The Korea Herald

Mali coup leader reinstates old constitution

BAMAKO (AP) ― The junior officer who overthrew Mali’s democratically elected leader earlier this month and dissolved the nation’s constitution made a public U-turn, declaring amid enormous international pressure that he was reinstating the 1992 constitution and planning to hold elections.Capt. Amadou Haya Sanogo added Sunday that he would organize a national convention to agree on a transitional government which will organize free and fair elections. What he did not make clear is when the conven

April 2, 2012

Mali coup leader reinstates old constitution

Former Mexican president dies

MEXICO CITY (AP) ― Former President Miguel de la Madrid, who led Mexico from 1982 to 1988 during an economic crisis and a devastating earthquake, died Sunday at age 77, the government said.De la Madrid was the first in a string of presidents who pulled Mexico away from a state-dominated economy and toward free trade by bringing the country into the precursor to the World Trade Organization and by privatizing hundreds of government businesses.President Felipe Calderon called De la Madrid “a Mexic

April 2, 2012

Suu Kyi set to win seat in Myanmar parliament

WAH THIN KHA, Myanmar (AP) ― Myanmar held a landmark election Sunday that was expected to send democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi into parliament for her first public office since launching her decades-long struggle against the military-dominated government.Sunday’s by-election, to fill a few dozen vacant seats, followed months of surprising reforms by a nominally civilian government that does not relish ceding ground to Suu Kyi, but which must appear more democratic in order to emerge from decades

April 1, 2012

Suu Kyi set to win seat in Myanmar parliament

Syria says revolt beaten, U.S. seeks ‘next steps’

DAMASCUS (AFP) ― Syria’s regime declared on Saturday it has defeated those seeking to bring it down while reiterating support for a U.N.-Arab peace plan, as its troops reportedly shelled rebels in the city of Homs.The opposition reacted by calling for outside powers to arm rebel forces, while the United States and Gulf Arab states urged international envoy Kofi Annan to spell out the “next steps” if Damascus failed to implement his plan.Foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdisi, cited by the offi

April 1, 2012

Egypt’s Brotherhood fields presidential candidate

CAIRO (AP) ― Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, in control of almost half the seats in parliament, announced on Saturday it was fielding its own presidential candidate. It was a reversal of an earlier decision to stay out of the race and could put the group on a collision course with the nation’s ruling generals.The Brotherhood nominated chief strategist and deputy leader Khayrat el-Shater, a multimillionaire businessman considered one of the key leaders guiding the group through the tumultuous transit

April 1, 2012

Egypt’s Brotherhood fields presidential candidate

Clinton: Time running out for diplomacy with Iran

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton made clear Saturday that time is running out for diplomacy over Iran's nuclear program and said talks aimed at preventing Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon would resume in mid-April.With speculation over a possible U.S. or Israel military attack adding urgency to the next round of discussions in Istanbul set for April 13, Clinton said Iran's ``window of opportunity'' for a peaceful resolution ``will not remain open

April 1, 2012

Clinton: Time running out for diplomacy with Iran

Bombs in Thailand kill 14, wound 341

HAT YAI, Thailand (AP) ― Suspected Muslim insurgents staged the most deadly coordinated attacks in years in Thailand’s restive south, killing 14 people and wounding 340 with car bombs that targeted Saturday shoppers and a high-rise hotel frequented by foreign tourists.A first batch of explosives planted inside a parked pickup truck ripped through an area of restaurants and shops in a busy area of Yala city, a main commercial hub of Thailand’s restive southern provinces, said district police chie

April 1, 2012

World landmarks dimmed for Earth Hour

LONDON (AP) ― Sydney’s iconic Harbor Bridge and Opera House went dark for an hour on Saturday, part of a global effort to shine a spotlight on climate change.Hundreds of landmarks around the world, including Washington’s National Cathedral, Big Ben in London, the Great Wall of China and Tokyo Tower are being dimmed at 8:30 p.m. local time.The central Sydney icons have been taking part in the annual event since Earth Hour began as a Sydney-only event in 2007. Australia was among the first countri

April 1, 2012

Japan 'worst case tsunami' could reach 35-meters

A 35-meter tsunami could hit the Japanese coast in the wake of a massive earthquake, an expert panel has said after revising its worst case scenario projections following last year's disaster. In this Nov. 12, 2011 file photo, the Unit 4 reactor building of the tsunami-crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power station is seen through a bus window in Okuma town, north of Tokyo. (AP-Yonhap News)If a

April 1, 2012

Japan 'worst case tsunami' could reach 35-meters

Myanmar's Suu Kyi reported winning historic vote

She struggled for a free Myanmar for a quarter-century, much of it spent locked away under house arrest. Now, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate whose nonviolent campaign for democracy at home transformed her into a global icon is on the verge of ascending to public office for the first time. Aung San Suu Kyi (AP-Yonhap News)Aung San Suu Kyi, 66, was elected to parliament Sunday in a historic victory

April 1, 2012

Myanmar's Suu Kyi reported winning historic vote

China punishes social media, websites on coup talk

China is closing a dozen websites, penalizing two popular social media sites and detaining six people for circulating rumors of a coup that rattled Beijing in the midst of its worst high-level political crisis in years.The extensive clampdown, announced late Friday by state media, underscores the authoritarian government's anxieties over a public that is wired to the Internet and eager to discuss

April 1, 2012

3 tickets share record $640M U.S. lottery jackpot

Three lottery tickets sold in Illinois, Kansas and Maryland hit the world record-breaking $640 million Mega Millions jackpot, lottery officials said Saturday, dashing the get-rich-quick dreams of millions of players across the country.Illinois' winner used a quick pick in which the computer selected the winning numbers on a ticket sold at a convenience store in the small town of Red Bud, near St.

April 1, 2012

Stricken cruise ship repaired, heading to Malaysia

A cruise ship with 1,000 people on board that had drifted for 24 hours after being disabled by a fire was headed toward Malaysia following repairs and was expected to reach shore Sunday, the ship's company said. The Azamara Quest, which had embarked on a 17-day Southeast Asian cruise, was left drift

March 31, 2012

Record $640 million U.S. lottery prize reported to have winner

NEW YORK (AFP) -- The record $640 million lottery prize that sent the United States into a gambling frenzy reportedly had at least one winner early Saturday as local media said the winning ticket had been sold in the state of Maryland. The winning numbers -- 2, 4, 23, 38, 46 with Me

March 31, 2012

China punishes social media, websites on coup talk

BEIJING (AP) -- China is shuttering more than a dozen websites, penalizing two popular social media sites and detaining six people for circulating rumors of a coup that rattled Beijing in the midst of its worst high-level political crisis in years. The announcement carried late Frid

March 31, 2012

Security breach hits U.S. card processors, banks

The U.S. Secret Service is investigating a major cyber intrusion at an Atlanta-based payment processor that could expose millions of MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Discover cardholders to fraudulent charges.Processor Global Payments Inc said on Friday it had found "unauthorized access" into

March 31, 2012

Obama: Oil supply enough to keep squeeze on Iran

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama said Friday he was plowing ahead with potential sanctions against countries that keep buying oil from Iran, including allies of the United States, in a deepening campaign to starve Iran of money for its disputed nuclear program.The world oil market is tight,

March 31, 2012

Japan orders interception of North Korean rocket

TOKYO (AP) ― Japan’s defense minister on Friday ordered missile units to intercept a rocket expected to be launched by North Korea next month if it flies over Japan.The order from Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka came at a meeting of Japan’s national security council. It followed instructions issued earlier in the week for the military to prepare to intercept the satellite rocket if it enters Japanese territory.The Unha-3 rocket is expected to fly past western Japan after its launch from North Kore

March 30, 2012

Myanmar shines spotlight on historic election

YANGON (AP) ― Myanmar has sent out a surprisingly broad guest list for elections Sunday, hoping to showcase its democratic credentials to the world.The by-election is likely to mark a symbolic turning point by bringing opposition leader and Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi into parliament for the first time, an event that would raise hopes for a more representative government after a half century of repressive military rule.However, with less than 7 percent of the chambers’ seats contested,

March 30, 2012