The Korea Herald

Hugo Chavez, fiery Venezuelan leader, dies at 58

Mar 6, 2013

President Hugo Chavez was a fighter. The former paratroop commander and fiery populist waged continual battle for his socialist ideals and outsmarted his rivals time and again, defeating a coup attempt, winning re-election three times and using his country's vast oil wealth to his political advantage.A self-described “subversive,” Chavez fashioned himself after the 19th Century independence leader Simon Bolivar and renamed his country the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.He called himself a “hum
Malaysia attacks Filipinos to end siege

Mar 5, 2013

KUALA LUMPUR (AP) ― Malaysia launched airstrikes and mortar attacks against nearly 200 Filipinos occupying a Borneo coastal village Tuesday to end a bizarre three-week siege that turned into a security nightmare for both Malaysia and the Philippines. The assault follows firefights this past week that killed eight Malaysian police officers and 19 Filipino gunmen, some of whom were members of a Muslim clan that shocked Malaysia and the neighboring Philippines by slipping by boat past naval patrols
48 Syrian soldiers killed in Iraq

Mar 5, 2013

BAGHDAD (AP) ― Dozens of Syrian soldiers who had crossed into Iraq for refuge were ambushed Monday with bombs, gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades in an attack that killed 48 of them and heightened concerns that the country could be drawn into Syria’s civil war.The fact that the soldiers were on Iraqi soil at all raises questions about Baghdad’s apparent willingness to quietly aid the embattled regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.The well-coordinated attack, which Iraqi officials blamed on
China puts priority on social wellbeing

Mar 5, 2013

BEIJING (AP) ― China’s government promised its people Tuesday deficit-fueled spending to fight deep-seated corruption, improve the despoiled environment and address other quality-of-life issues demanded by an increasingly vocal public looking for change. In the government’s annual policy speech, retiring Premier Wen Jiabao signaled that leaders would no longer emphasize growth at all costs and would down-shift development to put priority on social programs. “We must make ensuring and improving p
IAEA calls for Iran to grant Parchin access

Mar 5, 2013

VIENNA (AFP) ― The head of the U.N. atomic agency called Monday on Iran to grant access to a military base where Tehran allegedly conducted nuclear weapons research, without waiting for an elusive wider accord.“I request Iran once again to provide access to the Parchin site without further delay, whether or not agreement has been reached on the structured approach,” Yukiya Amano told an International Atomic Energy Agency board of governors meeting.“Providing access to the Parchin site would be a
Venezuela: Chavez very delicate with infection

Mar 5, 2013

CARACAS (AP) ― A new and severe respiratory infection has cancer-stricken President Hugo Chavez in a “very delicate” state, and his breathing has deteriorated, the Venezuelan government announced late Monday.Communications Minister Ernesto Villegas read a brief statement on national television saying Chavez’s “worsening respiratory function” was related to a weakening of his immune system.He said the charismatic socialist leader had “a new and severe infection.” The state news agency identified
Cardinals begin pre-conclave meetings

Mar 5, 2013

VATICAN CITY (AP) ― Cardinals said Monday they wanted to be briefed about the true state of Vatican dysfunction before they elect the next pope, evidence that the scandal over leaked papal documents is casting a shadow over the conclave and setting up one of the most unpredictable papal elections in recent times.The Vatican said 103 of the 115 voting-age cardinals attended Monday’s inaugural session of the pre-conclave meetings, at which cardinals organize the election process, discuss the probl
Japan man dies after hospitals reject him 36 times

Mar 5, 2013

A 75-year-old Japanese man died after 25 hospitals refused to admit him to their emergency rooms 36 times over two hours, citing lack of beds or doctors to treat him, an official said Tuesday.The man, who lived alone in a city north of Tokyo, called an ambulance after suffering breathing problems at his home in January.Paramedics rushed to his house but were told in turn by all 25 hospitals in the area that they could not accept the man because they did not have enough doctors or any free beds,
U.S., China agree on N. Korea sanctions, diplomats say

Mar 5, 2013

The United States and China have reached agreement on a new draft sanctions resolution to punish North Korea for its latest nuclear test, U.N. diplomats said late Monday.The U.N. Security Council announced late Monday evening that it will hold closed consultations on North Korea and non-proliferation at 11 a.m. Tuesday. The diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because no official announcement has been made, said the United States is expected to circulate a draft resolution to the full c
12 charged with manslaughter in band student death

Mar 5, 2013

Twelve former members of a university band were charged Monday with manslaughter in the 2011 hazing death of a drum major.Ten of the Florida A&M University band members had been charged last May with third-degree felony hazing for the death of 26-year-old Robert Champion, but the state attorney‘s office said they are adding the charge of manslaughter for each defendant. They also have charged two additional defendants with manslaughter, though they have yet to be arrested.The second-degree mansl
Netanyahu: Iran closer to nuclear 'red line'

Mar 5, 2013

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that diplomacy has so far failed to deter Iran from pursuing its nuclear program, warning it was getting closer to crossing a crucial "red line.""Iran enriches more and more uranium, it installs faster and faster centrifuges," and it is "running out the clock" on diplomatic efforts to prevent the Islamic republic from obtaining nuclear capability, Netanyahu said."We have to stop its nuclear enrichment program before it's too late," he warned
Syrian opposition leader visits rebel areas

Mar 4, 2013

BEIRUT (AP) ― Following rebel gains, the leader of the Syrian opposition made his first visit Sunday to areas near the embattled northern city of Aleppo as fighters trying to oust President Bashar Assad captured a police academy and a border crossing along the frontier with Iraq. Assad, meanwhile, lashed out at the West for helping his opponents in the civil war, delivering a blistering rebuke to Secretary of State John Kerry’s announcement that the U.S. will for the first time provide medical s
Bomb kills at least 45 in Pakistan

Mar 4, 2013

KARACHI (AFP) ― A huge car bomb blast in a mainly Shiite Muslim area of Karachi on Sunday killed at least 45 people, officials said, amid a spate of sectarian violence that has come as Pakistan prepares for elections.The explosion blew the front off two five-story apartment blocks in the Abbas town area of Pakistan’s largest city, setting one on fire and trapping people beneath piles of rubble.Karachi is plagued by sectarian, ethnic and political violence, with more than 2,200 people killed in s
Iran confirms plans for 3,000 modern centrifuges

Mar 4, 2013

TEHRAN (AFP) ― Iran’s atomic chief said on Sunday that Tehran planned to install 3,000 new generation centrifuges at one of its nuclear plants, confirming what the U.N. nuclear watchdog reported in February.“The production line of these centrifuges has been completed,” Fereydoon Abbasi Davani was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency.“In the near future these new generation centrifuges will become operational and they will replace the older generation of centrifuges that are less efficient,”
China defends growth in military spending

Mar 4, 2013

BEIJING (AP) ― China defended its booming military spending on Monday, saying vast investments in the armed forces have contributed to global peace and stability, despite concerns among the U.S. and Beijing’s Asian neighbors over sharpening territorial disputes.However, in a break with previous years, no figure for this year’s defense budget was presented at a news conference held Monday on the eve of the annual legislative session. Spokeswoman Fu Ying said the figure would appear in the overall