off a gunbattle that raged for six hours and left at least 10 people wounded, police said.


Delhi gang-rape case to start in fast-track court

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 11:01 PM PST

NEW DELHI (AP) — Legal proceedings in a gang-rape case that has sparked protests about the treatment of woman are beginning in a new fast-track court set up specifically to deal with crimes against women in New Delhi.

What Went Wrong At Boeing?

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 11:28 PM PST

My article, The Boeing Debacle: Seven Lessons That Every CEO Must Learn, elicited spirited conversation. Several commentators noted that, in addition to the general lessons, Boeing made specific errors in the way it handled outsourcing and offshoring. Let's take a closer look at those specifics.

The Best Dresses From Pre-Fall 2013

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 11:07 PM PST

Why You Should Pay Attention To Pre-Fall 2013: McQueen, Givenchy, Dior

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 11:07 PM PST

By nature, pre-fall collections are smaller-scale, more commercial creatures. Often overlooked in the run up to fall/winter presentations, they bridge the hop between summer and fall and land in time for stores to sell them at full price while summer inventory is on sale. This isn't the moment Alexander McQueen would, say, unveil the armadillo boot, but don't let the practicality fool you—there's a lot to glean from the pre-fall season, such as the one we're in now.

North Korea rocket shows home-grown technology boost: South Korea

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 10:58 PM PST

SEOUL (Reuters) - Reclusive North Korea made most of the key parts of the long-range rocket it launched in December, South Korea said on Monday, evidence of home-grown technology moving it a closer to designing a missile system capable of hitting the United States.

Algeria hostage toll rises with report of Japanese deaths

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 10:32 PM PST

Smoke rises above following demining operations at the In Amenas gas plantALGIERS, Algeria (Reuters) - The hostage death toll from a four-day siege at an Algerian gas plant deep in the Sahara has risen to almost 60, with at least nine Japanese nationals also reported killed in an attack claimed by a veteran Islamist fighter on behalf of al Qaeda. Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal is expected to give details at a Monday news conference about one of the worst international hostage crises in decades, which left American, British, French, Japanese, Norwegian and Romanian workers dead or missing. ...


Philippines says 6 workers among dead in Algeria

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 11:16 PM PST

In this image taken from Algerian TV broadcast on Sunday Jan. 20 2013, showing what it said was the aftermath of the hostage crisis at the remote Ain Amenas gas facility in Algeria. Algerian special forces stormed the plant on Saturday to end the four-day siege, moving in to thwart what government officials said was a plot by the Islamic extremists to blow up the complex and kill all their captives with mines sown throughout the site. (AP Photo/Algerie TV via Assiaciated Press TV) ** TV OUT ALGERIA OUT **MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Six Filipinos were among the hostages killed by militants who laid siege to an Algerian gas field for four days, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said Monday.


Algeria warns hostage death toll to worsen

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 10:52 PM PST

At least 48 hostages believed to have been killed at Sahara gas plant, with as many as 20 workers still unaccounted for.

Syrian opposition postpones forming government

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 11:09 PM PST

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Syrian opposition leaders meeting in Istanbul have postponed forming a transitional government, the Syrian National Coalition said on Monday, in a setback for efforts to fill a power vacuum in the war-torn country.

China's Huawei Says Profit Jumped 33%, Expects Stronger Sales In 2013

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 10:16 PM PST

China's largest vendor of telecom equipment confirmed on Monday that its earnings rebounded to grow 33% last year.

Sony's 10.1-inch Xperia Tablet Z Is Waterproof, Thinner Than iPad Mini

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 10:08 PM PST

Sony hasn't been an influential player in the tablet space, but they're challenging that perception today with the unveiling of the 10.1-inch Xperia Tablet Z. It's thinner than the iPad Mini, it packs 4G LTE support, and it's even waterproof.

Villagers in Kashmir brace for escalating violence

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 10:20 PM PST

In this Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013 photo, a Pakistani Kashmiri girl looks out from a bunker under her house at the border town of in Chakoti, 60 kilometers (37 miles) South of Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistani Kashmir. Villagers are building bunkers, bracing themselves for more clashes in Kashmir along a fragile line of control that divides Pakistan and Indian after soldiers on both sides were killed in one of the worst flare-ups in tension in a decade. (AP Photo/M.D. Mughal)CHAKOTHI, Pakistan (AP) — Villagers in Kashmir are building bunkers as they brace for more clashes along the fragile line of control that divides Pakistan and India after the recent killings of soldiers on both sides in one of the worst flare-ups in violence in the disputed Himalayan region in a decade.


Taliban suicide bombers storm government building in Kabul

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 10:19 PM PST

KABUL — A group of Taliban suicide bombers stormed the main traffic department in the heart of Afghanistan's capital Monday, exchanging fire with security forces for several hours, officials and residents said.

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Golfer Phil Mickelson May Call It Quits Due To Climbing Tax Rates

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 09:42 PM PST

Word is, Phil Mickelson is mad as hell about rising tax rates, and he's not going to take it anymore.  What follows is a brief portion of an interview Mickelson gave earlier today after carding a final-round 66 at the Palmer Course at PGA West in La Quinta – which I assure you, is not associated with the La Quinta next door to your local Denny's – in which the golfer hinted that he is considering drastic career changes because of a combined tax rate nearing "62, 63 percent:"

Insurgents attack Afghan police facility for hours

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 08:52 PM PST

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Taliban insurgents wearing suicide vests attacked the Kabul traffic police headquarters before dawn Monday, police said, and eyewitnesses heard numerous explosions while a gun battle was still raging nearly four hours later.

Alleged Fraud At Caterpillar's Chinese Acquisition Puts Spotlight On U.S. Principals

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 09:02 PM PST

Investors in Caterpillar got a nasty surprise last Friday when the company revealed that it had uncovered massive fraud at a Chinese mining equipment firm that it bought last year. Caterpillar said it would write down $580 million in the fourth quarter of 2012, wiping out around half of its expected income. Its new Chinese subsidiary allegedly overstated its profit for years by claiming non-existent sales on inventory that couldn't be traced. This is an embarrassing setback for Caterpillar, which has expanded aggressively in China and competes with domestic heavy-machinery manufacturers like Zoomlion and Sany. In a statement, Caterpillar said it had found "deliberate, multi-year, coordinated accounting misconduct" at Zhengzhou Siwei Mechanical and Electrical Engineering ('Siwei'), the firm that it bought last year for $653 million. It said senior management at Siwei had been fired and replaced with a new team that was under direct control of Caterpillar's China division. "The actions carried out by these individuals are offensive and completely unacceptable. This conduct does not represent, in any way, shape or form, the way Caterpillar does business," Chairman and CEO Doug Oberhelman said in the statement.

Algeria hostage toll rises with report of Japanese deaths

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 10:32 PM PST

ALGIERS, Algeria (Reuters) - The hostage death toll from a four-day siege at an Algerian gas plant deep in the Sahara has risen to almost 60, with at least nine Japanese nationals also reported killed in an attack claimed by a veteran Islamist fighter on behalf of al Qaeda.

The Fifth Down: N.F.C. Championship Live Analysis: Falcons 17, 49ers 7

The Fifth Down: N.F.C. Championship Live Analysis: Falcons 17, 49ers 7


The Fifth Down: N.F.C. Championship Live Analysis: Falcons 17, 49ers 7

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 01:04 PM PST

Commentary and live analysis from Sunday's N.F.C. championship game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Atlanta Falcons.

Amour bags Critic awards hat-trick

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 12:42 PM PST

Oscar and Bafta-nominated film Amour bags a hat-trick of London Critics' Circle Film Awards, including best film and screenplay for writer and director Michael Haneke.

Ghana 2-2 DR Congo

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 08:55 AM PST

DR Congo come back from 2-0 down to deny Ghana victory in the first game of Group B at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Small protests have big impact in Saudi Arabia

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 11:42 AM PST

The gathering was small, but activists say its impact is potentially huge.

Q. and A.: From Farm Girl to College President

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 12:17 PM PST

Rebecca Chopp is the president of Swarthmore College. The institution outside Philadelphia was ranked the third-best liberal arts college in the United States by U.S. News and World Report.

A Casualty on the Battlefield of Amazon’s Partisan Book Reviews

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 11:45 AM PST

Fans of Michael Jackson bombarded Amazon with dozens of negative reviews of a new biography, got several favorable notices erased and even took credit for Amazon's briefly removing the book from sale.

Israeli Vote Greeted by a ‘Yawning’ Electorate

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 11:41 AM PST

A few days before the national elections on Tuesday, voters say issues that have long been staples of Israeli politics have been largely invisible, and pocketbook concerns have been front and center.

Italy's Monti calls for "radical reforms" in campaign launch

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 11:44 AM PST

ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti launched his campaign for a second term on Sunday with a speech calling for deep-rooted reforms to kick start economic growth, four weeks ahead of a parliamentary election.

Israel considers ban for far-right candidate over mosque gaffe

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 11:32 AM PST

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - An Israeli panel weighed a request on Sunday to disqualify a candidate of a powerful far-right party from running in a January 22 election for alluding in a speech to the possibility of seeing one of Islam's holiest shrines in Jerusalem "blown up."

Ghana held by DR Congo

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 10:12 AM PST

Leopards stage a second-half comeback to draw 2-2 with favourites Black Stars as Africa Cup of Nations comes to life.

U.N. report finds torture of Afghan detainees, secret sites

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 11:09 AM PST

KABUL (Reuters) - Almost a third of all detainees recently transferred to Afghan control have been tortured and Afghanistan's spy agency is operating secret facilities to avoid international scrutiny, a United Nations report released on Sunday said.

India's enigmatic Gandhi embraces politics in emotive speech

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 10:58 AM PST

JAIPUR, India (Reuters) - Rahul Gandhi embraced his role as a leading contender for India's next prime minister in a speech on Sunday that spoke of his family's tragic history but yielded few clues about his views on politics and the economy.

'Quadruple helix' DNA in humans

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 11:19 AM PST

Cambridge University scientists say they have seen four-stranded DNA at work in human cells for the first time and wonder if it might provide a target for the development of novel anti-cancer treatments.

Media Decoder Blog: Katie Couric to Interview Manti Te'o

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 11:48 AM PST

Ms. Couric has landed the first television interview with the Notre Dame football star, who said he was tricked into believing first that he had a girlfriend and then that the girlfriend had died.

Study Pinpoints What Activates Disease-Causing Genes

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 10:37 AM PST

With rheumatoid arthritis patients, researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Karolinska Institute evaluated the chemical tags that tell genes to be active or not.

Les Miserables tops UK album chart

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 11:02 AM PST

The soundtrack to Tom Hooper's Oscar-nominated Les Miserables becomes the first casting recording to top the UK and Ireland album chart in 16 years..

Syrian opposition seeks Qatar backing for transition government

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 10:26 AM PST

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The head of Syria's opposition coalition has flown to Qatar to secure promises of financial aid for a transitional government in rebel-held areas, sources at negotiations in Istanbul said on Sunday.

Hugo Chavez is 'gaining strength'

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 10:37 AM PST

Venezuela's ailing President Hugo Chavez is "gaining strength" and progressing with his cancer treatment, says Vice-President Nicolas Maduro.

Terror threat to last 'decades' - PM

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 11:41 AM PST

David Cameron warns of a 'decades-long' battle against Islamist terrorism in north Africa, after at least three Britons are killed in a four-day siege.

In pictures: Behind Kachin rebel lines

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 12:12 PM PST

Behind the frontline with Kachin rebel fighters in Burma