SOUTH KOREA

Standard Chartered Plc said on Wednesday that operating profit before tax in the first nine months grew at a double-digit rate, helped by a strong showing in markets including Hong Kong and putting it in line for a ninth straight year of record earnings.

The U.S. army Wednesday extended a curfew for military personnel in South Korea by two months, a day after a court sentenced an American soldier to 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting a local teenage girl.

Apple will release the iPhone 4S in 15 more countries starting Nov. 11, including Poland, Greece and Hong Kong.

Apple has announced the availability of the iPhone 4S in Hong Kong, South Korea and 13 additional countries beginning Nov. 11.

The nondescript stretch of asphalt is an unlikely symbol of Brazil's attempt to lift its economy into a new high-tech era.

North Koreans in Libya are in a trapped in a diplomatic limbo. Their brethren in Tunisia and Egypt have also been prohibited from returning home.

The seven-billionth human is expected to be born on Monday, but an expert who helps do the counting says that event comes as the Earth undergoes a demographic shift toward slower population growth.

Mohsen Shahinpoor, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Maine, and a team at Seoul National University in South Korea led by Seung-Won Kim have both independently invented prototypes of robots that snap shut in response to stimuli and trap insects in the manner of the carnivorous Venus flytrap plant (Dionaea muscipula).

Sony Corp, struggling with a loss-making television business, is considering dissolving its LCD joint venture with South Korea's Samsung Electronics in a bid to cut costs, sources familiar with the matter said on Sunday.

The number of smart phone subscribers in South Korea, one of the world's most wired countries, hit 20 million last week, as some 40 percent of the country's citizens signed up to use the mobile device, the state telecoms regulator said on Sunday.

Japan's Sony Corp., struggling with a loss-making television business, is considering dissolving its liquid-crystal-display joint venture with South Korea's Samsung Electronics in a bid to cut costs, sources familiar with the matter said Sunday.

Sony Corp, struggling with a loss-making television business, is in negotiations to pull out of its LCD joint venture with South Korea's Samsung Electronics in a bid to cut costs.

Sony Corp, struggling with a loss-making television business, is in negotiations to pull out of its LCD joint venture with South Korea's Samsung Electronics in a bid to cut costs, the Nikkei business daily reported on Sunday.

Red Bull set a Formula One record of 16 pole positions in a season when double world champion Sebastian Vettel lapped fastest in qualifying for the inaugural Indian Grand Prix on Saturday.

“[We] will jointly deter any additional provocations by North Korea.”

South Korean youngster Noh Seung-yul overcame an injured ankle to hit a bogey-free round of 63 to trail U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy by two strokes at the halfway stage of the $5 million Shanghai Masters Friday.

China is considering a proposal to set up a regional bank to help its small and medium enterprises invest in Southeast Asian neighbors, fund infrastructure projects and promote development in southwestern China, two independent sources said.

South Korea's Hyundai Motor <005380.KS> warned of rising competition and economic uncertainty after it posted on Thursday a 21 percent rise in quarterly net profit, fueled by solid sales gains in the United States, Europe and other markets.

South Korea's Hyundai Motor <005380.KS> posted a 21 percent rise in quarterly net profit, meeting consensus, fueled by solid sales gains in the United States, Europe and other markets despite global economic uncertainty.

Air India's board has recommended that the state-run airline buy just 12 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, down from 27 the company ordered in 2005, according to a report.

With both Formula One championships already wrapped up by Sebastian Vettel and his Red Bull team, India takes the starring role on its long-awaited grand prix debut this weekend.