LONDON (AFP) ― Queen Elizabeth II urged people to take the time for quiet reflection in 2014, in her annual Christmas Day message to the Commonwealth.The head of the 53-country organization looked back on her own six decades as monarch, in a personal broadcast Wednesday.And the 87-year-old also looked forward to the future, saying her baby great-grandson Prince George ― third in line to inherit the thrones of 16 Commonwealth realms ― was likewise set for a lifetime of service and duty.She also t

DUBAI (AFP) ― Dubai has promised to celebrate New Year’s Eve with a record-breaking extravaganza featuring over 400,000 fireworks, the largest display the world has ever seen, its government said. The United Arab Emirates city state, home to the world’s tallest tower, largest man-made island and one of the world’s busiest airports, will “break the Guinness World Record for the ‘Largest Firework Display,’” a government statement said.The six-minute show over two of its manmade islands ― The Palm

SOSA, Japan (AFP) ― With a deft clip here and a gentle tug there, Makoto Ishibashi sculpts trees with the skill of an artisan whose work is far more than just a job.The heir to a centuries-old family business, he creates masterpieces that can turn a pine tree into a work of art that could fetch $40,000. “This tree is a woman ― the leaves are soft,” the arborist says of the pine into a triangle at his farm in the city of Sosa.“Trees are my family ― they don’t say what they want but they are sendi

A host of Korean food items have made headway in overseas markets this year, despite little knowledge overseas of Korean cuisine.According to foreign media, CJ Foods saw its exports of Korean food to Britain jump 135 percent this year, with big chain supermarkets such as Tesco and ASDA offering more Korean products. Foodies can now find kkakdugi, a cube-shaped radish kimchi, in a trendy steakhouse chain in London called Hawksmoor, as its chefs serve main dishes with typical Korean side dishes.Th

Korea saw more than 1,000 social enterprises established in the six years since the related act was enforced in July 2007.The Labor Ministry said Wednesday that it has certified 1,012 social companies so far.Social enterprise certification aims at creating jobs for the underprivileged and returning part of profits to society. The government offers them management consulting, covers personnel expenses for experts and cuts corporate and income taxes by 50 percent.The number of social enterprises i

BEIJING (AFP) ― More than 85 percent of respondents in a Chinese state media survey said that Mao Zedong’s achievements outweigh his mistakes, as the country prepares to mark 120 years since the “Great Helmsman’s” birth.Mao’s legacy remains mixed in China, where he is revered for the 1949 founding of the People’s Republic but authorities have called for restraint in commemorating the anniversary.Mao is blamed for the deaths of tens of millions due to famine following his “Great Leap Forward” and