The Korea Herald

Russia, China come out strongly against Syria action

Jun 6, 2012

BEIJING (AFP) - Moscow and Beijing on Wednesday reaffirmed their strong opposition to intervention in Syria, under mounting international pressure to change a stance that has infuriated Western powers.A joint statement issued after talks between China's leaders and visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing said the two countries opposed any attempt to impose regime change in Syria after
Top China dissident found dead

Jun 6, 2012

BEIJING (AFP) - Leading Chinese dissident Li Wangyang, jailed for more than 22 years after the 1989 Tiananmen democracy protests, died in strange circumstances in central China Wednesday, his family and rights groups said.Li, 62, was found dead in a ward at Daxiang hospital in Shaoyang city, Hunan province Wednesday morning, his brother-in-law Zhao Baozhu told AFP by telephone.Police appeared to s
Solar-powered plane crosses Mediterranean

Jun 6, 2012

RABAT (AP) ― An experimental solar-powered plane landed in Morocco’s capital late Tuesday after a 20-hour trip from Madrid in the first transcontinental journey by a craft of its type. With the wing span of a Boeing 777, the plane appeared out of the pitch darkness over the runway, suddenly turning on its lights and gliding to a landing in Rabat, its four propellers already still. “It was perhaps the most beautiful flight of my life, I have dreamed since I was a child of flying without using fue
Panetta to urge India to take on larger role in Afghan war

Jun 6, 2012

NEW DELHI (AP) ― Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is urging leaders of India to play a more robust role in Afghanistan, as U.S. tensions with Pakistan, India’s arch-rival, continue to churn.India has not been a major military player in the war, largely focusing on economic development and reconstruction in Afghanistan. But U.S. defense officials say Panetta will talk with Indian leaders about possibly helping to train the Afghan army and police.Such discussions, however, come at a particularly fra
Rare Venus transit draws astronomers worldwide

Jun 6, 2012

SYDNEY (AFP) ― Sky-gazers around the world held up their telescopes and viewing glasses Wednesday to watch a once-in-a-lifetime event as Venus slid across the sun.The transit began shortly after 2200 GMT Tuesday in parts of North America, Central America and the northern part of South America, and was visible, with magnification, as a small black dot on the solar surface.Australia ― for which the movement of Venus carries a unique historical interest ― was one of the best viewing places with the
Britons cheer queen in poignant jubilee finale

Jun 6, 2012

LONDON (AFP) ― Queen Elizabeth II greeted 1.5 million cheering subjects from the balcony of Buckingham Palace on Tuesday but faced the crowning moment of her diamond jubilee festivities without her ill husband Prince Philip.A dramatic flypast capped four days of celebrations marking her 60th year on the throne as the crowd waved Union Jack flags at the monarch and her family, surrounding the palace in a sea of red, white and blue.The 86-year-old monarch later said in a special television message
Russian tightens anti-protest law

Jun 6, 2012

MOSCOW (AFP) ― The Russian lower house or State Duma early Wednesday adopted a controversial bill that would greatly increase fines for protesters.An opposition party had earlier deliberately stalled the passing of the bill by calling for votes on hundreds of amendments. It was finally passed at the third reading by 241-147 and was to be sent upstairs to the Federation Council before ratification by President Vladimir Putin.In a highly unusual spectacle in the usually rubber-stamp parliament, A
Paraguay's president recognizes another love-child

Jun 6, 2012

Paraguay's president and former priest Fernando Lugo has recognized a second love-child. This time it's a 10-year-old boy, born to a nurse in the northern state where Lugo served as a Catholic bishop before renouncing the priesthood and turning to politics. Lugo's lawyer, Marcos Farina, says the president has told him to file the paperwork needed to change the boy's last name to Lugo. His mother i
Al-Qaida No. 2 dies in US drone strike in Pakistan

Jun 6, 2012

A U.S. drone strike in northwest Pakistan has killed al-Qaida's second-in-command, officials from both countries confirmed Tuesday, the most significant victory so far in the controversial bombing campaign and the biggest setback to the terror network since the death of Osama bin Laden.Abu Yahya al-Libi was considered a media-savvy, charismatic leader with religious credentials who was helping pre
China, Russia vow to tighten U.N. partnership

Jun 5, 2012

BEIJING (AFP) -- Russian and China pledged Tuesday to increase their cooperation in the United Nations, as the giant neighbours try to resist mounting pressure for international action to stop the bloodshed in Syria. China's President Hu Jintao said closer cooperation would allow the two countries, whose stance has angered Western powers, to "set the global political and economic order in a m
S&P sees at least 1 in 3 chance of Greece exit after election

Jun 5, 2012

There’s at least a one in three chance of Greece leaving the 17-country euro area within months of a June 17 election that could halt its international bailout, a report by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said. An exit “could be brought about by Greece rejecting the reforms demanded” by European policy makers and the International Monetary Fund “and a consequent suspension of external financial support,” S&P said in an e-mailed statement Monday. Greeks will vote June 17 after an inconclusive
Fed: U.S. will avoid recession despite slowing job growth

Jun 5, 2012

The U.S. economy looks set to deliver a repeat performance in 2012: for the third straight year, it may suffer a swoon yet not slip into a recession. “I don’t think the slowdown will be any more consequential than the past two years,” said John Ryding, a former Federal Reserve researcher who is chief economist at RDQ Economics LLC in New York. “There are positives out there in the economy. We’ll avoid a recession.” Household balance sheets are in better shape, with indebtedness down about $100 b
Prince Philip in hospital, misses jubilee concert

Jun 5, 2012

LONDON (AP) ― Elton John sang “I’m Still Standing,” Stevie Wonder crooned “Isn’t She Lovely,” and Paul McCartney sent “All My Loving” as musical royalty celebrated Queen Elizabeth II’s 60-year reign with a concert outside Buckingham Palace on Monday. But the joy was tempered by news that the queen’s husband, Prince Philip, had been hospitalized with a bladder infection.Palace officials said the prince, who will turn 91 on Saturday, was taken to the King Edward VII Hospital in London from Windsor
‘Canadian Psycho’ murder suspect arrested in Berlin

Jun 5, 2012

BERLIN (AFP) ― Police in Berlin on Monday arrested a porn actor suspected of dismembering a Chinese student and filming the grisly killing, ending a global manhunt for the man dubbed the “Canadian Psycho.”Luka Rocco Magnotta, 29, offered little resistance when he was picked up in an Internet cafe in Neukoelln, a working-class district of the German capital, saying simply, “You got me,” said a police spokesman.Canadian authorities said they were working on documents needed to secure Magnotta’s ex
Putin in China to cement ties amid unity on Syria

Jun 5, 2012

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in China on Tuesday for a three-day visit aimed at bolstering a crucial alliance that has seen the giant neighbors block further action against Syria.Both energy and foreign policy cooperation are high on the agenda, with Putin also participating in a regional summit Wednesday and Thursday where he will separately meet the presidents of Iran and Afghanistan.Putin’s China trip, his first to Asia since starting an historic third term last month, comes after