The people of Madrid were treated to the rare sight of about 2,000 sheep milling through the downtown area Sunday.The herd of sheep, along with about four dozen cows and several horses, were brought into the heart of the city of more than 3 million people from Seville and Toledo by shepherds and their dogs as part of the XIX National Festival of Transhumance, the EFE news agency reported.The event, organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment in collaboration with the city of M

At a busy intersection, a girl with a high half ponytail looks at you as she begs for coins. There is dirt beneath her fingernails and her pink shirt looks unwashed. The image in the photo could fit thousands of impoverished Mexican children who sell gum or beg for money in the streets, but for one thing: The girl in this picture is blonde.The flurry of internet attention to the photo, and the quick way officials reacted, has renewed a debate about racism in Mexico, a nation that is proud of its

MANILA (Yonhap News) ― Helweena Sadorra is a self-acknowledged fanatic of “hallyu,” or the Korean Wave, the popular culture from South Korea that has permeated the entire globe from Asia to America to Europe and the Middle East. So when she landed a job at the Korean Cultural Center in Manila, she had high hopes of promoting active exchanges between South Korea and her home country.She quit her job last month and says the exchanges are lopsided, and there is too much of a business side to hallyu

NEW YORK (AP) ― Like a prize-winning reporter, fame follows Tom Wolfe, even when he swaps the white suit for a blue blazer, even when he visits some strip club in Miami as research ― yes, research ― for his new novel.“I was the only man with a necktie,’’ he says with a chuckle, back in his trademark white during a recent interview at his Manhattan apartment. “They seat you in these little couches, and it was like a furniture show room ― all these pieces of furniture would stretch long for maybe

Russian author Ludmila Ulitskaya received the Park Kyung-ni literary prize at a ceremony held in Wonju, Gangwon Province, on Friday. Ulitskaya, 69, is the author of more than 14 novels and short stories including “Daniel Stein, Interpreter,” “Kukotsky’s Case” and “Sonechka.”Having worked in the field of genetics and biochemistry, the author debuted with her first novel “Sonechka” when she was 40 and instantly rose to prominence in the literary scene. She has also won prestigious literary awards,

What is an erstwhile Korean student of English or another foreign language to do when long hours of study does not seem to pay off? In a country renowned for its all-night cram schools and English study obsession, the first lady of Poland has some sage, albeit straight forward advice ― just relax.Anna Komorowska, wife of Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski and Poland’s first lady, said, Thursday, Korean students demand too much of themselves when it comes to English learning, during her one-we

New gourmet hot spot or just reinventing the wheel?

Exhibition“Anish Kapoor”: Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art holds the first exhibition of works by British sculptor Anish Kapoor. The first major show by Kapoor in Korea encompasses the artist’s major works from the early years of his career to the present. Some of the works include large-scale sculptors with unfathomable holes, three-dimensional monochromic paintings and stainless-steel sculptures that reflect or distort images. In the museum garden stands Kapoor’s huge stainless-steel sculptor “Tal

Taylor Swift’s ‘Red’ lacks characterTaylor Swift“Red” (Big Machine Records)Taylor Swift’s recently released fourth album “Red” is a great buy, if you’re in junior high. The young country music star has veered away from her country roots into tracks that now have a more of a pop-rock underbelly. However, Swift’s adolescent sounding songs seem as if though they would be the perfect fit for the soundtrack of a teen drama. The album’s popular chart-topping single, “We are Never Ever Getting Back Tog