WASHINGTON (AP) ― President Barack Obama is about to embark on a nine-day trip to Hawaii, Australia and Indonesia that will take him away from Washington at an important time, but White House officials said Wednesday it’s all about U.S. jobs.The trip also will underscore the economic, political and security importance of the fast-growing Asia-Pacific region, which the U.S. sees as critical to American interests in coming years.“The president’s No. 1 priority is job creation, and our efforts to c

NEW YORK (AP) ― A major exhibition that includes a film of ants crawling on a crucifix opens next week at the Brooklyn Museum, an institution known for presenting edgy and bold artworks that in the past included a painting of the Virgin Mary that incorporated elephant dung.“A Fire in My Belly” is a film by the late David Wojnarowicz that was pulled from the National Portrait Gallery in Washington when the exhibition was shown there last year. The ant scene angered some in Congress and the Cathol

VIENNA (AFP) ― The absurd world of Rene Magritte, an artist known for his bowler-hatted men and green apples, is shown in a new light with a comprehensive exhibit at Vienna’s Albertina museum opening late Tuesday.With some 250 pieces from private and public collections all over Europe, North America and Japan ― some of them rarely seen ― the exposition retraces the surrealist artist’s progress from collages to his famous “Empire of Light” phase.“It’s a world we know from our dreams,” Albertina d

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman is taking home a new prize ― a lifetime-achievement honor at the Golden Globes.The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced Wednesday that Freeman will receive the group’s Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 69th annual Globes ceremony on Jan. 15.The 74-year-old Freeman is a five-time Oscar nominee who won the supporting-actor prize for 2004’s “Million Dollar Baby.” Freeman’s Oscar nominations include best actor for 1989’s “Driving Miss Daisy

The Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service on Thursday issued a warning over arterial embolisms, which have increased 34 percent in the past five years. The U.S. National Library of Medicine defines an arterial embolism as a sudden interruption of blood flow to an organ or body part due to a clot (embolus). The clots often occur in the legs and feet. Some may occur in the brain, causing a stroke, or in the heart, causing a heart attack. Less common sites include the kidneys, intestines,

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention once again advised people to refrain from using humidifier-sterilizers. The advice was issued after a civic group claimed that 18 people died of a lung disease believed to have been caused by disinfectants in the machines. The authorities asked supermarkets and retailers to recall the products in August, and is issuing the warning again to raise public awareness of the health threat. More information on the relationship between humidifier disi

GE Healthcare launched Aisys ET Control, an anesthetic device with an upgraded control function. According to the health care equipment maker, anesthetic equipment is controlled by doctors in operating theaters, but the device helps automatically control the amount of drugs inhaled, preventing patients from falling into hypoxia.(baejisook@heraldm.com)