The Korea Herald

Hollande misses Obama's address

May 22, 2012

Newly inaugurated French President Francois Hollande missed U.S. President Obama’s speech Monday at the Chicago NATO session on Afghanistan.French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Hollande was late because he was meeting with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.Hollande, who has made clear he intends to keep his promise to France that French combat troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan
96 killed as Yemen soldier turns bomber: medics

May 21, 2012

SANAA (AFP) - A Yemeni soldier packing powerful explosives under his uniform blew himself up in the middle of an army battalion in Sanaa Monday, killing 96 troops and wounding around 300, a military official and medics said.The suicide attack was the deadliest in the country's capital since newly-elected President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi pledged to oust Al-Qaeda militants from Yemen's mostly lawless
Secular or Islamist? Egypt chooses president

May 21, 2012

CAIRO (AP) ― Sixty years after their country came under military dictatorship, Egyptians are for the first time freely electing their president.The voting that begins Wednesday is the greatest prize won by the multitudes who took to the streets to overthrow unpopular Hosni Mubarak in the string of people-power uprisings that upended the Middle East in last year’s Arab Spring.It is also a moment of truth for this most populous Arab republic, determining whether power stays in the hands of the sec
IAEA chief in Iran to press for nuclear cooperation

May 21, 2012

TEHRAN (AFP) -- The head of the U.N.‘s nuclear surveillance agency pressed Iran over inspections during a visit to Tehran on Monday that was being closely watched ahead of wider nuclear talks between Iran and world powers later this week.International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano said as he left on the trip he was to have “direct talks with high officials of Iran” to build on “good progress” made last week between IAEA and Iranian officials in Vienna.He held his first meeting with Fer
Millions look skyward as rare eclipse crosses Asia

May 21, 2012

TOKYO (AP) ― Millions of Asians watched as a rare “ring of fire” eclipse crossed their skies early Monday.The annular eclipse, in which the moon passes in front of the sun leaving only a golden ring around its edges, was visible to wide areas across the continent. It will move across the Pacific and also be seen in parts of the western United States.In Japan, “eclipse tours” were arranged at schools and parks, on pleasure boats and even private airplanes. Similar events were held in China and Ta
Putin puts stamp on new Russia government

May 21, 2012

MOSCOW (AFP) -- President Vladimir Putin was due on Monday to unveil his new government after winning a third term that sparked fears for the fate of Russian reforms and its future relations with the West.The cabinet is expected to cement the standing of allies in key financial and security posts while giving a nudge to reforms with the appointment of a few liberal aides of current premier and Putin‘s predecessor Dmitry Medvedev.The two leaders completed a controversial job swap after March poll
Nationalist wins Serbia presidential runoff

May 21, 2012

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) ― Nationalist candidate Tomislav Nikolic won the Serbian presidency on Sunday, a result that adds to the political turmoil in the Balkan country and could slow down its attempts to join the European Union.The Center for Free Elections and Democracy, an independent polling group, said Nikolic won 49.4 percent of the vote, while pro-European Union incumbent Boris Tadic received 47.4 percent. Tadic conceded defeat, saying, “I wish Nikolic the best of luck.” The results are exp
Million-dollar parking space on the market

May 21, 2012

New York City's first million-dollar parking spot -- offering privacy for "a celebrity or a business person who is camera shy" -- is on the market. (Bloomberg-Yonhap News)The private garage at 66 E. 11th St. is "for someone who wants complete privacy," said Prudential Douglas Elliman Vice Chairman Dolly Lenz."You can drive in and not be seen again," Lenz said. "It's for the type of person who find
Strong Italy quake kills at least six

May 21, 2012

A powerful earthquake shook Italy's densely populated industrial northeast early Sunday, killing at least six people and reducing homes, factories and historic buildings to rubble.Emergency services said dozens had been injured in the magnitude 6.0 quake, which struck in the middle of the night, sending thousands of people running into the streets in towns and cities across the Emilia Romagna regi
G8 leaders warn of tougher actions against North Korea

May 20, 2012

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― Leaders of the world’s eight advanced nations wrapped up their summit in the U.S. Saturday with a warning that North Korea will face stronger punishment in case of further provocations.“We continue to have deep concerns about provocative actions of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea that threaten regional stability,” they said in a statement on the results of a two-day summit at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland. The North’s formal name was used in
Zuckerberg marries sweetheart

May 20, 2012

PALO ALTO, California (AP) ― Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg updated his status to “married” on Saturday. Zuckerberg and 27-year-old Priscilla Chan tied the knot at a small ceremony at his Palo Alto, California, home, capping a busy week for the couple. Zuckerberg took his company public in one of the most anticipated stock offerings in Wall Street history Friday. And Chan graduated from medical school at the University of California, San Francisco, on Monday, the same day Zuckerberg tu
Egypt army pledges of retreat could be an illusion

May 20, 2012

CAIRO (AFP) ― Egypt’s ruling military has promised a return to the barracks once a new president is elected, but the army’s formidable political and economic weight means that such a withdrawal could be an illusion, analysts say.The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), in charge of the country since a popular uprising ousted longtime president Hosni Mubarak, has repeatedly pledged to hand over the keys of the country by the end of June after landmark presidential polls.The power transfer
Top China security official named to Party Congress

May 20, 2012

BEIJING (AFP) ― China’s top security official Zhou Yongkang has been named a delegate to a top Communist Party meeting, despite calls for his removal amid political upheaval ahead of a 10-yearly leadership change.Zhou, one of China’s top nine rulers, was named Saturday as a delegate from western-China’s Xinjiang region to the 18th Communist Party Congress which is slated to meet later this year, the Xinjiang Daily reported.Chinese President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao and other top leaders inc
Taiwan‘s Ma signals no China change as term starts

May 20, 2012

TAIPEI (AP) -- Taiwan‘s president began his second term Sunday and signaled he will maintain a China policy that has reduced tensions between the sides, offering Beijing little early hope of realizing its long-term goal of unification.Speaking at a low-key inaugural ceremony in Taipei’s ornate presidential office building, Ma Ying-jeou hewed to the same formula for relations across the 160-kilometer-wide Taiwan Strait he championed during his first term."Our cross-strait policy must maintain the
Serbia votes for a new president

May 20, 2012

BELGRADE (AFP) ― Voters across Serbia headed to the polls Sunday to elect a new president in a run-off with the incumbent pro-European Boris Tadic set for a victory over nationalist challenger Tomislav Nikolic.Surveys published just ahead of the final round of the presidential election showed Tadic, 54, leading with 58 percent, while Nikolic had 42 percent.Tadic, who brought the once international pariah state to the doorstep of the European Union with candidacy status in March, is seeking his t