The Korea Herald

Qantas pushes on with Asian premium airline plan

World BusinessDec 12, 2011

SYDNEY (AFP) -- Qantas chief Alan Joyce Monday said he was pushing ahead with plans for a joint-venture premium airline in Asia while insisting damage to the brand from grounding the fleet was only “temporary.”Uncertainty over global economic conditions and volatile fuel prices have sparked reports that the airline was ready to shelve plans for an Asian carrier as part of its strategy to refocus on the fast-growing region.But Joyce said talks were ongoing, with Kuala Lumpur or Singapore seen as
Toyota threatened in U.S. by Camry competition

World BusinessDec 12, 2011

Toyota Motor Corp. was already counting on the revamped Camry to spark a U.S. sales rally. The carmaker’s flagship model is now under additional pressure as a stronger currency and Thailand’s floods cut into profit. The company reduced its earnings forecast last week by more than 50 percent for the year ending in March, blaming a slump in production after Thailand’s worst floods in almost 70 years. The 2012 Camry was released in October with a goal of boosting sales hurt by Japan’s earthquake an
Iran urges OPEC to adjust output

World BusinessDec 12, 2011

TEHRAN (AFP) ― Iran’s oil minister on Sunday renewed calls for OPEC members Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to ease back their above-quota production as Libyan oil flows back into the market.“Today, supply and demand in the market is balanced and Iran’s policy is to keep OPEC member states from raising production,” Rostam Qasemi said on the oil ministry’s website ahead of a meeting by the cartel on Wednesday.Iran also wishes to see an “end (to) some countries’ extra production which started when Libya e
Luxury spending soars in China’s small cities

World BusinessDec 12, 2011

CHENGDU, China (AFP) ― Flashing bright green contact lenses and fake eyelashes, Li Xingyi struts through a shopping centre in southwest China clutching a Louis Vuitton bag and wearing a red fur coat.The 25-year-old entrepreneur is one of a growing number of Chinese living outside the booming metropolises of Beijing and Shanghai who can afford to splash out on expensive designer brands and luxury products.“I liked it, I could afford it, so I just bought it,” Li told AFP, pointing to her Louis Vui
Korean credit card companies get personal

World NewsDec 12, 2011

There are 122 million cards in the country, translating to about 4.8 cards per worker or 2.5 per citizenIn Korea, if the only reward you receive from your credit card is air mileage, then you are seriously behind the times. The card market here is replete with some of the most idiosyncratic cards imaginable, and consumers of all stripes are benefiting.For example, a family preparing to welcome a new addition might just be enticed by the With Baby card from Hana SK Card. It gives discounts on
Taliban spokesman denies peace talks

World NewsDec 12, 2011

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) ― A Pakistani Taliban spokesman denied Sunday an earlier announcement by the militant group’s deputy chief that it was holding peace talks with the government.The conflicting claims are a clear sign of splits within the movement, which could make it harder for Islamabad to strike a deal to end the violent insurgency gripping the country. At the same time, the cracks could make it easier to suppress the insurgency militarily.The Pakistani government, meanwhile, said the U.
Mexico finds tunnel at northern border

World NewsDec 12, 2011

MEXICO CITY (AP) ― The Mexican army says it has found a 50-meter long tunnel starting under a building in the northern city of Nogales, which is across the border from Nogales, Arizona.The Defense Department says the tunnel two meters under the surface may have been used to cross the border into the United States. However, the department’s statement Sunday does not say whether the tunnel actually reaches into U.S. territory or whether any entrance on the U.S. side has been found.Such tunnels fou
Ivory Coast legislative polls see low turnout

World NewsDec 12, 2011

ABIDJAN (AP) ― Ivory Coast’s second national poll in 11 years drew little voter interest, a stark contrast to last year’s massive presidential election which later sent the West African nation spiraling into violence.The parliamentary election, the first the country has had since 2000, saw voters trickling into polling stations in the commercial capital, the scene of months of violence after the former strongman refused to accept his loss in last year’s poll.Some 1,100 candidates vied for 255 le
Libyan militia, army clash near airport

World NewsDec 12, 2011

TRIPOLI (AP) ― Revolutionary fighters clashed with national army troops near Tripoli’s airport, leaving one person dead, officials said Sunday. The violence reflects the difficulties Libya’s new leaders face as they try to stamp their authority on the disparate militias that overthrew Moammar Gadhafi.Army spokesman Sgt. Abdel-Razik el-Shibahy said fighters from the western mountain town of Zintan, who control Tripoli’s international airport, opened fire on two occasions on Saturday on the convoy
Syria activists call strike, fears of Homs invasion grow

World NewsDec 12, 2011

DAMASCUS (AFP) ― A general strike was observed on Sunday in several regions of Syria to step up the pressure on the regime, activists said, as fears grew of an “invasion” of the besieged protest hub of Homs.In the latest bloodshed, 12 civilians were killed by security forces across Syria on Sunday, including three children, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.Five people, including two of the children, were killed by gunfire in Homs, the group said, adding that at least 46 were also
‘NATO to halt Iraq mission at year-end’

World NewsDec 12, 2011

LONDON (AFP) ― NATO will withdraw its Iraq training mission at year-end after Baghdad refused to grant it legal immunity, Iraq’s top security adviser said on Sunday, mirroring the nearly-complete pullout of U.S. forces.But a NATO official in Brussels denied that any decision had been taken.Iraq said the end of the mission was a surprise, with NATO previously having agreed in principle to staying through to the end of 2013.“NATO surprised us with this decision,” National Security Adviser Falah al
Ex-dictator returns to Panama; few care

World NewsDec 12, 2011

PANAMA CITY (AP) ― More than two decades after the U.S. forced him from power, Manuel Noriega returned to Panama on Sunday as a prisoner and, to many of those he once ruled with impunity, an irrelevant man.Some Panamanians feel hatred for the former strongman and rejected American ally; a few others nostalgia. But as he returned to his native country for the first time since his ouster, it seemed like few people had any strong feelings at all.There were no legions of admirers at Panama City’s To
U.S. Democrats encouraged about Obama

World NewsDec 12, 2011

WASHNGTON (AP) ― After a dreary summer marred by the fight over government borrowing, rank-and-file Democrats say they are growing more optimistic about President Barack Obama’s re-election prospects in 2012. They cite his tougher, more populist tone and what they view as a chaotic presidential primary fight among Republicans.Many Democrats acknowledged that high unemployment and economic uncertainty create formidable obstacles for the incumbent. But interviews with more than a dozen Democratic
Bees choose by doing 'neuron' dance: study

World NewsDec 12, 2011

Honey bees do a little dance to communicate with each other that mimics signals in the brain, a finding that may shed light on how Earth's creatures make choices, scientists said Thursday.The decision-making mechanisms in nervous systems and insect societies are strikingly similar," said the study i
New method boosts blood-clotting for hemophiliacs

PodcastDec 12, 2011

ATLANTA (AP) _ In what's being called a landmark study, researchers used gene therapy to successfully treat six patients with severe hemophilia, a blood-clotting disorder.The study was preliminary and involved only six patients, and other promising early attempts to use gene therapy against hemophil