The Korea Herald

'Billions worth' of treasure found in Indian temple

Jul 3, 2011

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, (AFP) - A treasure trove of gold and silver jewelry, coins and precious stones said to be worth billions of dollars has been found in a Hindu temple in southern India, officials said on Saturday.The valuables have an estimated preliminary worth of over 500 billion rupees ($11.2 billion), said Kerala Chief Secretary K. Jayakumar, catapulting the temple into the league of India'
Killer horse virus spreads in Australia

Jul 3, 2011

(MCT)SYDNEY, (AFP) - Australian officials were on Saturday working to isolate potential victims after uncovering two more cases of the deadly horse-borne Hendra virus, which has erupted in a second state.Spread to humans from horses, Hendra can lead to fatal respiratory illness and has killed four of the seven people who have contracted it in Australia since it was first documented in 1994.A fresh
28 killed in Syria Friday: rights group

Jul 2, 2011

NICOSIA (AFP) - Syrian security forces killed 28 civilians as more than half a million people rallied on Friday for the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, a human rights group said. Many victims were protesters demanding the overthrow of the president but 16 were killed in the northwestern province of Idlib where the army has swept into villages to quash dissent, the National Organisation for
17 children dead in Philippine flash flood

Jul 2, 2011

MANILA (AFP) - At least 17 children and infants were among 30 people killed after a towering flash flood hit one of the Philippines' largest provincial centers, the government said Saturday. The victims were swept away after the Pangi river in the southern city of Davao burst its banks on the night of June 28, said the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. At one point durin
11 Afghans killed by roadside bomb: official

Jul 2, 2011

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AFP) - Eleven members of an Afghan family were killed by a roadside bomb that struck their minibus in southern Afghanistan Saturday, a local official said. "Eleven civilians were killed after an IED (improvised explosive device) hit their vehicle today at 7:50 a.m.," Mohammad Jaan Rasulyar, deputy provincial governor of Zabul told AFP. "They were en route to Ghazni pr
Obama chooses new counterterror chief

Jul 2, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's choice for his next counterterrorism chief is Matthew Olsen, a former prosecutor with extensive experience in intelligence matters for the federal government, the White House announced Friday.Olsen, if confirmed by the Senate, would direct the National Counterterrorism Center, an agency born in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks on America
Illinois' death row officially shuts down

Jul 2, 2011

CHICAGO (AP) _ After spending years at the center of heated national debate over capital punishment, Illinois' death row officially died Friday when a state law abolishing the death penalty quietly took effect. The state garnered international attention when then-Republican Gov. George Ryan declared a moratorium in 2000 after several inmates' death sentences were overturned and he cleared dea
Shriver files papers to divorce Schwarzenegger

Jul 2, 2011

In this Nov. 8, 2006 file photo, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger arrives in Mexico City, Mexico, with his wife Maria Shriver. Maria Shriver has filed for divorce from Arnold Schwarzenegger in Los Angeles Superior Court, Friday. (AP)LOS ANGELES (AP) — Six weeks after Arnold Schwarzenegger revealed he had fathered a child out of wedlock, his wife Maria Shriver filed divorce papers Friday to en
Hu warns of risks as Communist Party turns 90

Jul 1, 2011

BEIJING (AFP) - Chinese President Hu Jintao warned the ruling Communist Party faced severe "growing pains" as it turned 90 on Friday and said corruption, and alienation from China's masses, could erode public support.But in a speech on the anniversary of its 1921 founding, Hu gave no sign that the party intended to loosen the iron grip on political power it has maintained for more than six tumultu
Panetta takes the helm as Pentagon chief

Jul 1, 2011

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Incoming US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who takes the helm at the Pentagon on Friday, is determined to avoid gutting the US military despite the prospect of difficult budget decisions.Panetta, 73, who is stepping down as head of the CIA, is due to take over at 8:45 am (1245 GMT) from Robert Gates, who is retiring after more than four years on the job supervising troubled war
Accuser credibility questions shake IMF sex case

Jul 1, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) -- Prosecutors have serious questions about the credibility of a hotel housekeeper who has accused former International Monetary Fund leader Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault, and he is expected to have his strict bail conditions reduced today, according to people familiar with the case. In this May 19 file photo, former International Monetary Fund leader Dominique Strauss-Kah
U.S. Senate confirms Petraeus as CIA chief

Jul 1, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) ― The Senate voted overwhelmingly Thursday to confirm Gen. David Petraeus to be the nation’s CIA director.The vote was 94-0.Arguably America’s most famous military commander in a generation, Petraeus has been in charge of U.S.-led international forces in Afghanistan since June 2010. The 37-year Army veteran is also credited with turning around the war in Iraq, from which U.S. troop
China’s manufacturing growth cools after monetary tightening

Jul 1, 2011

A Chinese manufacturing index fell to the lowest level since February 2009, signaling that the world’s second-biggest economy is cooling as export demand weakens and the government reins in credit to control inflation. The Purchasing Managers’ Index was at 50.9 in June compared with 52 in May, the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing said in an emailed statement on Friday. A separate surve
Ex-IMF leader to get bail eased in NYC

Jul 1, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) ― Former International Monetary Fund Leader Dominique Strauss-Kahn will have his pricey bail substantially reduced in his sexual assault case because of issues with his accuser’s credibility, a person familiar with the case said Thursday.The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss matters not yet made public in court, said prosecutors have raised issues about the credi
'August Rush' star hospitalized after suspected suicide attempt

Jul 1, 2011

Hollywood's rising star Jonathan Rhys Meyers was rushed to hospital by ambulance after a suspected suicide attempt, Daily Mail reported.Meyers -- who played amateur singer-turned-businessman in a hit-movie "August Rush" -- is believed to have taken pills at his £3million home in Maida Vale, west London on Tuesday evening, it reported.Jonathan Rhys-Meyers (MCT)The Irish actor has been battling a lo