The Korea Herald

[Mohamed A. El-Erian] The growing stall speed risk for the U.S. economy

ViewpointsOct 24, 2011

NEWPORT BEACH ― Judging from the skittishness of both markets and “consensus expectations,” the United States’ economic prospects are confusing. One day, the country is on the brink of a double-dip recession; the next, it is on the verge of a turbo-charged recovery, powered by resilient consumers and U.S. multinationals starting to deploy, at long last, their massive cash reserves. In the process, markets take investors on a wild rollercoaster ride, with the European crisis (riddled with even mo
‘Kabul would back Pakistan in war with U.S.’

World NewsOct 24, 2011

KABUL (AP) ― Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said if the United States and Pakistan ever went to war, his country would back Islamabad, drawing a sharp rebuke Sunday from Afghan lawmakers who claimed the country’s top officials were adopting hypocritical positions.The scenario is exceedingly unlikely and appears to be less a serious statement of policy than an Afghan overture to Pakistan, just days after Karzai and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Islamabad must do more to c
Libya begins forming interim government

World NewsOct 24, 2011

U.S., Britain urge against reprisals, call for plural democracyBENGHAZI (AFP) -- Libya‘s new leaders began Monday the tough task of forging an interim government uniting the nation’s disparate political forces after 42 years of Moamer Gadhafi‘s iron-fisted rule, promising a system of Islamic sharia law.“Today, we begin preparing for a new phase... the phase after the liberation, the phase that we will plan and work hard for the future of Libya,” said Abdel Hafiz Ghoga, vice chairman of the Natio
French forces join fight against Somali militants

World NewsOct 24, 2011

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) ― Kenya on Sunday said that France’s navy bombed a town in Somalia near a stronghold of al-Shabab, the first confirmation that a Western military force is involved in the latest push against the Islamist militia.Thousands of people, meanwhile, fled a camp for the displaced near Somalia’s capital on Sunday, fearing an imminent clash between African Union peacekeepers and the al-Qaida-linked militants who are trying to demonstrate their strength amid an assault on two front
Moderates stall rise of Swiss nationalists

World NewsOct 24, 2011

BERN (AP) ― Swiss voters backed moderate forces in their general election in which nationalists failed in their effort to break through the 30 percent barrier with a campaign heavy on anti-immigrant sentiment.The nationalist Swiss People’s Party, or SVP, was projected to take 25.9 percent of the vote for the lower house, a drop of 3 percent from four years ago, according to public television station SF’s latest projections early Monday morning.On the left, the Greens also sustained a surprising
Panetta praises China on Taiwan arms reaction

World NewsOct 24, 2011

BALI, Indonesia (AP) ― In unusual praise for China, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Sunday that Beijing deserved credit for its relatively mild response to Washington’s announcement last month of a $5.8 billion arms sale to Taiwan.He suggested it could create new momentum toward improved U.S.-China ties.China has reacted to past American arms sales to Taiwan by reducing or freezing contacts with the Pentagon. China regards Taiwan as part of its territory and sees U.S. arms sales as unde
Hanbok designer makes second try for Dokdo show

FashionOct 24, 2011

Hanbok designer Lee Young-hee will sail to Dokdo for the second time on Thursday in the hope of holding a fashion show on the rocky islet 87.4 kilometers east from Ulleung Island on the East Sea. It will be in commemoration of Dokdo Day, which falls on Tuesday. Lee is one of the most renowned designers of the Korean traditional costume, having introduced hanbok to the world and clarifying its name from being “Kimono Coree,” a name that an unknowing French journalist gave to hanbok in the early 1
Pianist Son at ease with multi-tasking

MusicOct 24, 2011

Pianist Son Yeol-eum is extremely busy doing concert tours, regularly writing columns and managing her Facebook and Twitter.But such multi-tasking keeps her motivated to play better concerts and communicate well with her fans, said Son. She did 13 concerts in September and plans to perform eight times in October and six in November.“When I’m on a stage, I try my best to enjoy it. I find it really fun to perform different repertoires at different concerts rather than doing the same things,” Son t
Mega hallyu TV drama returns as musical

MusicOct 24, 2011

Musical ‘Winter Sonata’ brings back Yoon Suk-ho’s famous first-love saga“Is this Joon-sang?”“Is this Yoo-jin?”The famous lines are back, and so is the famous first-love saga. But this time it is on the stage, not the small screen.Few would argue that KBS’2002 mega hit drama “Winter Sonata” was not one of the first examples of hallyu. Thanks to its enormous popularity, the main actor Bae Yong-joon rose to heartthrob status in East Asia, while its filming location in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, h
Will Ferrell wins top U.S. humor prize

TheaterOct 24, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) ― Will Ferrell, who refined his impersonation of President George W. Bush on the sketch comedy show “Saturday Night Live” and later took his presidential act to Broadway, was awarded the nation’s top humor prize Sunday night.The TV star went on to make movies and co-found the popular website FunnyorDie.com in a career that won the 44-year-old the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.It was the Bush impression, though, that might have
After an emotional start, science takes over trial

PeopleOct 24, 2011

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― While the defense was on the verge of its counter attack in the trial of Michael Jackson’s doctor, the prosecution dramatically shifted the focus from personalities to science ― its most powerful weapon in the courtroom battle.Its star witness, a scientist with a reassuring witness box manner, had jurors on their feet straining for a better view of his show-and-tell demonstration. It was the closest they would come to seeing a purported re-enactment of how the King of Pop died
SM Town wraps up world tour in N.Y.

MusicOct 24, 2011

S.M. Entertainment singers wrapped up their series of international concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York on Sunday.The nation’s largest entertainment agency has held concerts at seven major international venues since the first SM Town concert in Seoul in August 2010. The 15,000 seats at Madison Square Garden ― priced between $44.50 and $204.50 per person ― all sold out, the agency said. The massive concert venue is a “dream stage” for many international pop stars. Michael Jackson, Beyon
Bikes’ revival provokes tension in Germany

CultureOct 24, 2011

BERLIN (AFP) ― Germany might still be known for its high-speed autobahns, but in cities, bicycles are now so popular that a war of words has broken out between drivers and cyclists over who rules the road.In Berlin, more than 500,000 of the 3.5 million inhabitants get on their bikes daily to move about the city, twice as many as a decade ago, making the most of an extensive network of cycle paths.On Unter den Linden, the capital’s celebrated, tree-lined central boulevard, cyclists zoom up and do
Japanese chocolate: rising star in Land of Rising Sun

Food&BeverageOct 24, 2011

PARIS (AFP) ― Move over azuki and sweet sticky rice. While Japanese pastry chefs may have started using cocoa a few centuries after the West, this once foreign flavor has captivated Japan’s confectionery world.Japanese chocolate makers and pastry chefs were the star guests at the 17th Salon du Chocolat held in Paris this week. One of them, Susumu Koyama, 47, was even named “Best Foreign Chocolatier” ― winning out over top masters from celebrated chocolate-making nations like Belgium and Switzerl
New White House usher brings Jamaican charm

PeopleOct 24, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) ― Angella Reid was fixing Christmas dinner when the phone rang. It was her boss at Jamaica’s Half Moon resort calling to say that a key staff member hadn’t showed up for work and Reid needed to fill in.“But I’m cooking for my family!” a teenage Reid protested, and then the tears began to flow as her boss insisted, “There is work to be done.”Reid dried her tears, served dinner and reported to work.“She couldn’t believe that I called her in to work,” remembers her former boss, Myrt