The Korea Herald

Japan volcano erupts with big blast of ash, rocks

Feb 1, 2011

TOKYO (AP) -- A revived volcano in southern Japan erupted Tuesday with its biggest explosion yet, shooting out a huge plume of gas, boulders and ash and breaking windows 8 kilometers away.The danger zone around Shinmoedake volcano was widened to keep residents safe. The largest eruption since it burst back to life last week covered wide areas in ash, shot boulders onto distant roads, knocked down
Hundreds of Russians protest against Putin

Feb 1, 2011

Demonstrators call for ousting of prime minister, freedom of assemblyMOSCOW (AP) ― About 500 people demonstrated in a central Moscow square Monday to demand the ouster of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his “rule of thieves.”The rally took place peacefully, but police detained a separate group of 20 opposition activists nearby. About 60 protesters also were detained in St. Petersburg, one of a n
Japan volcano erupts with big blast of ash, rocks

Feb 1, 2011

TOKYO _ A revived volcano in southern Japan erupted Tuesday with its biggest explosion yet, shooting out a huge plume of gas, boulders and ash and breaking windows 5 miles (8 kilometers) away.The danger zone around Shinmoedake volcano was widened to keep residents safe. The largest eruption since it burst back to life last week covered wide areas in ash, shot boulders onto distant roads, knocked d
In future, cars might detect drunk drivers

Jan 31, 2011

WALTHAM, Massachusetts (AP) ― An alcohol-detection prototype that uses automatic sensors to instantly gauge a driver’s fitness to be on the road has the potential to save thousands of lives, but could be as long as a decade away from everyday use in cars, federal officials and researchers said Friday.U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood visited QinetiQ North America, a Waltham, Massachusetts-b
China rabbit-crazy for Lunar New Year

Jan 31, 2011

BEIJING (AFP) ― In stews, as pets or adorning shop windows, rabbits are ubiquitous as millions of Chinese mark the Lunar New Year, hoping for a more tranquil time ahead as the old Year of the Tiger roars its last.The nation’s 1.3 billion inhabitants will welcome the Year of the Rabbit on the night of Feb. 2-3 in a hugely important family event marked by feasts and a blaze of fireworks.Occupying th
Tunisians greet Islamist leader’s return

Jan 31, 2011

Ghannouchi fled nation in 1987 after Ben Ali came to power in coupTUNIS (AFP) ― Thousands turned out Sunday to welcome Tunisian Islamist leader Rached Ghannouchi’s return after more than 20 years in exile, as political Islam prepares a comeback following the fall of Tunisia’s regime.“God is great!” Ghannouchi cried out, raising his arms in triumph as he walked into the arrivals hall of Tunis airpo
Brain scan can tell if a smoker will quit

Jan 31, 2011

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― US researchers have found a way to predict how successful a smoker will be at quitting by using an MRI scan to look for activity in a region of the brain associated with behavior change.The scans were performed on 28 heavy smokers who had joined an anti-smoking program, according to the study published Monday in the peer-reviewed journal Health Psychology.Participants were asked
Thai coalition ready for election: P.M.

Jan 31, 2011

Thailand’s ruling coalition is leading in opinion surveys and ready for an election that will bring stability and redress complaints that spawned violent protests since 2008, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said. “Looking at the polls, the government is slightly ahead,” Abhisit told Bloomberg Television in Davos at the World Economic Forum, without naming the polls and adding that a win can’t be
Serial killer theory returns to beach corpses case

Jan 31, 2011

YAPHANK, New York (AP) _ The four women whose bodies were dumped along a desolate beachfront strip on Long Island were all prostitutes who booked their clients online and were probably slain by a serial killer, authorities said Monday.This combination of photos provided by the Suffolk County Police Department shows, from left, Melissa Barthelemy, of New York's Erie County; Maureen Brainard-Barne
S. Korean investors in Egypt begin exodus amid protests

Jan 31, 2011

South Korean businesses and investors in Egypt are facing inevitable damage to their operations due to increasingly violent protests there, with many of them forced to stay indoors or have their family members leave the country in a hurry, a local trade body said Monday.Many companies, including Samsung, LG and Hyundai Motor, have decided to immediately bring home the families of their workers in
German police protection from sex-mad wife

Jan 31, 2011

BERLIN, (AFP) - A desperate Turkish man living in Germany has turned to the police for protection from his insatiable wife's constant demands for sex, authorities said on Wednesday.(MCT)The man came to his local police station in southwestern Germany on Tuesdaysaying that he had been sleeping on the sofa for the past four years to escapethe clutches of his wife of 18 years and mother of their two
Tough balancing act for Obama on Egypt

Jan 30, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) ― President Barack Obama tried to win over Egyptians enraged by their autocratic ruler and assure an essential ally that the U.S. stood by it.His four-minute speech from the White House on Friday evening was a balancing act. He had much to lose in the chaos engulfing Egypt, where protesters are demanding that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak step down from a government violently cl
Tehran hangs Dutch woman for drug smuggling

Jan 30, 2011

TEHRAN (AFP) ― The Netherlands has frozen contacts with Iran after Tehran hanged an Iranian-Dutch woman for drug smuggling Saturday, having initially arresting her for anti-government protests.Zahra Bahrami’s execution brings the total number of people hanged in Iran so far this year to 66 ― on average more than two a day ― according to an AFP tally based on media reports.“A drug trafficker named
‘Yellow Shirts’ return to Thai street politics

Jan 30, 2011

BANGKOK (AFP) ― With neatly spaced tents, massages, free vegetarian meals and a heavy dose of nationalist rhetoric, Thailand’s powerful royalist “Yellow Shirts” are back on the streets of Bangkok.More than a thousand people have camped out around the government’s compound since Tuesday, demonstrating against its handling of a border dispute with neighboring Cambodia.Despite relatively small number
Myanmar prepares for first session of parliament in years

Jan 30, 2011

YANGON (AP) ― Myanmar is preparing to open its first session of parliament in more than two decades, a major step in the ruling military’s self-styled transition to democracy but one being carried out with little fanfare or public enthusiasm.There is muted hope that Monday’s convening of the new legislature will be a step, however small, in the right direction for a country that has seen the army