Fierce fighting serves as reminder that war is not over in some partsSIRAQULA, Afghanistan (AP) ― Shortly after the call to prayer resounded over the harvested poppy fields near Salaam Bazaar, two Taliban commanders were heard on their radios asking how their forces were doing.The number of Taliban fighters who respond varies, but in the last month a squad of U.S. Marines at a small patrol base he

NEW YORK (AP) ― Hundreds of gay couples dressed in formal suits and striped trousers, gowns and T-shirts recited vows in emotion-choked voices and triumphantly hoisted their long-awaited marriage certificates on Sunday as New York became the sixth and largest U.S. state to recognize same-sex weddings.Couples began saying “I do” at midnight from Niagara Falls to Long Island, though New York City be

The gold crown of Silla, excavated from the Cheonmachong, or “Heavenly Horse Tomb,” of the Silla Kingdom (57 B.C.― 935 A.D.), will make its first overseas trip in October. The National Treasure No. 188, currently kept at the Gyeongju National Museum, will be shown at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney as part of an upcoming exhibition on Korea’s metal crafts.Gold crown of Silla, excavated from the Ch

KEY WEST, Florida (AP) ― A white-bearded, 64-year-old Florida man has won the annual Ernest Hemingway look-alike competition at a Florida Keys bar once frequented by the author.Matt Gineo of Jensen Beach, dressed in a wool fisherman’s sweater to emulate photographer Yousuf Karsh’s famous portrait of Hemingway, bested 120 other entrants after an unprecedented tie-breaker vote. It was Gineo’s 12th t

Park Tae-hwan aims to add to medal collection in 200 metersIt was a much-anticipated victory, but Park Tae-hwan could not hide his disappointment after winning the 400-meter freestyle crown at the FINA World Championships in Shanghai on Sunday.There were no pumped fists or cheers. Instead, the South Korean swimming star just stared at the record board for a while after touching the pad first. “I w

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France (AP) ― Ai Miyazato clinched her first title of the year at the Evian Masters on Sunday and pledged to share her prize money with the people still suffering in the aftermath of the disasters back home in Japan.Miyazato shot a 2-under 70 to protect her two-shot lead and hold off a surge from Stacy Lewis of the United States, the Kraft Nabisco winner who missed a golden chance

Ryu Si-won celebrates his victory at the Ferrari Challenge Race in Shanghai, Monday. (Yonhap)Korean wave star Ryu Si-won and his car racing team won an international race in China on Monday, according to reports.The 39-year-old celebrity won the second round of the Ferrari Challenge Race in Shanghai.Last month, Ryu won the first round of the race at Zhuhai City of Guangdong Province.“I feel so gre

A man found foreign objects in a sealed bottle of soju on Sunday.The 48-year-old office worker said he found three toothpicks, a cigarette butt, a thread and vinyl material inside the sprit which he bought at a shop near his home in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province. A bottle of contaminated soju (Yonhap)The distilled alcohol was produced by Muhak Co. based in the southeastern province. The norm