The Korea Herald

Taiwan man probed over robbery amputation claim

Nov 29, 2011

TAIPEI (AFP) - A Taiwanese man who said his hand had to be amputated after a savage robbery in China was questioned Monday by the island's police amid allegations the injuries were self-inflicted. Retired Taiwanese businessman Hu Chi-yang speaks to reporters at a hospital in Taoyuan, Taiwan on Nov.
Fitch keeps AAA US credit rating but dims outlook

World BusinessNov 29, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Fitch said Monday that it will keep its rating for long-term U.S. debt at the top AAA level, despite a congressional panel's failure to agree on long-term deficit cuts. But it is lowering its outlook to negative.The rating agency said it has less confidence in the federal governmen
U.S. holiday weekend sales climb to record $52.4 billion: NRF

World BusinessNov 28, 2011

U.S. retail sales during Thanksgiving weekend climbed 16 percent to a record as shoppers flocked to stores earlier and spent more, according to the National Retail Federation. Sales totaled $52.4 billion, and the average shopper spent $398.62 during the holiday weekend, up from $365.34 a year earlier, the Washington-based trade group said in a statement Sunday, citing a survey conducted by BIGresearch. More than a third of that ― an average of $150.53 ― was spent online. “Consumers are clearly d
China keen to invest in West’s infrastructure

World BusinessNov 28, 2011

BEIJING (AP) ― China’s sovereign wealth fund wants to invest in improving neglected U.S. and European roads and other infrastructure to spur global growth, the fund’s chairman said in comments published Monday.The announcement reflects a shift in strategy for the $410 billion fund, which was created in 2007. Until now, it has limited its investments mostly to small stakes in publicly traded companies to avoid stirring political opposition overseas.China Investment Corp. wants to begin in Britain
Strauss-Kahn supporters seek probe on conspiracy

World NewsNov 28, 2011

PARIS (AP) ― Supporters of disgraced former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn on Sunday appealed to French authorities to investigate new allegations that President Nicolas Sarkozy’s conservative political party may have improperly accessed his personal email.The online appeal from the support group “Club DSK” follows a report published Saturday in The New York Review of Books that has triggered new speculation about a possible conspiracy aimed at damaging Strauss-Kahn.That report, citing unident
Prince William joins Irish Sea rescue mission

World NewsNov 28, 2011

LONDON (AP) ― Prince William joined a frantic search and rescue mission Sunday after a cargo ship sank in the Irish Sea, leaving several members of the Russian crew missing. The second in line to the British throne, who is a Royal Air Force helicopter and known professionally as Flight Lt. William Wales, was aboard an aircraft which rescued two crew members early Sunday, after their vessel’s hull cracked in gale force winds off the coast of north Wales.Britain’s defense ministry said William had
Occupy deadline comes, many say they won’t go

World NewsNov 28, 2011

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Hundreds of Occupy Los Angeles protesters showed no sign they planned to move Sunday ahead of a city-imposed midnight deadline to abandon their encampment, saying they would instead hold an “eviction block party.’’Although city officials have told demonstrators they must leave the weeks-old protest site and take their nearly 500 tents with them by 12:01 a.m. Monday, just a handful were seen packing up Sunday.Instead, some passed out fliers containing the city seal and the word
German police clear sit-in at nuke protest

World NewsNov 28, 2011

BERLIN (AP) ― German police cleared a sit-in of thousands of protesters attempting to block a shipment of nuclear waste and temporarily detained 1,300 people Sunday, officials said.Hundreds of officers started evicting protesters from the rail lines near Dannenberg in the north of the country in the morning, police spokesman Stefan Kuehm-Stoltz said.Those who refused to leave were detained on site for several hours, but all were eventually released by late afternoon. Only those who refused to di
Putin warns West as he launches presidential bid

World NewsNov 28, 2011

MOSCOW (AP) ― Prime Minister Vladimir Putin sternly warned the West not to interfere in Russia’s elections, as he launched his campaign to reclaim the presidency in a speech Sunday before thousands of flag-waving supporters.Putin stepped down in 2008 after two presidential terms, but kept his hold on power. He announced in September that he intended to return to the top job next year and was formally nominated Sunday by his United Russia party.“All our foreign partners need to understand this: R
WikiLeaks wins Australian journalism award

World NewsNov 28, 2011

SYDNEY, Nov 28, 2011 (AFP) - WikiLeaks has been recognised in Australia for its "outstanding contribution to journalism", with founder Julian Assange lashing out at "cowardly" Prime Minister Julia Gillard in an acceptance speech.The anti-secrecy website was lauded at the annual Walkley Awards, where
Malaysia launches women-only taxis: reports

World NewsNov 28, 2011

Malaysia has launched a fleet of women-only taxis, an initiative that follows pink-colored train coaches and buses aimed at shielding women from harassment, reports said Sunday.Fifty women taxi drivers have started plying greater Kuala Lumpur on an on-call basis, and the government hopes the number
In unprecedented step, Arab League sanctions Syria

World NewsNov 28, 2011

BEIRUT (AP) _ In an unprecedented move against an Arab nation, the Arab League on Sunday approved economic sanctions on Syria to pressure Damascus to end its deadly suppression of an 8-month-old uprising against President Bashar Assad.But even as world leaders abandon Assad, the regime has refused t
Belgium ends impasse to meet EU demands

World NewsNov 27, 2011

S&P’s downgrades rating as crisis lashes European heartBRUSSELS (AFP) ― Belgium fell in behind model eurozone pupils Italy and Greece on Saturday, its feuding politicians ending 19 months of deadlock with an 11th-hour budget deal that met EU strictures hours after a brutal downgrade.“There is an agreement,” French-speaking Socialist premier-to-be Elio Di Rupo’s spokeswoman Ermeline Gosselin said on the stroke of noon, as exhausted but elated politicians closed more than 500 days of struggling to
U.S. chef takes on Gallic gastronomes

World NewsNov 27, 2011

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― A U.S. mathematician who used to work for Microsoft is hoping to win over Gallic gastronomes, as he takes his “modernist” cooking methods to the home of traditional gourmet cuisine.Defying critics who he argues view cooking “like religion,” chef Nathan Myhrvold is about to publish a French ― and German and Spanish ― version of his “Modernist Cuisine,” which mixes molecular science with the culinary arts.The huge five-volume, 2,440 page tome, published in the United States and
Yemen sets date for presidential vote

World NewsNov 27, 2011

SANAA (AP) ― Yemen scheduled early presidential elections for early next year on Saturday in line with a power-sharing deal aimed at ending a nine-month political crisis, according to the country’s official news agency.The agreement would make President Ali Abdullah Saleh the fourth dictator pushed from power this year by the Arab Spring uprisings, although it has been rejected by many protesters because it would grant the reviled leader immunity from prosecution and does not include far-reachin