The Korea Herald

At nearly 90, Cardin makes comeback

Jul 2, 2012

PARIS (AP) ― Pierre Cardin, the man who invented Paris menswear shows back in the 1950s, has staged a long-awaited comeback. The legendary designer, famed for dressing the Beatles in collar-less jackets and taking high fashion to communist China, celebrated his long career on Sunday with his first menswear catwalk show in several years, showcasing his signature space-age designs. It was by far the most exhaustive menswear collection of the season, with a staggering 138 retro looks. If none of t
Turkey, Syria tensions rise with Ankara scrambling jets

Jul 2, 2012

ANKARA (AFP) ― Tensions between Turkey and Syria rose Sunday, as Ankara said it scrambled fighter jets after Syrian helicopters flew close to the border, underlining the mistrust between the neighbors after the downing of a Turkish plane last month.Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisted Sunday that a jet fighter shot down by Syria last month was in international airspace, dismissing a U.S. newspaper report that it was downed inside Syria as untrue.Erdogan waded into the row at a meeting of
Militiamen attack Libya election commission

Jul 2, 2012

CAIRO (AP) ― Libyan protesters and militiamen stormed the headquarters of the election commission in the eastern city of Benghazi on Sunday, setting voting slips on fire, a militia commander said, a week before the country holds its first general election in nearly five decades.In southern Libya, a leader of Libya’s Tabu tribe threatened to boycott the election if the government does not withdraw its forces and tanks from a southern desert city where clashes have killed dozens.The violence and c
Powers’ plan to end Syria crisis falls flat

Jul 2, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) ― The much-hyped plan to end Syria’s misery and guide its transition to democracy appears to have fallen flat despite the endorsement of Western powers.Russia’s objections at an international conference Saturday in Geneva gutted the most stringent conditions on a potential interim leader in Damascus. The Syrian opposition quickly dismissed the proposal as a waste of time and with “no value on the ground.”The U.S. and its allies insist the plan will force Syrian President Bashar A
Power slowly returns as U.S. heatwave drags on

Jul 2, 2012

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― Utility crews made slow progress Sunday in restoring electricity to millions of households amid a record-setting heatwave in the eastern United States that showed no sign of abating soon.Temperatures shot back into the 100 degree Fahrenheit (37.7 Celsius) range in many areas, prompting the National Weather Service to warn of the prospect of severe thunderstorms including large hail and damaging winds.“Cities from St. Louis, Missouri to Washington D.C. are forecast to approach
Pena Nieto claims victory in Mexico presidential vote

Jul 2, 2012

MEXICO CITY (AFP) -- Enrique Pena Nieto, the youthful candidate of the party that governed Mexico for decades, claimed victory late Sunday in the country‘s presidential election.The candidate for the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) cited the first official results announced by the independent Federal Electoral Institute (IFE) as proof that he won.The results showed Pena Nieto with 38 percent of the vote against 31-32 percent for his nearest rival, leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador from
50 dollars for puking in taxi

Jul 2, 2012

A “vomit charge” introduced by Chicago city government took effect on Sunday.Under the rule, taxi drivers can ask customers who vomit in their cabs for $50.“In a lot of ways, it’s empowering the driver to say there is a consequence to puking all over their cabs,” said a spokeswoman for the city’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection.Although the rule is not part of a police ticke
Dozens quit Japan's ruling party in blow to P.M.

Jul 2, 2012

A powerful member of Japan's ruling party and dozens of his followers have decided to quit the group and will likely form their own rival bloc, dealing a blow to Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda.A party official says Ichiro Ozawa and about 50 of his allies submitted their resignations from the Democratic Party of Japan on Monday. That is not enough to immediately end the ruling party's majority in th
S.C. woman sentenced to read Bible

Jul 2, 2012

A South Carolina judge sentenced a woman to read the Bible as part of her sentence for severely injuring two men in a drunken driving accident.Circuit Court Judge Michael Nettles sentenced Cassandra Belle Tolley of Rock Hill to eight years in jail followed by five years of probation and substance abuse counseling, as well as reading the book of Job in the Old Testament and writing a summary, The R
Pena Nieto wins Mexico presidential vote: exit polls

Jul 2, 2012

Enrique Pena Nieto, the youthful candidate of the party that governed Mexico for decades, won a resounding victory Sunday in the country's presidential election, exit polls showed.The win, when confirmed, will mark a stunning comeback for Pena Nieto's center-left Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which ruled for seven decades until 2000 through a mixture of patronage and selective repressio
Taiwan tea all about passion and profit

Jul 1, 2012

TAIPEI (AFP) ― For decades, Lin Tsai-pan has tended his tea fields in the misty green hills of central Taiwan with a devotion bordering on obsession. It is not just a job. It is a passion and a question of honor.It is exactly 30 years since he first won a prize for his oolong leaves at a prestigious contest held by Luku Farmers’ Association in Nantou county, 20 years since his second prize, and 10 years since his third ― and so far last. “I feel I have a good chance of creating another miracle t
Former Israeli P.M. Shamir dies at 96

Jul 1, 2012

JERUSALEM (AP) ― Former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, who clung throughout his life to the belief that Israel should hang on to territory and never trust an Arab regime, has died. He was 96. Israeli media said Shamir had suffered from Alzheimer’s for years and died after a long illness Saturday at a nursing home in the town of Herzliya, north of Tel Aviv. In his younger days, Shamir served as a Jewish underground leader who fought the British as well as Arab militias before Israel’s cre
Japan readies nuclear reactor as protests mount

Jul 1, 2012

TOKYO (AFP) -- Japan prepared to bring nuclear power back online by reactivating one of its idled reactors on Sunday, defying growing public protests since last year’s meltdowns at Fukushima.Hundreds of protesters blocked the road to the front gate of the Oi plant in western Japan, according to media reports, with work scheduled to begin at 9:00 p.m. to remove rods that have stopped nuclear fission in the reactor.The country has been operating without nuclear power since early May when the last
Egypt’s elected president begins struggle for power

Jul 1, 2012

CAIRO (AP) ― Islamist Mohammed Morsi became Egypt’s first freely elected president on Saturday, launching his four-year term with a potentially dangerous quest to wrest back from the military the full authority of his office. The outcome of the impending battle between Egypt’s first civilian president and its powerful generals will redraw the country’s political landscape after 60 years of de facto military rule. If Morsi succeeds, the Muslim Brotherhood will likely be emboldened to press ahead
Syria conference leaves open Assad question

Jul 1, 2012

GENEVA (AP) ― An international conference on Saturday accepted a U.N.-brokered peace plan that calls for the creation of a transitional government in Syria, but at Russia’s insistence the compromise agreement left the door open to Syria’s president being part of it. The U.S. backed away from insisting that the plan should explicitly call for President Bashar Assad to have no role in a new Syrian government, hoping the concession would encourage Russia to put greater pressure on its longtime ally