The Korea Herald

Syria blames Houla massacre on ‘armed groups’

Jun 1, 2012

DAMASCUS, Cyprus (AFP) -- The weekend massacre of 108 people in the central Syrian town of Houla was carried out by “armed groups” and not by government forces as has been widely claimed, a senior official said on Thursday.“It appears that all the victims came from peaceful families who refused to rise up against the government or take up arms, but had rows with armed groups,” said General Kassem Jamaleddine, chief of the official inquest into the incident.There are five army posts in Houla, and
Suu Kyi demands ‘urgent’ legal reform in Myanmar

Jun 1, 2012

BANGKOK (AFP) ―Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Friday urged Myanmar’s government to carry out urgent judicial reform to cement recent political progress and foster clean investment in the country.Addressing world business leaders in Bangkok in her first international engagement after more than two decades of isolation, Suu Kyi said Myanmar needed the “rule of law” more than legal safeguards for foreign investors.“Investors in Burma, please be warned ― even the best investment law would be o
Putin heads to Europe amid outcry over Syria

Jun 1, 2012

BERLIN (AFP) ― President Vladimir Putin is expected to face pressure for Russia to drop its resistance to U.N. action on Syria when he meets the leaders of two of Europe’s key powers on Friday.Putin is due to hold talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and new French President Francois Hollande as part of his first foreign visit after returning to the Kremlin for a historic third term after unprecedented protests against his rule.The brief trips, first to Berlin and later to Paris, come amid
Porn actor is suspect in Canada body parts case

Jun 1, 2012

A porn actor is wanted in a gruesome case of dismembered body parts that were mailed to different places including the headquarters of the Conservative Party of Canada, police said.Luka Rocco Magnotta, 29, is wanted for homicide, Montreal police said Wednesday at a news conference.According to an official close to the investigation Magnotta worked as a porn actor and there is video of the crime. T
New mom didn’t know she was pregnant

Jun 1, 2012

Doctors at a Spanish hospital said a 39-year-old woman who gave birth at her home did not know she was pregnant until her water broke.The doctors, from La Paz hospital in Madrid, said the woman called emergency services early Thursday and reported she had been experiencing severe stomach pains all day and she suddenly realized she was in labor when her water broke, thinkSpain reported Thursday.The
NY proposes ban on sale of oversized sodas

May 31, 2012

New York City plans to ban the sale of large sodas and other sugary drinks in an effort to combat obesity.The proposed first-in-the-nation ban would impose a 16-ounce (.4-kilogram) limit on the size of sweetened drinks sold at restaurants, movie theaters, sports venues and street carts.Under three-term Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the city has campaigned aggressively against obesity, including outlawi
SpaceX Dragon leaves space station for trip home

May 31, 2012

This framegrab image from NASA-TV shows the SpaceX Dragon capsule just after the capsule is backed away from the International Space Station and being repositioned for release later Thursday morning. (AP-Yonhap)The SpaceX Dragon capsule left the International Space Station early Thursday and aimed for a Pacific splashdown to end its historic flight.Astronauts set the world's first commercial suppl
U.S. sees window for Iran nuclear talks closing

May 31, 2012

TEL AVIV (AFP) ― The window for dialogue over Iran’s nuclear program is closing, the U.S. ambassador to Israel said on Wednesday, insisting that Washington is under no illusions about Tehran’s agenda in the talks.Speaking at Tel Aviv University a week after world powers held a second round of largely fruitless talks with Iran, Ambassador Dan Shapiro insisted Washington would not continue such dialogue forever.“We don’t intend on continuing talks for talks’ sake. The window is closing,” he told p
War crimes court hands Taylor 50 years in jail

May 31, 2012

LEIDSCHENDAM, Netherlands (AFP) ― A U.N.-backed court jailed Liberia’s Charles Taylor for 50 years Wednesday for fuelling Sierra Leone’s savage war, known for its mutilations, drugged child soldiers and sex slaves.The former Liberian president, 64, was convicted last month of all 11 counts he faced of war crimes and crimes against humanity for aiding and abetting Sierra Leone’s Revolutionary United Front during the country’s 1991-2001 civil war.In return, he was paid in “blood diamonds” mined by
India fears for post-NATO Afghanistan

May 31, 2012

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― India called Wednesday for greater coordination with the United States on Afghanistan, voicing fear that Islamic radicals would gain strength once Western forces pull out.NATO leaders in a May 21 summit in Chicago committed to pulling combat troops out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014 as Western nations grow tired of more than a decade of war and pessimistic on the chances of further progress.India is one of the most vocal supporters of continued engagement and has given Afgh
World powers worry Syria sliding to civil war

May 31, 2012

GENEVA (AP) ― World powers share a belief that Syria could descend into civil war and plan to map out possible ways to avoid such a disaster for the region, a deputy to international envoy Kofi Annan said Wednesday.Jean-Marie Guehenno told reporters after privately briefing the U.N. Security Council, the world body’s most powerful unit, that diplomats are deeply troubled by Syria’s cycle of violence.“I believe that in the council there’s an understanding that any sliding toward full-scale civil
China nukes no direct threat: U.S. commander

May 31, 2012

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― China’s nuclear weapons do not pose a “direct threat” to the United States, the man in charge of America’s arsenal said Wednesday in calling for greater dialogue with the Chinese.“We would like to have routine contact and conversations with China’s military,” General Robert Kehler, head of Strategic Command, which oversees US nuclear deterrence, told the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington.“We think there would be tremendous benefit to that in both China and the United
China detains hundreds in Tibet capital

May 31, 2012

BEIJING (AFP) ― Hundreds of people have been detained in Lhasa after two men set themselves on fire in the Tibetan regional capital on Sunday in protest against Chinese rule, a U.S.-based broadcaster reported.Radio Free Asia said Chinese security forces had rounded up hundreds of residents and pilgrims in the wake of the immolations, the first significant protest in the heavily guarded city since deadly anti-government riots in 2008.It quoted a local source as saying about 600 Tibetans had been
Irish voters set to approve EU fiscal pact in referendum

May 31, 2012

DUBLIN (AFP) ― Ireland is to vote in a referendum Thursday on a key EU pact designed to shore up the troubled eurozone, amid signs that a clear majority will vote to approve it.In the only referendum expected on the fiscal pact, which all 27 EU members have signed except Britain and the Czech Republic, polling stations were due to open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 10:00 p.m.The vote on the German-backed pact, which would penalize countries that sign up if they fail to keep their debts in check, wil
Viewers accuse hamster footage of animal abuse

May 31, 2012

A video clip of a hamster appearing to play dead with its owner has hit nearly ten million views.In the footage, the small rodent falls backwards as a human hand pretends to shoot.Some have shown delight over the video footage, saying that it was “awesome.”Others, on the other hand, were not so impressed. Some viewers responded angrily to the internet posting, saying that the mouse was actually petrified.“It’s actually a shock reaction when scared, which paralyzes it temporarily,” one user said.