The Korea Herald

Teacher who impregnated girl allowed work release

Nov 21, 2012

A court in American Samoa has ruled a former teacher convicted of raping his 13-year-old student may leave prison on weekdays to work at a church next to a school.Tone Pulou is serving a two-year sentence. He pleaded guilty to rape earlier this year in a deal with prosecutors.The High Court of American Samoa said last week Pulou may leave prison to work at the headquarters of Congregational Christian Church of American Samoa from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The church, which is the largest religious group
Man gets 90 days for audio sex recording

Nov 21, 2012

ST. PAUL, Minn. (UPI) -- A Minnesota court sentenced a hotel clerk -- caught recording audio of a newlywed couple having sex -- to 90 days in jail.Jeremiah Marg, 29, pleaded guilty Monday in Ramsey County District Court to a charge of intentional interference with privacy for slipping an audio recorder under the door of a newlywed couple at Hotel 340 in St. Paul, where Marg worked as a clerk, to record the sounds of the couple having sex, the St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer-Press reported Tuesday.The c
Push for Israel-Hamas cease-fire gains momentum

Nov 21, 2012

A diplomatic push to end Israel's nearly weeklong offensive in the Gaza Strip gained momentum Tuesday, with Egypt's president predicting that airstrikes would soon end, the U.S. secretary of state racing to the region and Israel's prime minister saying his country would be a “willing partner” to a cease-fire with the Islamic militant group Hamas.As international diplomats worked to cement a deal, senior Hamas officials said some sticking points remained even as relentless airstrikes and rocket a
Northern Ireland to host G8 summit in 2013

Nov 20, 2012

LONDON (AFP) -- The G8 summit of the world's eight richest nations will be held in Northern Ireland next year, British Prime Minister David Cameron announced on Tuesday.The meeting will be held next June at the five-star Lough Erne hotel and golf resort in County Fermanagh to the southwest of the British province, Cameron announced during a visit to Northern Ireland."I want the world to see just what a fantastic place Northern Ireland is," Cameron said as he visited a factory in County Armagh.Ar
Israel to end 'aggression' Tuesday: Egypt's Morsi

Nov 20, 2012

CAIRO (AFP) -- Egypt's President Mohammed Morsi said Israel's "aggression" against Gaza will end on Tuesday and Cairo-mediated efforts will produce "positive results" within hours, the official MENA news agency reported."The farce of the Israeli aggression will end today, Tuesday, and the efforts to reach a ceasefire between the Palestinians and Israelis will produce positive results within a few hours," it quoted him as saying.A Hamas official said chief Khaled Meshaal and his negotiators were
Britain recognizes Syrian opposition as sole representative

Nov 20, 2012

LONDON (AFP) -- Britain on Tuesday recognized Syria's newly formed opposition coalition as the sole representative of the Syrian people, becoming the latest Western country to give its backing to the group.Foreign Secretary William Hague told parliament he took the decision after he met coalition leaders in London on Friday and they assured him that they have backing inside Syria and would respect human rights.Hague said he has asked the group to appoint a political representative to Britain and
Palestinian rocket targets Jerusalem for 2nd time

Nov 20, 2012

JERUSALEM (AP) -- A Palestinian rocket struck the outskirts of Jerusalem on Tuesday, landing harmlessly in an open area in one of the longest rocket strikes fired from the Gaza Strip in nearly a week of fighting.The rocket attack, the second aimed at the holy city since an Israeli offensive began a week ago, set off air raid sirens throughout the metropolis. A distant explosion could be heard in the city's downtown. Jerusalem residents ran for cover as buses and trains stopped to let passengers
Iran nuclear work unaffected by sanctions: IAEA chief

Nov 20, 2012

PARIS (AFP) -- Multiple rounds of international sanctions are failing to have any effect on Iran's controversial nuclear programme, the head of the UN atomic agency said on Tuesday."We are verifying the activities at the nuclear sites in Iran and we do not see any effect," International Atomic Energy Agency head Yukiya Amano said in Paris."They are for example producing enriched uranium up to five percent and 20 percent with a quite constant pace."Uranium enrichment lies at the heart of the inte
Greenpeace warns of chemicals in global fashion

Nov 20, 2012

BEIJING (AFP) -- Two-thirds of high-street garments tested in a study by Greenpeace contained potentially harmful chemicals, the group said Tuesday, highlighting the findings with a "toxic" fashion show in Beijing.The environmental campaign group is pushing for fashion brands to commit to "zero discharge of all hazardous chemicals" by 2020 and to require suppliers to publicise any toxic chemicals they release into the environment.Greenpeace said its investigation tested 141 garments from 20 top
Myanmar ministries to repay 'embezzled' cash

Nov 20, 2012

YANGON (AFP) - Myanmar's president has ordered more than a dozen ministries to repay tens of thousands of dollars "embezzled" by staff, in a rare public move to tackle graft in one of the world's most corrupt nations.The order comes after the auditor general found dozens of cases of "misuse and dishonest actions" involving 15 ministries that stripped nearly $65 million from government coffers over the 2011-12 fiscal year.Around $150,000 is owed by staff at the ministries, who have until March ne
Israel halts threatened Gaza invasion as truce talks build

Nov 20, 2012

JERUSALEM (AFP) -- Israel on Tuesday halted a threatened Gaza ground offensive to give Egyptian-led truce talks a chance as top diplomats flew in to boost efforts to end nearly a week of cross-border violence.The move came as UN chief Ban Ki-moon urged both Israel and Gaza militants to stop their fire "immediately" as he held talks in Cairo aimed at securing a deal between the Jewish state and Gaza's Islamist Hamas rulers.And US officials said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would break away
All sides in Gaza conflict must immediately halt fire: Ban

Nov 20, 2012

CAIRO (AFP) -- UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday urged all sides to the Gaza conflict to immediately cease their fire, warning at a news conference in Cairo that an escalation will endanger the whole region."All sides must halt fire immediately," Ban said, as an Israeli military operation against rocket-firing militants in Gaza entered a seventh day, with 116 Palestinians and three Israelis killed."Further escalating the situation will put the entire region at risk," he added, sitting alongside Ar
Obama sends Clinton to Mideast amid Gaza crisis

Nov 20, 2012

PHNOM PENH (AP) -- President Barack Obama is dispatching Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to the Middle East as the U.S. urgently seeks to contain the bloody conflict between Israel and Hamas.　 Clinton hastily departed for the region Tuesday from Cambodia, where she had joined Obama for summit meetings with Asian leaders. The White House said she would make three stops, meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Palestinian officials in Ramallah and Egyptian le
Egyptian police, protesters clash in central Cairo

Nov 20, 2012

CAIRO (AP) ― Clashes between protesters and Egyptian security forces intensified after nightfall Monday, marking the anniversary of a bloody confrontation in Cairo, when 42 people were killed in a street battle months after the uprising that ousted the country’s longtime president. Hundreds of demonstrators threw rocks at police, who fired tear gas and birdshot in response. A medical official said 60 protesters and 10 policemen were injured. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not
Syrian Islamist factions reject Western-backed opposition

Nov 20, 2012

BEIRUT (AP) ― Syria’s increasingly powerful Islamist rebel factions rejected the country’s new Western-backed opposition coalition and unilaterally declared an Islamic state in the key battleground of Aleppo, a sign of the seemingly intractable splits among those fighting to topple President Bashar Assad. The move highlights the struggle over the direction of the rebellion at a time when the opposition is trying to gain the West’s trust and secure a flow of weapons to fight the regime. The risin