DORTMUND, Germany (AP) -- The subject was pickup lines, and Germany’s “Mr. Flirt” offered a few examples to his class of Syrian and Iraqi refugees. “I really love the scent of your perfume,” he suggested. “You have a beautiful voice.” He invited his students to take a stab.Essam Kadib al Ban, 20, raised his hand. “God created you only for me,” he said, then tried another, “I love you. Can I sleep over at your place?”Horst Wenzel winced, but caught himself quickly. “Don’t tell them you love them

Entertainers, both politically left-leaning and otherwise, call for Park’s resignation, to enthusiastic support from public

PARIS (AFP) - A section of stairs from the Eiffel Tower in Paris sold for more than half a million euros, auctioneers said Wednesday -- more than 10 times the pre-sales estimate.The 14 wrought-iron steps from a winding staircase between the second and third floors of the Paris landmark went for 523,800 euros ($556,000) after furious bidding at the sale in the French capital.Auction house Artcurial said the dramatic sale Tuesday had “unleashed the passions” of several international buyers, with b

NEW YORK (AP) -- The blue and gray stripes struck Jillian Eisman like a lightning bolt.She was rummaging through a packed closet during a Long Island tag sale when she immediately recognized the symbol of horror and hate: a jacket worn by a prisoner at the Nazi Dachau concentration camp during World War II.“I knew exactly what it was, even before I saw the numbers (84679 on the chest),” said Eisman, who purchased the jacket for $2 at the sale last year and donated it to the Kupferberg Holocaust

The annual number of people visiting the country's four main royal palaces and Jongmyo Shrine is expected to surpass the 10-million mark for the first time later this week, the cultural authorities said Tuesday. The four palaces are Gyeongbok, Changdeok, Changgyeong and Deoksu. The Jongmyo Shrine is a place where the kings of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) conducted ancestral memorial ceremonies. They are all in Seoul.   Hyangwonjeong pavilion in Gyeongbokgung palace. (Yonhap)"The number of visi

Members of the 5.4 Club, a group of prominent figures aiming to promote culture in Korea, gathered to discuss the aftermath of Korea’s recently enforced antigraft law Thursday evening at the InterContinental Seoul Coex.　The law is one that stipulates globally unprecedented guidelines, according to Jai Lee, senior foreign counsel at Yulchon LLP. “The whole world is paying attention,” he said. “(This law) affects more than 40,000 organizations and over 4 million people in Korea ... including profe

Dutch Charcuterie at Grand Hyatt SeoulThe Deli at Grand Hyatt Seoul is offering handmade charcuterie by world-renowned Dutch charcutier Benito Plasschaert until Dec. 4.Plasschaert has mastered his art over the past 45 years, with new recipes using healthy ingredients. The menu includes lavender ham; Swiss meatloaf with Emmental cheese; Greek-style meatloaf with olives and feta cheese; green grape or baked apple and fruit flavored pate; foie gras terrine with truffle oil; terrine of veal marinate

An apparently innocent traditional item has found its way to the center of the influence-peddling scandal surrounding President Park Geun-hye and her longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil. 　Obangnang, a multicolored pouch that is a traditional symbol of good fortune, featured in Park’s inauguration ceremony in February 2013 -- a giant obangnang setup at Gwanghwanun Plaza opened up to reveal a tree with dozens of mini obangnang hanging from its branches.Almost four years later and the pouch has come

Yu Dong-hun has been named as the new vice culture minister by President Park Geun-hye.Yu will replace Kim Chong, who resigned late last month amid allegations linking him to the political scandal involving Park and her confidante Choi Soon-sil.   The 57-year-old is a long-time senior communications official at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and has been working as a public servant since 1987. “We believe that (Yu) is very capable of handling our pending issues such as preparations

LONDON (AFP) - The Oxford Dictionaries chose “post-truth” as their word of the year Wednesday, saying its use had spiked because of the Brexit vote in Britain and the rise of Donald Trump in the United States.“Post-truth has gone from being a peripheral term to being a mainstay in political commentary,” the Oxford Dictionaries said in a statement, noting that usage had increased by 2,000 percent since last year.The publisher defined the word as “relating or denoting circumstances in which object

GENEVA (AP) -- A 17.07-carat pink diamond sold for a hammer price of 18.3 million Swiss francs ($18.3 million) at a Geneva jewelry auction Wednesday, cruising past both its presale estimate and the winning bid for the “Sky Blue” diamond billed as the event’s standout piece. The step-cut pink diamond, set in a ring between triangular white diamonds, had been expected to draw a maximum of 14.76 million francs. Instead, it sold at Sotheby’s for more than the 8.01-carat “Sky Blue” diamond, which car

MEXICO CITY (AFP) - Experts have discovered a third structure within the Kukulkan pyramid in eastern Mexico, revealing that it was built like a “Russian nesting doll,” experts said Wednesday.A 10-meter tall pyramid was found within another 20-meter structure, which itself is enveloped by the 30-meter pyramid visible at the Mayan archeological complex known as Chichen Itza in Yucatan state.The smallest pyramid was built between the years 550 and 800, engineers and anthropologists said.The middle

NEW YORK (AP) -- Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus may have retired their iconic elephants but there is still a way to see the huge beasts onstage. The new touring show “Circus 1903,” which makes its American debut next year, features two life-size elephants -- one baby, one massive mamma -- created by the puppeteers and model-makers of Significant Object, who made the lifelike horse featured in the hit play “War Horse.”“These puppets feel real. They’ve been built in a way, even when the

BAGHDAD (AFP) -- The Assyrian city of Nimrud, located in an area Iraqi forces said was recaptured during the operation to retake jihadist-held Mosul, is one of the region’s most important archaeological sites.Built in the 13th century BC, the city on the Tigris River about 30 kilometers southeast of Mosul once served as capital of the Assyrian empire. But in April last year, the Islamic State group released a video of its fighters destroying monuments there before planting explosives around the