WASHINGTON― Donald Trump’s incendiary new provocation on Muslims plays on American fears about extremists and Syrian refugees, in what analysts said Tuesday was a calculated move by the Republican presidential front-runner ahead of the first primary votes.The real estate mogul unveiled the most extreme proposal of his rabble-rousing campaign for 2016 on Monday when he called for a “total and complete shutdown” of Muslims entering the United States. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump

Ahead of the general elections slated for next April, the government and the ruling party are intent on strengthening their campaign front, with Cheong Wa Dae eyeing one particular figure to spearhead the job.It is considered a matter of time before Choi Kyung-hwan, the deputy prime minister, finance minister, a political heavyweight with experience in both state and parliamentary affairs and, more importantly, with unrivaled confidence bestowed by President Park Geun-hye, returns to his parliam

In climate math, the difference between 1.5 and 2 degrees is much greater than 0.5.Small nations say that for them, that half-degree could mean the difference between life and death. For larger nations, the question is what's realistic and what's not when it comes to limiting global warming.The broader issue is how much warming is too much. In 2010, international negotiators formally adopted a goal of limiting warming to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-industrial times; Earth

When she was being tortured under Brazil’s military dictatorship, Dilma Rousseff could never have imagined becoming the country’s first female president.But four decades on from those dark days in 1970, when Rousseff belonged to a violent, hard left underground group, she did indeed rise to the top ― only to face the desperate new challenge of impeachment less than a year into her second term.The launching of impeachment proceedings by the speaker of the lower house of Congress, Eduardo Cunha, l

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) ― Facebook cofounder Mark Zuckerberg announced Tuesday he is a dad and pledged to give away his fortune to make the world a “better place” for baby daughter Maxima and others.In a letter to Maxima posted on his Facebook page, Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan said they were going to give away 99 percent of their company shares ― estimated value $45 billion ― during their lives in an effort to make a happy and healthy world.  Max Chan Zuckerberg is held by her parents, Mark Z

Tech giant replaces Galaxy chief, retains three co-CEOs

Expectations are reaching new heights for Korea’s first online-only banks, or direct banks, to spark enormous changes not only in the country’s 120-year-old financial sector but also in other industries including information technology and retail.The financial authorities have given preliminary approval to two consortiums ― Kakao Bank and K-Bank, led by mobile messenger creator Kakao and mobile carrier KT, respectively ― to set up the banks with no brick-and-mortar branches. They will be the fir

　Kim Hyun-chul, the second son of the late President Kim Young-sam, had a powerful nickname when his father was in office -- “little president.” 　The junior Kim was said to have been one of the late president’s aides who stood beside him during his years of democratic struggle. After Kim Young-sam entered Cheong Wa Dae, however, Kim Hyun-chul started to peddle influence in various state affairs involving major conglomerates who wanted to reach out to the president. In 1997, as his father’s presi

The government Friday heaped pressure on labor unions preparing for another massive antigovernment rally next month, warning that it will sternly clamp down on illegal protests at any cost. “Illegal and violent protests are serious and clear challenges to the country’s rule of law and to the public who love peace. Those who ignore the law and deride the government’s power will rightly pay the cost in the name of the public,” said Justice Minister Kim Hyun-woong in a press briefing. Justice Minis

ISTANBUL, (AFP) -- Turkey's downing of a Russian war plane on the Syrian border risks inflicting significant damage on relations between Moscow and Ankara, even if they both have an interest in avoiding a permanent rupture.Modern Turkey and Russia are the successor states of empires that fought over three centuries of war from the late 16th century for the Black Sea and Caucasus but in recent years forged a sometimes uneasy but pragmatic alliance.Energy-poor Turkey relies on Russia for over half

Jeff Bezos. BloombergThe private space firm founded by Internet entrepreneur Jeff Bezos claimed a breakthrough for its space travel efforts Tuesday with the launch of a reusable rocket.Bezos announced the milestone with his first Twitter message following the launch and return of the rocket by his firm, Blue Origin.“The rarest of beasts ― a used rocket. Controlled landing not easy, but done right, can look easy. Check out video,” said the tweet, with a link to a YouTube video.The unmanned New Sh

At 18, Lydia Ko’s dominance may just be beginning

Argentina’s conservative president-elect Mauricio Macri promised a “marvelous” new era was starting for the country after he won a runoff election on Sunday.The former football executive, favored candidate of big businesses and foreign investors, is expected to be Argentina’s most economically liberal leader since the 1990s.“This is a historic day, a change of era which is going to be marvelous,” a beaming Macri told cheering supporters after his leftist rival Daniel Scioli conceded defeat.“We c

South Korea became the inaugural champion of the Premier 12 baseball tournament in Tokyo on Saturday.With its offense clicking from the start, South Korea pounded the U.S. 8-0 in the final at Tokyo Dome to take the championship. A would-be major leaguer Park Byung-ho blasted a three-run home run in the five-run fourth inning, and starter Kim Kwang-hyun threw five shutout innings for the breezy victory.South Korea opened the scoring in the top first. Leadoff Jeong Keun-woo hit a single to start t