ReleaseWire Connect

South Korea's top soft drink maker Lotte Chilsung Beverage Co. said Thursday that it decided to absorb and merge with Lotte Liquor BG Co., its alcoholic beverage affiliate, to boost shareholder value.

Deposits held by local six banks including top lender Kookmin Bank amounted to 810.5 trillion won (US$761 billion) as of end-June, up 24.8 trillion won from the end of last year, according to the data.

A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll confirms what other recent surveys have shown: The bump that President Obama received in the wake of Osama bin Laden's death has receded. And amid renewed pessimism about the direction of the country, voters' desire to re-elect the president has reverted to levels seen earlier this spring.

The state's Consumer Credit Protection Bureau says a fake company is offering fictitious loans to consumers who send money in advance.