NEW YORK (AP) ― People magazine has named Beyonce as the World’s Most Beautiful Woman for 2012. The 30-year-old singer tops the magazine’s annual list of the “World’s Most Beautiful” in a special double issue. The announcement was made Wednesday. Beyonce tells People: “I feel more beautiful than I’ve ever felt because I’ve given birth. I have never felt so connected, never felt like I had such a purpose on this Earth.” Beyonce, who is married to rapper Jay-Z, gave birth to a daughter, Blue Ivy C

Life with dementia is a constant battle for the sufferer to retain their dignity. The brain illness that affects memory, behavior and the ability to perform even basic tasks mostly affects older people. About 70 percent of cases are believed to be caused by Alzheimer’s.The American Academy of Family Physicians says that those suffering from dementia show signs of recent memory loss, and have difficulty performing familiar tasks and problems with language. Other symptoms include time and place di

The greatest merits of climbing mountains are that we can breathe the fresh air and exercise while appreciating nature. Hiking is an aerobic form of exercise that can improve the function of your heart and lungs.Hiking also helps increase muscle endurance in your legs and waist. It is therefore useful exercise for people who easily become tires due to insufficient exercise. Moreover, hiking provides benefits for mental health. Precautions when climbingThe way you walk will vary depending on the

LONDON (AP) ― The number of measles deaths worldwide has apparently dropped by about three-quarters over a decade, according to a new study by the World Health Organization and others.Most of the deaths were in India and Africa, where not enough children are being immunized.Health officials estimate about 9.6 million children were saved from dying of measles from 2000 to 2010 after big vaccination campaigns were rolled out more than a decade ago. Researchers guessed the number of deaths fell dur

SEATTLE ― It was a clue ― the kind of clue medical researchers notice.Intent on finding answers about autism, now estimated to affect 1 of every 88 children, they followed it, poking and prodding and scanning, prying open its secrets.It was a curious little observation that, for any individual child, didn’t mean much. But over time, measurements from hundreds of children suggested an intriguing trait: As a group, preschoolers diagnosed with autism tended to have larger heads.That meant something

Ewha Womans University Medical Center opened Ewha Medical Collaboration Research Center on Monday, aiming to enhance the hospital’s research capacity in the hi-tech medical field to a global standard.It will also support the medical paradigm linked with clinical trails, incubate venture ideas, secure leading female researchers in the basic and advanced medical field, lead international cooperation with global industry and academies, and raise public awareness of hard-to-cure or serious illnesses

NEW YORK (AP) ― Retired CBS anchorman Dan Rather says his lawsuit against his former network was worth it, even though the $70 million breach-of-conduct case was rejected by New York courts. In his new book, “Rather Outspoken,” he said the case forced some of the “ugly truths” about CBS into the open. The longtime CBS newsman left the network acrimoniously after a discredited 2004 report about President George W. Bush’s military service. Rather’s book is due out Monday. A copy was purchased Tues

QUITO (AP) ― Actress Angelina Jolie visited Ecuador over the weekend in her first such trip as special envoy for the U.N. refugee agency. Jolie has visited various countries over the past decade as a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. The agency says this is her first trip as special envoy since her appointment earlier this month. The agency said in a statement on Monday that Jolie was on her third trip to Ecuador to assess the situation of thousands of refugees who

NEW YORK (AP) ― The New York arts world has every kind of tribute; Galas are held virtually every night. But a tribute to a shoe company?Well, shoes are very important to dancers ― pointe shoes, ballet slippers, Broadway dance shoes, tap shoes. So it was an opportunity for dance ― loads and loads, of all varieties ― when Capezio celebrated its 125th anniversary Monday evening with a gala at New York City Center.The evening started with a New York institution: The Rockettes, in black and sequins,

Lady Gaga was spotted practicing her dance routines with her dance team this week at the fitness center of a hotel in southern Seoul by a hotel guest. At the aerobics room in a hotel fitness center, on the fourth floor of the hotel, the pop star seemed to be going through the performances she will showcase at the upcoming concert, the witness told The Korea Herald. The hotel’s fitness center was renovated in December last year. Lady Gaga is staying in the hotel’s presidential suite on the 17th f

Ko Kyung-suk, former director of the health and medical policy division at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, was appointed as secretary-general of the Korean Red Cross on Tuesday. The organization’s central committee endorsed his appointment as it recognized his ample experience in public health care. He will take office Monday at the KRC headquarters in central Seoul.“With him taking the post, we expect that there will be a balanced development of our projects including securing resources for

Paju Book City, home to some 260 local publishing houses in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, won a prestigious book award in the United Arab Emirates last month.The Korean book town won the Sheikh Zayed Book Award, one of the most prestigious book-themed awards in the Arab world, for its “contribution to technology in the field of culture.” The book city won 225 million won in prize money. The award was established in 2006 in commemoration of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who served as the presiden

Annual event celebrates work of Baek and 4 other writers born 100 years agoIt has been 100 years since Korea’s beloved poet Baek Seok (1912-1973) was born. “No poet in history holds a comparable position in Korea,” said literary critic Hwang Gwang-soo, who attended a press meeting on Tuesday in Seoul to share his plans for an upcoming event commemorating the poet’s life. “Because he chose to move back to his hometown, which is located in North Pyeongan Province of North Korea, after the Korean W