LOUISVILLE ― Instead of an American flag, Republican presidential hopeful Rand Paul wears a red penny in his lapel, symbolizing the core of his philosophy: no more runaway debt and total submission to the U.S. Constitution.“We say they’ve taken all our money. We don’t have one red cent more to send them in Washington,” the conservative Kentucky senator said in 2010 shortly after a crushing poll win. Paul’s launch of his presidential candidacy on Tuesday follows that of Texan fellow senator Ted C

President Park Geun-hye on Monday said her administration will “actively review” salvaging the Sewol ferry that sank last year, leaving over 300 people dead or missing. It is the first time the South Korean leader has commented about recovering the ill-fated ship, but a myriad of issues, including technical difficulties, significant costs and doubt remain about the daunting task of recovering the vessel. Park’s statement comes with the condition that the government will push ahead with the opera

MOSCOW ― A year since the start of the fighting in eastern Ukraine, Vladimir Putin may not have emerged the winner in his showdown with the West but he has not lost either, analysts say.By supporting Ukrainian separatists, they say, he took a huge risk but it largely paid off as it allowed him to punish Kiev’s pro-Western authorities for seeking to turn their back on Russia and stand up to the West.Most importantly for the Kremlin, the annexation of Crimea and support for fellow Russian speakers

WASHINGTON ― The framework nuclear deal sealed by world powers and Iran leaves major questions: Could Iran cheat? Possibly. Would the U.S. or anyone else be able to respond in time? In theory, yes. Are they prepared to use military force? Questionable.Would a final deal settle global fears about Iran’s intentions? Almost surely, no.But the surprisingly detailed fact sheet released by the United States after Thursday’s diplomatic breakthrough in Switzerland provides President Barack Obama signifi

LOS ANGELES ― California announced sweeping statewide water restrictions for the first time in history Wednesday in order to combat the region’s devastating drought, the worst since records began.Gov. Jerry Brown issued the declaration at a press conference in a parched, brown slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains that would normally be covered by deep snow.“Today, we are standing on dry grass where there should be 5 feet (1.5 meters) of snow,” Brown said. “This historic drought demands unprecede

LAGOS ― Muhammadu Buhari, who has claimed victory in Nigeria’s most closely fought presidential election, is not a man who is easily put off.He tried three times previously to become head of state since the return to civilian rule in 1999 ― and failed on each occasion.But the tough retired major general who overthrew elected president Shehu Shagari ― widely seen as inept and corrupt ― in a military coup in 1983, was determined to lead the country again. And to do it the right way this time.Muham

The South Korean military has decided to reorganize the Air Force’s command structure to enhance efficiency in both peacetime and wartime operations, and better incorporate new weapons systems into its missions, the Air Force said Tuesday.Under the reorganization plan, the Air Force’s Southern and Northern Combat Commands will be refurbished into the Air Combat Command and the Air Mobility & Reconnaissance Command ― a shift from the hitherto geographically arranged command structure to a functio

 A former presidential secretary during the Lee Myung-bak administration has been placed under a widening investigation for irregularities, with fresh allegations suggesting he meddled in the designation of his daughter as a professor at his former college.Park Bum-hoon, then-aide for Lee, is suspected of forcing the Education Ministry to give favors to Chung-Ang University’s application for its Seoul-Anseong campus consolidation by abusing his authority as presidential secretary. He was preside

DUBAI ― Saudi-led airstrikes alone are unlikely to crush Iranian-backed Yemeni rebels but a ground incursion would risk a bloody “quagmire” and escalating tensions with Tehran, experts say.Saudi Arabia pledged to do “whatever it takes” to defend its ally President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi after launching aerial raids against the Huthi Shiite fighters and their allies.Despite the kingdom’s formidable firepower, analysts say dropping bombs alone is of limited effectiveness.“History shows that air st

YASNY, Russia ― South Korea said Thursday it has successfully sent a new science satellite into space, its radio communication with the country’s ground station indicating that the satellite is operating properly.The Korea Multipurpose Satellite-3A (KOMSAT-3A) was launched at 3:08 a.m. from the Yasny launch base, located some 1,800 kilometers southeast of Moscow.The Korea Multipurpose Satellite-3A lifts off from the Yasny launch base in Russia on Thursday. (Yonhap)A radio communication between t

The South Korean Navy is faltering under a string of corruption and sexual scandals involving former and current senior officials, triggering public criticism and calls for sweeping reform amid North Korea’s continued maritime threats.The scandals have overshadowed the Navy’s efforts to honor this week the sacrifices of the 46 sailors who were killed in the North’s torpedo attack on the corvette Cheonan five years ago.Former Chief of Naval Operations Hwang Ki-chul (right) attends a farewell cere

WASHINGTON ― Once reviled by fellow Republicans as a “wacko bird” for leading the U.S. government to a 2013 shutdown, resurgent Sen. Ted Cruz has turned his Constitution-above-all conservatism into a Tea Party quest for the White House.As a freshman in the upper chamber of Congress, the 44-year-old Texas lawmaker ― an intellectual proponent of a grassroots movement that has simmered for years under the Republican mainstream ― has just two years under his belt in Washington.But in the 2016 presid

SINGAPORE ― Lee Kuan Yew, one of the commanding figures of Asia’s post-war economic rise, was an authoritarian leader who transformed Singapore from a sleepy British imperial outpost into a global trading and financial center.The former prime minister known as “LKY” died Monday following a seven-week struggle with pneumonia, aged 91, after bestriding the city-state’s politics for half a century following its emergence from colonial rule.U.S. President Barack Obama said after meeting the still he

DUBAI ― By claiming its first attack in Yemen the Islamic State group is seeking to exploit the chaos gripping the country and siphon support from the world’s most fearsome al-Qaida branch, analysts say.Suicide bombings at two mosques frequented by members of the Shiite Huthi militia in control of the capital killed 142 people and wounded 351 on Friday in one of the deadliest extremist attacks in Yemen’s history.IS claimed responsibility, warning it was “the tip of the iceberg” for Yemen.In cont

JERUSALEM ― Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, fresh from a sweeping election victory Wednesday, quickly came under pressure from Washington to step back from hardline campaign promises over the conflict with the Palestinians.As beaten rival Isaac Herzog ruled out forming a unity government, the White House gave a tepid acknowledgement of Netanyahu’s victory, with President Barack Obama yet to call to congratulate him. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and his son Yair vis