RAMALLAH, West Bank -- Hundreds of Palestinians in Israeli jails launched a hunger strike Monday following a call from leader and prominent prisoner Marwan Barghouti, a movement that could mark a serious challenge to Israeli authorities if sustained.The hunger strike was called in connection with Palestinian Prisoners Day, observed annually, but also ahead of commemorations this summer marking 50 years since the 1967 Six-Day War and the start of Israel’s occupation.A man holds a keffiyeh before

World News April 18, 2017

TAMPA, Florida -- Police in Florida are investigating an incident at a nightclub where a photographer said he was "sucker punched" by singer Chris Brown.Tampa police spokesman Stephen Hegarty says 28-year-old Bennie Vines Jr. was hired by Aja Channelside to take photos during an event hosted by Brown.Chris Brown (AP-Yonhap)Vines told officers that while he was snapping photos early Monday, Brown punched him. Brown was gone by the time officers arrived. Vines refused medical treatment and told of

World News April 18, 2017

CHICAGO -- US authorities launched a nationwide manhunt Monday for a gunman who shot and killed an elderly man, and then posted a video of the seemingly random attack on Facebook.Police in Cleveland, Ohio working on the case with help from investigators at the FBI and the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, have offered a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest of Steve Stephens, the accused shooter. Stephens, 37, of Cleveland, Ohio, who was described as

World News April 18, 2017

Organizers of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games said Tuesday their Olympic test events over the past 14 months have mostly been a success, though there's still room for improvement before the real competition.PyeongChang, some 180 kilometers east of Seoul in Gangwon Province, and its adjacent sub-Olympic host cities have hosted 25 Olympic and Winter Paralympic test events at 12 venues since February last year. They have covered alpine skiing, ski jumping, short track speed skating, figure skatin

More Sports April 18, 2017

Hyundai Motor Co. on Tuesday launched the "Extreme edition" of the Tucson sport-utility vehicle fitted with premium features as part of its effort to strengthen its lineup.The 2.0-liter, diesel-powered Tucson SUV's exterior contains a dark chrome radiator grille, dual twin-tip mufflers, a rear skid plate, 19-inch wheels and front disc brakes that can allow drivers to hit the road with confidence, the company said in a statement. In terms of interior features, red-brown color leather seats and a

Mobility April 18, 2017

CHANGWON -- A lower court fined an activist Tuesday for vandalizing a photo of former President Park Geun-hye at a pro-democracy memorial hall in December last year.Kim Young-man, 72, was indicted for hurling an egg at and spraying ketchup on the picture, five days after parliament voted on Dec. 9 to impeach her over corruption. It was exhibited in a facility in the southern city of Changwon in commemoration of a 1960 civil uprising against election fraud. A photo of then-President Park Geun-hye

Social Affairs April 18, 2017

Presidential candidate Sim Sang-jeung of the minor progressive Justice Party pledged Tuesday to drastically reduce working hours if elected in the upcoming vote.The former labor activist unveiled a two-stage plan to shorten the legal regular weekly work hours from the current 40 to 35 by 2025. Sim Sang-jeung, the presidential candidate of the far-left Justice Party, waves to citizens on her campaign trail in Incheon, west of Seoul, on April 18, 2017. (Yonhap)"In order to escape from our overwork

Politics April 18, 2017

South Korea's security alliance with the United States is emerging as a prominent issue for the upcoming election, with Pyongyang ratcheting up cross-border tensions with its unrelenting saber-rattling.Major presidential candidates -- except for a far-left one -- have stressed the need to firm up the defense partnership, but the varying degrees of their support for it are expected to affect voter sentiment in the lead-up to the May 9 poll, observers said.The election, triggered by the March 10 o

Politics April 18, 2017

The South Korean men's national football team on Tuesday appointed a chief assistant coach to help their beleaguered boss Uli Stielike.The Korea Football Association said Jung Hae-sung will be the top assistant to Stielike and will work with the Taeguk Warriors until the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, should South Korea qualify for football's showpiece event.ung Hae-sung, then-head of the referees committee at the Korea Football Association, speaks at a press conference in Seoul. Jung was named

Soccer April 18, 2017

More than half of young South Koreans do not think they must get married, a report showed Tuesday, amid a decadeslong trend of late marriage and low birthrates.According to the report compiled by Statistics Korea, 51.4 percent of those aged between 13 and 24 answered that marriage is not mandatory in 2016, up from 44.4 percent tallied two years ago. (Yonhap)The data is based on the agency's earlier survey held last year on 38,600 people over 13 years old.The percentage has been on a rise for yea

Social Affairs April 18, 2017

Presidential front-runner Moon Jae-in and the close second Ahn Cheol-soo continued to exchange vicious attacks Tuesday as the upcoming election has apparently become a two-way race.In most recent polls on the May 9 election, the two liberal candidates together garnered more than 80 percent of all votes. Moon Jae-in (center), the presidential candidate of the liberal Democratic Party, rallies support in the upcoming presidential election while staging a campaign event in downtown Seoul on April 1

Politics April 18, 2017

South Korea's auto exports rose two months in a row in March on increased global demand for green cars, government data showed Tuesday.The total value of autos shipped overseas reached $4.12 billion last month, up 4.1 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. (Yonhap)But the number of exported vehicles dropped 5.1 percent on-year to 246,816 units last month.The trade ministry said exports of electric and hybrid cars led the uptick

Mobility April 18, 2017

South Korean companies will seek business opportunities in Japan's mega infrastructure project ahead of the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, a state trade agency said Tuesday.In a 10.7 trillion-yen ($98.4 billion) project, Japan started building stadiums late last month, and plans to upgrade hotels and other existing facilities before the Summer Olympic Games that begin in July 2020, the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency said in a statement.(Yonhap)In a meeting arranged by KOTRA in Tokyo on Tuesday

Industry April 18, 2017

South Korea's major pharmaceutical firms saw their revenues from exports of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients increase last year, industry sources said Tuesday. API refers to key chemicals used to produce pharmaceutical drugs.Yuhan Corp., a major drug company, said its revenue from overseas shipments of API jumped nearly 30 percent on-year to 250 billion won ($220 million) in 2016, company officials said.(Yonhap)Yuhan said its API business also accounts for 19 percent of the company's total reve

Industry April 18, 2017

North Korea held a ceremony to mark the sailing of a trade cargo ship, the North's state media on Tuesday reported, amid the country's setbacks in international trade caused by severe UN sanctions for its nuclear and missile development programs.Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party, said the 5,000-ton Jaryok set sail during the ceremony held at the Ryongnam Dockyard in the western port city of Nampho on Monday and it "provided another material and technical foundat

North Korea April 18, 2017