JOHANNESBURG (AFP) ― South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu on Thursday was awarded a one-off million-dollar prize by the Mo Ibrahim foundation that promotes good governance on the continent.At a glitzy Johannesburg hotel, Sudanese-born billionaire Mo Ibrahim said the special civil society prize was in recognition of Tutu’s “lifelong commitment to speaking truth to power.”He said the award was not designed to replace his annual excellence in African leadership prize, given to former heads of stat

Walking or running in a full suit of samurai armor is not the easiest thing in the world. Swimming in it is even harder, but that‘s exactly what some in Japan are doing. For fun. “It’s heavy, and it‘s hot in here... Fan me hard,” Mutsuo Koga, a 27-year-old doctor, told fellow disciples of traditional Japanese swimming at a recent meet. “I’m worried about whether I‘ll be able to get myself back out of the water. It’s been three years since I last swam,” said Koga as he readied to take the

RALEIGH, North Carolina ― A team of physical therapists strapped the robot onto him, one hit a button and with a faint electronic whir, David Ayscue was suddenly 6 feet tall again.Then Ayscue took a step, and a different future came just a little bit closer for him and millions of others who can’t walk on their own.“I guess this is how a baby feels taking its first steps,” he said. “I can’t describe it. It’s just overwhelming.”Ayscue, 56, was learning how to use a new robotic exoskeleton called

Chuseok is over but has left many experiencing gastrointestinal problems such as digestive disturbance, abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting and heart burn. Overeating, excessive drinking and late-night meals during the holidays are major causes for gastric problems. Chuseok food, mostly oily and high in fat, can weaken the lower esophageal sphincter and causes acid and digestive enzymes from the stomach to flow backwards into the esophagus. Having meals late at night and going to sleep a few minu

Many people think of tonsillitis when they have throat pain. However, there are many structures in the throat, which is why throat pain does not always indicate tonsillitis. Other causes of throat pain include pharyngitis and laryngitis, and these different conditions have different symptoms, for which there are different treatments.The tonsil tissues help defend against foreign substances from the outside. They play a key immunity role for many years after birth. The palatine tonsils are walnut

The Vanishing PointBy Val McDermid (Atlantic Monthly Press)Reality television may be the ultimate con game, as British author Val McDermid shows in her highly entertaining 26th novel, “The Vanishing Point.”After all, don’t you wonder just how much of all that bad behavior is an act and how much is truth. Is it reality or clever acting?With the consummate scam as its foundation, “The Vanishing Point” also is about motherhood and the lengths that one will go to save a child as the action bounds fr

Black FridaysBy Michael Sears (G.P. Putnam’s Sons)A first-time novelist at age 61, Michael Sears displays a flair for description in his debut financial thriller, “Black Fridays.”When a Wall Street executive tries too hard to compensate for his lack of height, Sears’ main character, Jason Stafford, observes: “His desk sat on a three-inch riser ― it helped a little, but when he stood up he still knew he was short.” And when Stafford gently checks whether his 5-year-old autistic son is finally asl

Korea: Policy Options for Today and Tomorrow, Edited by Rhyu Sang-young, Park Cheol-hee, Kang Won-tak, Suh Moon-gi, (Asia Foundation)East Asia Foundation, a nonprofit research group, has published a book analyzing key political, economic, social and security issues for the next Korean government. Essay collection “Navigating Korea: Policy Options for Today and Tomorrow” is also designed to assist policy debate in the presidential election, the foundation said. “As the economy staggers and societ

Kim Dok-man, former spokesman of Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission of Korea, has been appointed as a professor of Korea National University of Transportation. The 53-year-old former journalist served the commission from 2005 to early this year. He holds Ph.D. in journalism from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, and authored about 10 books on media and news reporting.(swchun@heraldcorp.com)

Two British men were jailed Wednesday for blackmailing a leading actress using nude photographs found on a stolen laptop, according to the British media.Southwark Crown Court sentenced 34-year-old Vernon Fevrier and his 35-year-old brother Lee to two years and 20 months in prison respectively for demanding £4,000 ($6,400) in exchange for the photos, but not before pointing out the clumsiness of the crime.“You aren’t, frankly, any good at blackmail,” Judge Alastair McCreath told the criminals.The

The deadly venom of the black mamba snake can yield a painkiller as powerful as morphine but without most of the side-effects, French scientists say.One of the speediest and most dangerous snakes found in Africa, the black mamba uses its venom, which contains neurotoxins, to paralyze and kill small animals that are its prey.However, researchers at the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology in France discovered its venom also contains a potent painkilling protein called mambalgins.Scien

Political activist Al Sharpton jokes about hip hop mogul Russel Simmons bald head before the start of the National Action Network Keeper of the Dream Award ceremonies hosted by Sharpton April 5, 2001 in New York City. (UPI)A lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of business says studies show men with shaved heads are perceived as better leaders.There's apparently something ab