The illustrious career of one of the most widely respected military leaders in modern U.S. history came crashing down over the weekend as David Petraeus abruptly offered his resignation as CIA chief, citing “poor judgment” in engaging in an extramarital affair.The 60-year-old former army commander had been the trusty ground man for two presidents, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, owing to his military reputation for strategy, to lead the 2007 “surge” in Iraq and 2010 operations in Afghanistan. I

Puerto Ricans voted to become a U.S. state Tuesday, but as pundits pick apart the results of the referendum, the actual implications of the vote become more unclear.The inhabitants of the U.S. territory are already U.S. citizens, but statehood would give the island’s 4 million people the right to vote in the presidential election and representation in the Senate and House of Representatives ― something already enjoyed by the 5 million Puerto Ricans living on the U.S. mainland.The switch has been

The following is a special report from the Angolan Embassy in Korea in celebration of the southern African nation’s 37th anniversary of independence from Portugal. Angola’s Independence Day is celebrated on Nov. 11. ― Ed. Angolans celebrate the 37th Anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Angola on Nov. 11. The Angolan people have overcome considerable barriers and external interference but, through their perseverance and fortitude, they achieved national independence in 1975 and hav

Headlines routinely extol Africa as the fastest growing region in the world and Angola as the fastest growing country in Africa.Under those headlines is an oft-told story of intensive Chinese investment, but Korea’s expansive relationship in Africa is also getting increasing attention.Angolan Ambassador to Korea Albino Malungo said Korea’s commitment as a valuable investment partner of Angola was affirmed during the 3rd Korea-Africa Forum in October in Seoul. “Korea is really committed in Africa

BEIJING (AP) ― A Chinese government think tank is urging the country’s leaders to start phasing out its one-child policy immediately and allow two children for every family by 2015, a daring proposal to do away with the unpopular policy. Some demographers see the timeline put forward by the China Development Research Foundation as a bold move by the body close to the central leadership. Others warn that the gradual approach, if implemented, would still be insufficient to help correct the problem

JAKARTA (AFP) ― Ilham Anas concedes work is slow four years after he found fame impersonating Barack Obama in Indonesia, when the U.S. president’s childhood home went wild for its long-lost son. With his wide smile and protruding ears, the shy photographer’s striking resemblance to Obama transformed him into an overnight sensation in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country.But as Americans decide whether to hand Obama a new term as president in a closely fought election on Tuesday, the

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has been the focus of international scrutiny since the New York Times last week reported that his family had squirreled away a fortune in business deals. The revelations could make next month’s sweeping power transition in Beijing, and the inevitable jockeying for position among the country’s elite, more fraught.Few would be shocked by the revelations, but that they were openly reported in such detail has apparently damaged Wen’s image as a grandfatherly figure with a

SUBIYA, Kuwait ― Nestled at the top of the Persian Gulf, Kuwait had for decades boasted ample pearl supplies, fresh seafood and a treasure trove of Arabic art. The discovery of oil in the 1930s has turned a poor, small coastal state into one of the world’s largest crude exporters. The gem industry, meanwhile, was pummeled by the Great Depression and an advent of cultivated pearls from Japan. Despite a vortex of civil wars across the Middle East, Kuwait now eyes another watershed transition to th

AALSMEER, Netherlands (AFP) ― Steve Jobs’ superyacht “Venus” has emerged from a shipbuilder’s yard in the Netherlands just over a year after the Apple founder’s death.The approximately 70-meter long yacht is being built by Royal De Vries shipbuilder’s in Aalsmeer, just south of Amsterdam.According to a posting Sunday on the Dutch tech blog onemorething.nl, the ship will be presented to Jobs’ family, including his widow Laurene Powell Jobs and their three children Reed, Erin and Eve.It will then

After giving up prime ministerial ambitions Wednesday, former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi responded to his conviction for tax fraud Friday with typical defiance, vowing to stay in politics. The court sentenced him to four years in jail, reduced to one year under a law ― introduced, ironically by his political opponents ― to reduce prison overcrowding.He may never serve a day. Berlusconi is entitled to two appeals before the sentence can take effect, a process that could last beyond

TOKYO (AFP) ― Seen from atop the towering Tokyo Sky Tree, the patchwork of narrow alleyways and ramshackle houses that make up Tokyo’s Sumida district is a picturesque throwback to the Japan of yesteryear.But this densely packed district ― home to about 230,000 people ― is one of the Japanese capital’s most at-risk neighborhoods, where officials are busily preparing for the “Big One,” a long-expected monster earthquake that experts say will one day rock the city of 12 million.“The earthquake wil

DOHA, Qatar (AP) ― With massive steel Sidra trees sprouting from the base of the building and a 9-meter (yard) high sculpture of a spider in the lobby protecting a sack of grey and white eggs, Qatar National Convention Center is hard to ignore.But it’s what most visitors don’t see that may become the building’s lasting legacy in a region far better known for over-the-top excesses than conservation.From the sustainably logged wood used in its construction to the 3,500-square-meters of solar panel