The Korea Herald

Gunmen kill 16 Egypt border guards

Aug 6, 2012

CAIRO (AFP) ― Gunmen on Sunday killed 16 guards in Egypt near the border with Israel before stealing two armored vehicles and crossing into the Jewish state where one vehicle was destroyed by a helicopter.An Egyptian medical official said gunmen in Bedouin attire drove up in two vehicles and opened fire on a checkpoint near the Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom in Hebrew) border crossing and opened fire.The health ministry said 16 soldiers and border guards were killed, while a security official said
115 Kurdish rebels killed in offensive: Turkey

Aug 6, 2012

ANKARA (AP) ― Turkey’s security forces have killed as many as 115 Kurdish rebels during a major security offensive over the past two weeks, the country’s interior minister said Sunday.Idris Naim Sahin said the rebels were killed in an airpower backed offensive near the town of Semdinli, in Hakkari province which sits on the border with Iraq. He said the offensive began on July 23.Sahin provided few other details on the ongoing operation but said the security forces were trying to block the rebel
Syrian forces vow ‘decisive’ showdown for Aleppo

Aug 6, 2012

BEIRUT (AP) ― Syrian forces threatened Sunday to mount a “decisive battle” for Aleppo even as rebels clawed toward the city’s ancient center under intense bombardment and strafing from warplanes. In the capital Damascus, militiamen appeared to step up guerrilla-like forays in central districts that were once firmly in the regime’s hands.The twin fronts reflected the rising stakes for both sides and a possible significant evolution in rebel strategies. Opposition forces appear to be shifting towa
Wildfire evacuation orders lifted in Oklahoma

Aug 6, 2012

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) ― Many Oklahomans forced to leave their homes because of raging wildfires were being allowed to return Sunday, despite some fires continuing to burn and emergency shelters remaining open in four communities.A “monster” fire had devoured almost 91 square miles and continued to burn between Mannford and Kellyville in northeastern Oklahoma’s Creek County as light rain and cooler temperatures gave firefighters a brief respite early Sunday, said Oklahoma Forestry Services spokeswom
7 dead in Wisconsin Sikh temple shooting

Aug 6, 2012

Four killed inside, three outside temple, including gunman: police officialOAK CREEK, Wisconsin (AP) ― A gunman opened fire Sunday and killed six people at a Sikh temple near Milwaukee before he was killed in an exchange of gunfire with one of the first officers to respond to the chaotic scene, authorities said.The shootings happened before 10:30 a.m., as several dozen people gathered at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin for Sunday services. Hours of uncertainty followed as police in tactical gear an
Woman spots her child for sale on Internet

Aug 6, 2012

(MCT)A Canadian woman called police when she found an online ad offering her baby for sale based on photos she'd posted on Facebook.The unidentified woman in the central British Columbia town of Fort St. John called the Royal Canadian Mounted Police when she spotted the ad in an online buy-and-sell site, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.RCMP Sgt. Steve Perret told the broadcaster the ad ha
British explorer sets out on treasure hunt

Aug 6, 2012

A British fortune hunter is heading to a Pacific island in search of more than $250 million worth of treasure supposedly buried there by 19th century pirates.Shaun Whitehead is leading an expedition to Cocos Island in hopes of discovering treasure allegedly buried there by a British trader, Capt. William Thompson, in 1820, The Daily Telegraph reported Sunday.The British newspaper said as the story goes, Thompson stole gold, silver and jewelry amassed by Spanish authorities in Lima, Peru, that he
Pakistani couple paraded naked by police

Aug 6, 2012

A police officer beats Mumtaz Mirbahar (right) and forces him to take off his clothes in this cellphone video footage. (Image from YouTube-BBC)Several police officers in the Pakistani town of Gambat were suspended after parading a couple accused of adultery through the town naked, officials said.The officers were suspended by local authorities after cellphone video footage of the incident stirred
16 Egypt border guards killed, Islamists suspected

Aug 6, 2012

Masked gunmen killed 16 Egyptian soldiers Sunday at a checkpoint along the border with Gaza and Israel, the first such attack on troops _ and then the attackers drove off, crashing into Israel, officials said.Egypt blamed Islamist militants from Gaza and Egypt's troubled Sinai Peninsula. President Mohammed Morsi said the attackers ``will pay dearly.''The Israeli military said the attack was part o
Crisis kills culture in Spain, artists warn

Aug 5, 2012

MADRID (AFP) ― For the government, it’s a target for crisis taxes and cuts like any other: the subsidised arts sector. For actors, artists and audiences, it’s Spain’s moral lifeblood, bleeding away in the recession.The arts in Spain ― including the big film sector that gave the world Pedro Almodovar ― is in peril from a sharp rise in sales tax that will drive away audiences, top cultural figures say.“They are generally killing the cultural activity in this country,” said one of the country’s bes
Mirrors reflect obsession with appearance

Aug 5, 2012

“Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the prettiest of them all?” It’s the dreaded question many Koreans ― especially women ― ask themselves when looking in the mirror.Hopefully, the answer is the reflection staring right back at them.But is one’s reflection really that important in everyday life?Enter 20-year-old Kim Min-jeong. Four years ago, she was one of those dab, “lazy” girls in high school that didn’t care about her appearance. “Back in elementary and middle school, I didn’t care about my
Truman grandson visits Hiroshima memorial

Aug 5, 2012

TOKYO (AP) ― A grandson of ex-U.S. President Harry Truman, who ordered the atomic bombings of Japan during World War II, is in Hiroshima to attend a memorial service for the victims.Clifton Truman Daniel visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on Saturday and laid a wreath for the 140,000 people killed by the Aug. 6, 1945, bombing authorized by his grandfather. Another atomic blast in Nagasaki three days later killed 70,000 more.“I think this cenotaph says it all ― to honor the dead to not for
Clint Eastwood endorses Romney’s presidential bid

Aug 5, 2012

SUN VALLEY, Idaho (AP) ― Clint Eastwood just made Mitt Romney’s day.The “Dirty Harry’’ star and Oscar-winning director of “Unforgiven’’ and “Million Dollar Baby’’ endorsed the Republican presidential candidate Friday night during a Sun Valley fundraiser. “I think the country needs a boost,’’ Eastwood told The Associated Press as he joined other Romney supporters for the private campaign event.In February, Eastwood told Fox News that he wasn’t supporting any politician at that time. Some saw the
Riot leaves an Egyptian village without Christians

Aug 5, 2012

DAHSHOUR, Egypt (AP) ― When the angry mob was rampaging through town, storming her home and those of other Christians, the 70-year-old woman hid in her cow pen, pushing a rock against the door. There she cowered for hours, at one point passing out from tear gas being fired by police that seeped in.When Sameeha Wehba emerged just before dawn, she found she was the only Christian left in this small Egyptian village just south of Cairo.Dahshour’s entire Christian community ― as many as 100 families
Afghan parliament votes to oust key ministers

Aug 5, 2012

KABUL (AP) ― The Afghan parliament voted Saturday to dismiss the country’s defense and interior ministers, a move that threatens to throw the country’s security apparatus into confusion as foreign forces withdraw.The vote demanded the dismissal of two of President Hamid Karzai’s key security lieutenants: Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak, one of the top Afghan officials most trusted by Washington, and Interior Minister Bismullah Khan Mohammadi.The votes of no confidence come at a critical time