The Korea Herald

German president quits in scandal over favors

Feb 17, 2012

BERLIN (AP) _ German President Christian Wulff resigned Friday in a scandal over favors he allegedly received before becoming head of state, creating a major domestic distraction for Chancellor Angela Merkel as she grapples with the eurozone debt crisis.Wulff announced his resignation a day after th
Santorum challenges Romney in Detroit

Feb 17, 2012

DETROIT (AP) ― An aggressive Rick Santorum attacked Mitt Romney on multiple fronts, challenging the Republican front-runner’s economic policies, values and consistency in the city of Romney’s birth.Polls show Santorum has risen to a virtual tie with Romney, and the former Pennsylvania senator on Thursday criticized his rival’s record on federal bailouts in particular, though both men opposed the government’s decision to rescue the auto industry.“Gov. Romney supported the bailout of Wall Street a
Israel to buy Italian military training jets

Feb 17, 2012

In this Sept. 18, 2005 file photo a M-346 from Italy's Pony aerobatic team, performs during an airshow at the air-force base of Tanagra, 70 kilometers (about 43 miles) north of Athens. (AP)Israel has reached a $1 billion preliminary deal to buy 30 Italian military training jets, Israeli defense offi
UN General Assembly condemns Syria

Feb 17, 2012

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Thursday for a resolution backing an Arab League plan calling for Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down and strongly condemning human rights violations by his regime.The vote in the 193-member world body on the Arab-sponsored
Qaeda leader killing sparks deadly clashes: Yemen tribesmen

Feb 16, 2012

SANAA (AFP) - The killing of a local Al-Qaeda leader by his half brother sparked vicious tribal infighting in his stronghold southeast of Yemen's capital Sanaa on Thursday which left 17 people dead, tribal chiefs said.The clashes erupted after Tarek al-Dahab was shot dead by his half-brother Hizam i
Assassin for Assad speaks out

Feb 16, 2012

Kill or be killed. That is the kind of life self-described assassin for the Syrian government Sa’er says he was forced into.CNN reported Wednesday the story of a man claiming to have killed as many as 70 opposition forces, and even slit a man’s throat. Sa’er claims the government turned him and others into monsters that would have killed their own fathers.He spoke of an incident in which two police officers captured a man. A major put a gun to Sa’er’s head and ordered him to kill the prisoner, h
Malnutrition ‘puts 450m children at risk of stunting’

Feb 16, 2012

LONDON (AFP) ― About 450 million children will be physically and mentally stunted over the next 15 years unless the world takes action to tackle malnutrition, a new report from Save the Children warned Wednesday.Every hour, 300 children die due to a lack of nutrients in their diet, while those who survive are permanently damaged in a way that impacts on their lives and the economic prospects of their countries, the British charity said.The problem has become urgent due to volatile food prices, e
U.S. dismisses Iran nuclear claims as ‘hyped’

Feb 16, 2012

TEHRAN (AFP) ― Iran announced new strides in its nuclear program on Wednesday in a defiant blow to U.S. and EU pressure to rein in its atomic activities, and amid signs of an increasingly vicious covert war with Israel over the issue.The United States dismissed the claims of progress as “hyped” and said Tehran was in fact feeling the bite of international sanctions and coming under increasing pressure to return to the negotiating table.Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad unveiled on state tele
Hundreds dead in Honduras prison fire: director

Feb 15, 2012

Honduras prison fire kills more than 350 inmates
Iran TV shows domestic nuclear fuel inserted in reactor

Feb 15, 2012

TEHRAN (AFP) - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad led a ceremony on Wednesday inserting Iran's first domestically produced, 20-percent enriched nuclear fuel into Tehran's research reactor, according to live images on state television.The procedure was being hailed as a technical achievement in Iran, show
Obama presses next China leader on 'rules'

Feb 15, 2012

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President Barack Obama on Tuesday urged China to play by the "same rules" in the global economy but voiced hope for cooperation in a key introductory meeting with leader-in-waiting Xi Jinping.China's vice president, who is expected to take the helm next year, largely focused on
U.S. weighing steep nuclear arms cuts

Feb 15, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) ― The Obama administration is weighing options for sharp new cuts to the U.S. nuclear force, including a reduction of up to 80 percent in the number of deployed weapons, the Associated Press has learned.Even the most modest option now under consideration would be a historic and politically bold disarmament step in a presidential election year, although the plan is in line with President Barack Obama’s 2009 pledge to pursue the elimination of nuclear weapons.No final decision has
Thailand charges Iranian bomb suspects

Feb 15, 2012

BANGKOK (AFP) -- Thailand charged two Iranians Wednesday over an alleged bomb plot against Israeli diplomats, officials said, piling pressure on Tehran over accusations of a terror campaign against the Jewish state.Tensions between the Middle East arch-foes have risen sharply following three bomb incidents in world capitals in less than 24 hours, but Iran angrily rejected accusations that it was to blame.On Monday bombers targeted Israeli embassy staff in India and Georgia, with a female diploma
Pakistan allows NATO to ship food to Afghanistan

Feb 15, 2012

ISLAMABAD (AP) -- Pakistan announced Tuesday that it has temporarily allowed NATO to ship perishable food to its troops in Afghanistan, a sign of thawing tensions following American airstrikes last year that accidentally killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.Pakistan closed its Afghan border to NATO supplies in response to the deadly Nov. 26 attack on two of its border posts. The closure has been a headache for coalition forces, who have had to spend much more money to get goods to Afghanistan using alte
Xi backs expanding U.S.-China military ties: Pentagon

Feb 15, 2012

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― China’s leader-in-waiting Xi Jinping and U.S. defense chiefs agreed on the need for expanding military relations between the two powers after talks at the Pentagon Tuesday, a U.S. military spokesman said.China’s top brass has shown less enthusiasm for deepening security ties with the United States but Xi, the country’s vice president, endorsed more military contacts in talks with U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Pentagon spokesman George Little said. Following an elaborate