The Korea Herald

5.4 earthquake jolts central Japan; 7 hurt

Jun 30, 2011

TOKYO (AP) ― A magnitude-5.4 earthquake has rattled central Japan and at least seven people are hurt.The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake hit Thursday in Nagano, some 170 kilometers northwest of Tokyo. The quake was just four kilometers deep. No tsunami warning was issued, the agency said.Nagano fire department official Sadahiko Furusawa said seven people were injured in the quake, but n
U.S. unveils retooled plan to hunt al-Qaida

Jun 30, 2011

Washington vows to carry out more drone strikes and special operations than battlesWASHINGTON (AP) ― The United States will push ahead with more targeted drone strikes and special operations raids and fewer costly land battles like Iraq and Afghanistan in the continuing war against al-Qaida, according to a new national counterterrorism strategy unveiled Wednesday.The doctrine, two years in the mak
Questions arise over FBI terror profile

Jun 30, 2011

LONDON (AP) -- The FBI's most-wanted list features a dated black-and-white photograph for the man wanted in connection with the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Tanzania and Kenya. Saif al-Adel, reads the glaring red banner, alias Muhammad Ibrahim Makkawi.But intelligence officials and people who say they know al-Adel and Makkawi tell The Associated Press that they are two different men.In the wake o
Greek parliament passes key austerity bill

Jun 29, 2011

ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Greece's lawmakers have approved a key austerity bill, paving the way for the country to get its next vital bailout loans that will prevent it from defaulting next month.The unpopular 28 billion euros ($40 billion) five-year package of spending cuts and tax hikes was backed by a majority of the 300-member parliament Wednesday, including Socialist deputy Alexandros Athanassia
At least 10 killed in Taliban’s Kabul hotel attack

Jun 29, 2011

NATO helicopters end 5-hour siege against armed suicide bombersKABUL (AFP) ― Taliban suicide bombers and gunmen attacked a top Kabul hotel, sparking a five-hour battle with Afghan commandos backed by a NATO helicopter in an assault that left at least 10 people dead Wednesday.Red tracer bullets arced through the night sky around the hilltop Inter-Continental Hotel, whose faded grandeur frequently p
Elderly woman has to remove diaper for pat-down

Jun 29, 2011

This undated photo provided by Jean Weber shows her mother, Lena Reppert. The gravely ill 95-year-old woman had to remove her wet diaper at an airport so that she could be patted down by security screeners and nearly missed her flight, her daughter said Monday. (AP-Yonhap News)DESTIN, Fla. (AP) – A gravely ill 95-year-old woman had to remove her wet diaper at an airport so that she could be patted
Monaco palace slams wedding strife 'rumors'

Jun 29, 2011

Prince Albert II of Monaco and his fiancee Charlene Wittstock attend to the St Jean Religious Parade , Thursday, June 23, 2011, in Monaco. Prince Albert II of Monaco and his fiancee Charlene Wittstock of South Africa, will wed on July 1 and 2.(AP-Yonhap News)MONACO, France (AFP) - Monaco's royal palace Tuesday angrily denied media rumours that princess-to-be Charlene Wittstock tried to leave the p
Japan could face third ‘lost’ decade: Moody’s

Jun 28, 2011
International court orders Gadhafi’s arrest

Jun 28, 2011
India's desire for sons drives child sex-change operations

Jun 28, 2011

(MCT)Indian parents’ preference for sons has led to inhumane sex change operations on young girls, the Telegraph reported. Doctors in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, are accused of conducting sex change operations on 300 girls, receiving almost $3,200 for each operation. The doctors insist that only girls with genital abnormalities or children with both male and female sexual characteristics were subject
Teen aims to become youngest space-traveler

Jun 28, 2011

A Canadian teenager is set to become the youngest-ever space traveler next year. According to Canadian press, the 17-year-old had his name reserved on the list of boarding passengers to Virgin Galactic, the first commercial space shuttle.As soon as the boy becomes 18, passing the minimum age limit, he will have become the first teenager to travel to space. Teenage passengers are required to accomp
German 'vampire' jailed for life

Jun 28, 2011

GOETTINGEN, Germany, June 27, 2011 (AFP) - A court in Germany Monday ruled that a 26-year-old man who murdered two teenagers, chewing on parts of one of them and drinking her blood, will never be free again.Jan O. was given a life sentence by the court in Goettingen, central Germany. He will be sent to a psychiatric unit and will never be released because of the danger he posed to the public.The d
Korea’s househusbands on the rise

Jun 27, 2011

Parents and friends of Oh Sung-keun called him “crazy” when he quit his job at a local hospital about 10 years ago. It was a well-paying and stable job in Korea, which was reeling from the worst financial crisis in decades in Asia at the time.The financial crisis forced many companies, large and small, to lay off workers as part of self-rescue efforts. Just having a job was regarded as a blessing
A robot handles the luggage at new hotel

Jun 27, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) ― Forget the bellhop. Meet the luggage robot.It’s the first of several high-tech, sleek amenities guests encounter at the Yotel, a new hotel that aims to provide a trendy stay at an affordable price.Purple lighting, throbbing music in the elevators and futon-like sofas that transform to lie-flat beds at the touch of a button help set the mood.Or maybe they just distract you from the
No turning back for Obama on Afghan war

Jun 26, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) ― We’re getting out.No more presidential talk of decisions based on conditions on the ground. No benchmarks to measure. No maybes at all.Determined to pull the United States out of the war in Afghanistan, President Barack Obama deliberately left out any wiggle room in declaring that a methodical withdrawal has begun. His speech to the nation on Wednesday, a turning point in a fight