[Newsmaker] Scotland and England: A tale of rivalry

LONDON (AFP) ― The love-hate relationship between England and Scotland has been marked by bloodthirsty mediaeval battles, royal marriages and executions, followed by centuries of political and social unity.While Scots prepare to vote on the 300-year-old merger with England, the history binding their fortunes goes back way before they even existed as recognizable nations.Much of Scotland’s national story has been defined by its relationship with its bigger neighbor.And whatever happens in next we

World NewsSept. 11, 2014

[Newsmaker] Apple on new road with iPhone 6, smartwatch

SAN FRANCISCO ― Apple moved to recapture its role as a tech trend setter on Tuesday with its highly anticipated first smartwatch and two large-screen versions of the iPhone.With the debuts of Apple Watch and iPhone 6 models stretched to fit a hot “phablet” trend, the California company delivered what rumors had predicted leading up to the event.The Apple Watch, a sleek wrist device that links to the iPhone, “will redefine what people expect from this category,” chief executive Tim Cook said at a

TechnologySept. 10, 2014

[Newsmaker] Galaxy Note 4 gets mixed response

The Galaxy Note 4, Samsung Electronics’ all-new smartphone-tablet hybrid unveiled at the 2014 IFA in Berlin, has better display with a faster processing speed than its predecessor.It is thin and light. It has an S-pen. What else?The phablet looks much like the Note 3, except that it has a metal frame without the stitches on the back cover. The Note 3’s stitch design received poor reviews last year when it hit the market.The Note 4 seemingly turned out to be much ado about nothing.Lee Don-joo, Sa

TechnologySept. 4, 2014

[Newsmaker] 5 women named to Japan's Cabinet

TOKYO -- Japan's prime minister picked five women for his Cabinet on Wednesday, matching the past record and sending the strongest message yet about his determination to revive the economy by getting women on board as workers and leaders.Japan has a vast pool of talented, well educated women, but they are far under-represented in positions of power in government and corporations. Women make up 10 percent of parliament and just 3.9 percent of board members of listed Japanese companies, versus 12

World NewsSept. 3, 2014

[Newsmaker] Veteran N.K. diplomat likely to visit Europe

Kang Sok-ju, a seasoned North Korean diplomat, is likely to make a rare trip to Europe this week, officials at Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday, in a move seen as in line with the North’s efforts to break from its international isolation.Kang, secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, is expected to make a tour of Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and Italy, starting later this week for about 10 days, to meet political figures in those countries, they added.Given his st

North KoreaSept. 2, 2014

[Newsmaker] Textbook row erupts over Ryu Gwan-sun

The contentious omission of a renowned female independence activist in high school textbooks has sparked further altercations within education circles, which are already divided on the possible revival of state-authorized history textbooks. During last week’s debate on how to improve Korean history textbooks, it was revealed that four of the eight state-certified textbooks excluded descriptions of Ryu Gwan-sun, one of the organizers of the March 1 Independence Movement against Japan’s colonial r

Social AffairsSept. 1, 2014

[Newsmaker] Putin eyes pro-Russian statelet in Ukraine

MOSCOW ― Russian strongman Vladimir Putin first used “Novorossiya” ― the loaded Tsarist-era name for what is now southern and eastern Ukraine ― just after annexing Crimea from Ukraine in March, sparking outrage in Kiev.The Kremlin made a reference to the term again on Friday when it released Putin’s address to Ukraine’s pro-Russian separatists, pointedly calling them defenders of “Novorossiya” (New Russia).For analysts, this marks a significant development in nearly five months of conflict engul

World NewsAug. 31, 2014

[Newsmaker] IMF chief faces French corruption probe

PARIS (AP) ― Christine Lagarde, the chief of the International Monetary Fund, was put under official investigation for negligence in a French corruption probe that dates back to her days as France’s finance minister. After a fourth round of questioning before magistrates on Wednesday, Lagarde said she was returning to her work in Washington, and called the investigation “without basis.” She is the third IMF managing director in a decade to face legal troubles.Lagarde and her former chief of staf

World BusinessAug. 28, 2014

[Newsmaker] Burger King merger fans tax dispute

NEW YORK (AFP) ― Burger King is buying Canada’s Tim Hortons coffee-and-donuts chain in an $11 billion deal that raised concerns about another U.S. company moving abroad for tax advantages.Burger King Worldwide denied that the deal announced Tuesday, which would create the world’s third-largest fast-food company, was being undertaken for tax reasons. But the planned move of the “Home of the Whopper” headquarters from Florida to Canada, which could cut its corporate tax bill, sparked calls for boy

World BusinessAug. 27, 2014

[Newsmaker] Daewoo founder says break-up was wrong

More than a decade after the collapse of Daewoo Group in 1999, the group founder and former chairman Kim Woo-choong has stepped out of the shadows to promote a book telling the “real story” about what caused the group to fall. The author is Shin Jang-sup, a professor at the National University of Singapore, who wrote the book as Kim told it. The demise of Daewoo is recorded as the largest bankruptcy ever in Korea. As of the late 1990s, the group was the nation’s second-largest industrial conglom

IndustryAug. 26, 2014

[Newsmaker] Korea wins Little League

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pennsylvania (AP) ― In the giddy moments after South Korea won the Little League World Series, outfielder Sin Don-wan realized how he wanted to celebrate.“I want to go to the Blue House ― the White House of Korea ― and meet the president,” Sin said, breaking up his teammates.Just maybe Sin, who scored twice and hit a solo homer, will indeed get his wish to meet Park Geun-hye.He’s famous back in his homeland ― along with all of his teammates.Hwang Jae-yeong drove in two runs a

More SportsAug. 25, 2014

[Newsmaker] Ice Bucket Challenge changes nonprofit world

The Ice Bucket Challenge’s phenomenal success is making other charitable organizations rethink how they connect with a younger generation of potential donors.Since the ALS Association began tracking the campaign’s progress on July 29, it has raised more than $53.3 million from 1.1 million new donors in what is one of the most viral philanthropic social media campaigns in history.Thousands of people, including celebrities like Taylor Swift and Oprah Winfrey, have posted videos of themselves getti

World NewsAug. 24, 2014

[Newsmaker] New envoy to Japan faces daunting task

Yoo Heung-soo appears to be a confident and seasoned politician. Though he has yet to grasp all the pending issues and diplomatic terminology, his hale, vigorous and poised figure defies concerns about him being Korea’s oldest-ever ambassador to Japan. The 76-year-old former lawmaker, provincial governor and national police chief is scheduled to fly to Tokyo on Sunday to take on what is currently one of Korea’s most challenging diplomatic posts. He received a letter of credence from President Pa

Foreign AffairsAug. 21, 2014

[Newsmaker] As protests rage, Obama pleads for calm

WASHINGTON (AP) ― When racial tensions erupted midway through his first presidential campaign, Barack Obama came to Philadelphia to decry the “racial stalemate we’ve been stuck in for years.” Over time, he said, such wounds, rooted in America’s painful history on race, can be healed.Six years later, the stalemate suddenly seems more entrenched than ever. As Obama pleads for calm and understanding in Ferguson, Missouri, he’s struggling to determine what role ― if any ― the nation’s first black pr

World NewsAug. 20, 2014

[Newsmaker] Safety fears mount over Seoul sinkholes

Five large underground hollows were discovered this week underneath one of Seoul’s road tunnels, city officials said Monday, adding to public concerns over safety sparked by similar discoveries in Seoul this month.The newly found cavities are large enough to contain stacks of cars. They are located only a few meters away from two similar cavities discovered earlier this month below the Seokchon tunnel roadway in eastern Seoul.Experts say the hollows under the road could cause it to abruptly coll

Social AffairsAug. 19, 2014

[Newsmaker] Pope meets marginalized in Seoul Mass

Pope Francis consoled some of the most marginalized members of Korean society by holding their hands on Monday, the last day of his five-day visit to Korea.The pontiff officiated a Mass at Myeongdong Cathedral in downtown Seoul, praying for reconciliation and peace on the Korean Peninsula. Before the Mass, the pope took a few minutes to talk to some 20 men and women sitting in the cathedral’s front row, offering words of emotional and religious solace.The group was a mixture of former sex slaves

Social AffairsAug. 18, 2014

[Newsmaker] Authorities divided over elite schools

Friction between the Education Ministry and local education offices over elite schools hinted at an escalation of conflict between Minister Hwang Woo-yea and progressive superintendents.The ministry announced Monday that it would not approve Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education’s attempt to strip the status of autonomous private high school from Dongsan Christian High School. Autonomous schools refer to those granted relative autonomy over curriculum in exchange for receiving no government su

Social AffairsAug. 14, 2014

[Newsmaker] Francis: ‘People’s pope’ and SNS star

As afternoon turned into evening on March 13, 2013, in Vatican City, white smoke rose from a chimney atop the Sistine Chapel, signaling that a new pope had been elected. About an hour later, the identity of the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church was unveiled: Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires. He would be named Pope Francis, it was announced. Since that moment, Pope Francis never stopped surprising the world ― Catholics and non-Catholics alike. As the first pope born outside of

CultureAug. 13, 2014

[Newsmaker] Robin Williams gave comedy darker edge

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― Oscar-winning actor Robin Williams shot to fame for his madcap standup act and his offbeat alien Mork, but his most famous roles showed a depth of pain behind the comedian’s mask.The wildly popular 63-year-old funnyman, whose career spanned more than three decades, was known for rapid-fire, stream-of-consciousness improvisations and impersonations.On screen, his characters were often offbeat and eccentric ― from the zany alien Mork from the planet Ork, the television role in

World NewsAug. 12, 2014

[Newsmaker] Turkey strongman with an eye on history

Recep Tayyip Erdogan waves at supporters from the balcony of the AKP party headquarters during the celebrations of his victory in the presidential election vote in Ankara on Sunday. (AFP-Yonhap)ANKARA (AFP) ― Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who will be Turkey’s next president after an easy election victory, climbed from a humble youth in Istanbul to become one of the most significant but controversial leaders in the Islamic world.Erdogan, who has served as premier since 2003, is lau

World NewsAug. 11, 2014