The Korea Herald

Twin car bombs in Syrian capital kill dozens

May 11, 2012

Twin suicide car bombs exploded outside a military intelligence building and killed 55 people Thursday, tossing mangled bodies in the street in the deadliest attack against a regime target since the Syrian uprising began 14 months ago.The bombings fueled fears of a rising Islamic militant element among the forces seeking to oust President Bashar Assad and dealt a further blow to international effo
Syria says 55 dead in Damascus suicide blasts

May 10, 2012

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) _ Two suicide blasts ripped through the Syrian capital Thursday, killing 55 people and leaving scenes of carnage in the streets in the deadliest bombing since the country's uprising began 14 months ago, the Interior Ministry said.An Associated Press reporter at the scene said paramedics wearing rubber gloves were collecting human remains from the pavement after the explosions.
Korean, black communities move on, learning from racial confrontation

May 10, 2012

DALLAS, Texas (Yonhap News) ― Korean-American Thomas Pak had little idea of the ensuing storm that would be sparked by the encounter last December inside his South Dallas gas station with African-American Jeffrey Muhammad.Their exchange was relatively brief, but if some accounts are to be believed, it was also angry and weighed down by racial overtones. And it launched a months-long boycott of Pak’s business by members of the largely African-American community. Corralled outside his premises, th
Chen says China authorities targeting relatives

May 10, 2012

BEIJING (AFP) -- Blind activist Chen Guangchen on Thursday accused authorities in his home province in eastern China of seeking revenge for his escape by detaining his nephew and threatening other relatives.Chen, whose daring flight from house arrest to the U.S. embassy in Beijing sparked a diplomatic crisis, said his nephew Chen Kegui was in police custody in Yinan county in Shandong province after attacking an intruder last month.Local villagers and Internet reports have said the intruder was
Algeria votes in its first poll since Arab Spring

May 10, 2012

ALGIERS (AFP) -- Voting began across Algeria Thursday in the country‘s first polls since the Arab Spring swept the region, with the ruling party, its Islamist allies and a boycott movement all hoping for victory.The first of the more than 48,000 polling stations in Africa’s largest country opened at 8:00 a.m., many under tight police surveillance.State television showed live footage of voters pouring into a polling station as soon as the doors opened and jostling to be the first to cast their ba
Wreckage of Russian plane found in Indonesia

May 10, 2012

CIGOMBONG, Indonesia (AFP) -- The wreckage of a Russian Sukhoi passenger jet was found Thursday on the side of a dormant Indonesian volcano and authorities said there was no chance any of the dozens aboard could have survived.A helicopter pilot spotted the debris of Russia‘s first post-Soviet civilian plane scattered over rocks and trees on the sheer face of Mount Salak outside the city of Bogor, officials said.The twin-engine Superjet 100 vanished from radar screens south of Indonesia’s capital
Syria says dozens dead or wounded in blasts

May 10, 2012

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) -- Two strong explosions ripped through the Syrian capital Thursday, killing or wounding dozens of people and leaving scenes of carnage in the streets in an assault against a center of government power.The blasts, which ripped the facade off a military intelligence building, happened at about 7:50 a.m. when employees are usually arriving at work.An Associated Press reporter at the scene said medical workers were collecting human remains from the streets after the explosions
China issues warnings on Philippines

May 10, 2012

MANILA (AFP) -- China told its citizens Thursday they were not safe in the Philippines and its state media warned of war, as a month-long row over rival claims in the South China Sea threatened to spill out of control.Chinese travel agencies announced they had suspended tours to the Philippines, under government orders, and the embassy in Manila advised its nationals already in the country to stay indoors ahead of planned protests.“Avoid going out at all if possible, and if not, to avoid going o
Greek left-wing leader says coalition bid fails

May 10, 2012

ATHENS (AP) ― Greece drew closer to holding repeat elections next month after Radical Left leader Alexis Tsipras said Wednesday he has failed to forge a coalition that would end the financially struggling country’s political deadlock.Tsipras, whose anti-austerity party was the surprise runner-up in weekend national elections, said that despite his best efforts since receiving the presidential mandate on Tuesday, he was unable to raise enough support to form a government.Tsipras has been seeking
Obama takes gamble on gay marriage

May 10, 2012

Officials describe Obama’s shift as both personal and politicalWASHINGTON (AFP) ― Barack Obama became the first U.S. president Wednesday to say publicly he was in favor of same-sex marriage, in a high-stakes intervention in a pre-election debate roiling American politics.In what supporters will hail as a historic moment in civil rights history, Obama changed his stance, after previously saying he was “evolving” on gay marriage, a fiercely divisive issue in U.S. politics.“I’ve just concluded, for
Mount Fuji could collapse in quake: professor

May 10, 2012

Mt Fuji may be situated atop an active fault capable of unleashing a massive avalanche, the Sankei newspaper warned Thursday.A hidden fault was discovered close to the eastern foot of the symbolic mountain in a study on underground faults conducted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology over the past three years.The fault shows traces of having moved other faults that were formed several hundred thousand years ago, which means it is highly likely to be active, said
Naked woman seen in new Canadian $20 bill

May 10, 2012

Focus groups say Canada's coming new plastic $20 bill has images of a naked woman and New York's World Trade Center towers, CTV News reported.Canada`s new plastic $20 billThe bill was introduced by the Bank of Canada last week in Ottawa after weeks of scrutiny by focus groups conducted by the Strategic Counsel across the country, the report said.Under freedom of information requests, the broadcast
Obama voices his support for gay marriage

May 10, 2012

President Barack Obama on Wednesday declared his unequivocal support for gay marriage on Wednesday, a historic announcement that gave the polarizing social issue a more prominent role in the 2012 race for the White House. U.S. President Barack Obama (AP-Yonhap News)The announcement was the first by a sitting president, and Republican challenger Mitt Romney swiftly disagreed with it. ``I believe th
Russian plane on test flight vanishes in Indonesia

May 10, 2012

Rescuers were searching rugged, forested terrain Friday for a new Russian-made passenger plane lost over mountains in western Indonesia during a demonstration flight for potential buyers. Fifty people were on board, including diplomats, businesspeople and journalists.Search and rescue teams were deployed to the area just south of the capital, Jakarta, said Bambang Ervan, a spokesman for the Minist
Spain nationalizes No. 4 bank as crisis deepens

May 10, 2012

Spain's government will effectively nationalize the nation's fourth largest bank to shore up the hurting banking sector and try to convince investors the country doesn't need a bailout like those taken by Greece, Ireland and Portugal, the Economy Ministry said Wednesday.Under the deal, (euro) 4.5 billion ($5.9 billion) in funding that Bankia SA received from Spain in 2010 and 2011 will be converte