SAO PAULO (AFP) ― Brazilian transsexual model Lea T. stole the show Sunday at Sao Paulo Fashion Week as critics applauded her presentation and paparazzi mobbed her entourage.The model, previously known as Leandro Cerezo and the son of famed Brazilian footballer Toninho Cerezo, received roaring applause as she took to the catwalk modeling a new collection by Alexandre Herchcovitch.She wore pale mak

WASHINGTON (AP) _ U.S. government health officials said Wednesday they are investigating a possible link between breast implants and a very rare form of cancer, raising new questions about the safety of devices which have been scrutinized for decades.Federal health officials said Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2011, they are investigating a possible link between breast implants and a very rare form of cancer

The dead "Devil Ray" is lifted up at the pier. Photo courtesy: Guang Ming DailyKLANG, Selangor: Founded over a hundred year ago, Pulau Ketam seems to have a stroke of bad luck as it witnessed some really bad incidents over the past couple of years, including the sinking of a century-old pontoon, the "dog eats dog" incident and the "cousin kills cousin" family tragedy, among others, casting over th

A cappella group Suade perform Korean pop songs with an Aussie twistWhen a group of five burly Australian males take the stage at a music show, the last thing you anticipate is a classic Korean pop song performed in perfect harmony. But that is exactly the type of unexpected performance Australian a cappella group Suade hope will get them noticed on the Korean music scene.Suade completed their thi

HSINCHU, Taiwan (AFP) ― China’s most famous philanthropist began distributing cash in Taiwan on Thursday, the first day of a controversial trip that has sparked criticism and protests from anti-China groups.Chen Guangbiao, who made his fortune recycling construction materials, handed T$7 million ($241,000) to charity groups in Hsinchu county in the island’s north, amid accusations he was promoting

Hallyu star Ryu Si-won, 39, is now the father of a baby girl.The birth comes three months after his marriage to Jo Soo-in, 33, on Oct. 26.Jo gave birth to a healthy baby girl around 5:40 p.m. on Jan. 27, his management agency said. Ryu Si-wonWeeks before their wedding, he surprised his fans by saying that he would be a father next year.Ryu debuted in 1994 as a KBS actor and has gained popularity f

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. ― A Cal Poly professor’s mission to turn a 45-million-year-old yeast into an ingredient for beer has proven successful ― and now he hopes to grow his operation locally.Raul Cano, a Cal Poly biology professor, discovered the yeast in amber that came from Myanmar, which was previously known as Burma, while conducting research in the 1990s.Cano gained international recognition

The use of travel call service number 1330, a 24-hour help line for local and international travelers, has jumped 27 percent in 2010 from the previous year, the Korea Tourism Organization said Wednesday.According to the KTO, the number of 1330 calls dialed by both foreigners and Koreans soared to nearly 170,000 in 2010 from 133,000 in 2009, following an increase of 32 percent year-on-year growth i

Hip-hop artist Emmanuel Jal, a former child solider, raps for peace in SudanHONG KONG ― Barely 10, he was conscripted to kill anyone he saw ― any man, woman or child. For many years he saw homes burn down, men being beaten to death, hundreds of rolling dead bodies being pecked by vultures and fought hard against unbearable hunger that reached a point where human flesh smelled like meat ― all too m

In the quiet of a weekday afternoon ― when the cold spins out a strange, solemn silence ― several patrons rush into a small restaurant called Yeolcha Jip. The chill enters with them, curling up and dissipating into the warm space. Huddling up on the narrow wooden benches, they barely glance at the menu on the wall as they order bindaetteok (Korean mung bean pancakes). Chef Yoon Hyun-soo gets up fr

TROMSOE, Norway (AP) ― In the arms race now gripping the travel industry, there is almost nothing cruise ships will not do to tempt new customers.Some boast of climbing walls, ice skating rinks and water parks.Others offer endless bingo, salsa, yoga or gambling. Travelers can go clubbing all night, have their bodies scrubbed with precious oils, or attend culture and history lectures by Ivy League

At home in soggy Seattle I’m a lackadaisical gardener, yet visiting Kauai has turned me into a garden-loving tourist.Kauai, like its sister Hawaiian islands, is a botanical bonanza. Bathed in the island’s natural steroids of endless sunshine and warm-rain cloudbursts, plants flourish. Wandering through one botanical garden I gaped at a croton, a broad-leaved tropical plant, that towered over my he

The unknown wartime celebrationImperial Japan at its ZenithBy Kenneth J. Ruoff(Cornell University Press, $39.95)In spite of its war with China along with deteriorating relationship with the U.S., Japan was more than excited to commemorate the year 1940. It was the 2,600th anniversary of the founding of the Empire of Japan. There were new public monuments, visual culture, and carefully choreographe

Love, life and deathBetween Heaven and EarthBy Yun Dae-nyeong(Jimoondang, 5,000 won)The winner of the Yi Sang Literature Prize in 1996, Yun Dae-nyeong’s “Between Heaven and Earth” delves into themes of life and death through a story of two strangers. The protagonist, who is on his way to attend his aunt’s funeral, runs into a young woman. Somehow feeling the “shadow of death” on her face, he decid

Trent Reedy was an American soldier providing security for the reconstruction of Afghanistan when he saw her. The girl was 13, her cleft lip so deformed that her teeth stuck out straight from her mouth. Her upper lip was split in two. Her nose was distorted.Shock was Reedy’s reaction when he first saw the girl he came to know as Zulaikha ― a girl who became the inspiration for, and centerpiece of,