서울의 한 소식통에 따르면 소말리아에서는 지식인들이 해적단에 가담하며, 해적들은 소말리아 여성들에게 일등 신랑감이라고 한다.또한 2008년 BBC와의 인터뷰에서 한 소말리아 주민은  해적들은 20세에서 35세 사이의 젊은이들로 이루어져 있으며, 돈을 위해서 해적에 가담하고 있다고  말했다. 그들은 가장 아름다운 여성들과 결혼하며, 큰 집과 자동차, 새로운 총을 구매하고 있다고 한다. 해적들은 몸값으로 평균 2백만 달러에 해당하는 금액을 받으며, 각 해적들에게 돌아가는 금액도 선진국의 연봉을 넘는 수준이라고 소식통은 밝혔다.파이낸셜 타임즈는 글로벌 거버넌스를 위한 One Earth Future NGO 재단의 자료를 인용하며 2010년 소말리아 해적들이 받은 인질 몸값은 평균 540만 달러에 해당한다고 보도했다

China is planning to integrate nine cities to create the world’s largest metropolis with a population of a staggering 42 million, the Daily Telegraph reported.The project, “Turn The Pearl River Delta Into One,” will encompass an urban area of 25,749 square kilometers.The area will cover a large part of China’s major industrial center, including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Zhu

Thai transsexuals were overjoyed as new airline P.C. Air yesterday took air hostess job applications from "third sex" candidates at Bangkok's Esplanade shopping mall.Among the successful applicants was Miss Tiffany 2007 winner Thanyarat "Film" Jiraphatpakorn.P.C. Air executive Peter Shan said the company had seen the potential of transsexuals to work as hostesses.After passing the preliminary roun

(Captured from Metro)A German dentist has come into the spotlight after introducing Alpine-style “dirndl” outfits for her staff in an attempt to distract nervous patients. According to the British Metro, Dr. Marie-Catherine Klarkowski and her assistants wear cleavage-revealing garments at the office.“The most important thing is to take away patients’ fear. The sight of cleavage gets patients distr

The Hubble Space Telescope may have discovered the farthest-away object ever identified, a galaxy with light that began shining when the universe was only about 500 million years old.The galaxy was born at a time of rapid acceleration in the birth rate of stars, according to the study released today by the journal Nature. The observation needs to be confirmed with spectroscopy, an analysis of ligh

The Hubble Space Telescope may have discovered the farthest-away object ever identified, a galaxy with light that began shining when the universe was only about 500 million years old.The galaxy was born at a time of rapid acceleration in the birth rate of stars, according to the study released today by the journal Nature. The observation needs to be confirmed with spectroscopy, an analysis of ligh

 BEIJING (AP) _ It has shown up frequently in pork but also in snake dishes in south China and beef from the far western Xinjiang region, sending diners to the hospital with stomach aches and heart palpitations. A farmer pours the fresh milk at a dairy farm in Shenyang, China on Sept. 20. (AP)Clenbuterol, known in China simply as ``lean meat powder,'' is a dangerous drug that's banned in China yet

In this Feb. 13, 2010 file photo, Ion Banner loses control on a giant wave during the first heat of the Mavericks surfing contest in Half Moon Bay, Calif. The cold water and stories high surf at the big, treacherous surf break called Mavericks in Northern California have made it a Mt. Everest-like conquest for some surfers. And like Everest, Mavericks has claimed its share of lives: whether it be

A ferry decorated as a whale leads in the annual Ferry Race during Australia Day celebrations in Sydney, Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2011. (AP-Yonhap)

NASA is planning to hold a teleconference on 3 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 27 (1 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 26 in Washington) to announce new discovery by Hubble Space Telescope.The space agency indicated in a media release that “astronomers have pushed the Hubble Space Telescope to its limits and have seen further back in time than ever before.” The new findings will also be published in the journal Nature. T

As the Internet is abuzz with doomsday theories, including Armageddon in 2012 and frequent UFO apperances, the news on second sun approaching to Earth may strengthen credibility of the theory.  The second biggest star in the constellation Orion may become Earth’s second sun before 2012, news.com.au reported Wednesday.Dr. Brad Carter, senior lecturer of Physics at the University of Southern Queensl

A 213-meter and 1,256-kilogram horse casing sausage is dried in Yining of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region on Jan 23, 2011. A Kazak horse meat butcher made the sausage with casings from 30 horses and thigh meat from another eight 5-year-old horses  (Xinhua-China Daily) 

The second biggest star in the constellation Orion may become Earth’s second sun before 2012, news.com.au reported Wednesday.Dr. Brad Carter, senior lecturer of Physics at the University of Southern Queensland, said Betelgeuse is losing mass or “fuel” in the center and will explode when it runs out, creating a second sun in the night sky. When the giant star, which is much brighter than the Sun, e

Indian artists perform the classical Kuchipudi dance during a cultural event in Hyderabad, India. The Kuchipudi is a classical dance from the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. (AP-Yonhap)

Newly recruited soldiers of the People's Liberation Army take part in a training session in Yichun, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Jan. 21, 2011. Some 150 newly recruited soldiers took part in the training session despite the cold weather. Local temperature in Yichun reached minus 32 degrees centigrade on Friday. (Xinhua-Yonhap)