LIMA (AP) ― Ollanta Humala, the leftist military man who won Peru’s presidency after abandoning a radical platform, promised in his inaugural address Thursday to make his priority the one in three Peruvians still mired in poverty.The 49-year-old former army lieutenant colonel charted a plan for spreading the wealth from Peru’s mineral boom beyond Lima, where it has been concentrated among a small

 

U.S. Ambassador Kathleen Stephens said Thursday that she was recently reunited with one of the students she taught in the 1970s as a Peace Corps volunteer, describing the meeting as another reminder of her “unbreakable” ties with South Korea.  Kathleen StephensThe meeting between Stephens and the student, Lee Chul-won, who becomes a colonel in the South Korean Army, took place after Lee’s wife spo

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― Former U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke won unanimous Senate confirmation Wednesday as ambassador to Beijing, becoming the first Chinese American to hold the prestigious and difficult diplomatic post.Locke, whose grandfather came from China to the United States on a steamboat, promised during his smooth confirmation hearings to be a forceful advocate for human rights and for U

SUNAN, North Korea (AP) ― It’s an unlikely sight: hundreds of ostriches, a bird native to sunny Africa, squatting and squabbling in the morning chill on a sprawling farm in North Korea. Even stranger: In winter, some wear quilted vests.Built on the heels of a 1990s famine, the ostrich farm was a bold, expensive investment that the state hoped would help feed its people and provide goods to export.

 

 

 

There are no signs indicating that a three-story building in the fashionable Hongdae area in western Seoul is home to a busy tattoo parlor. After walking up three flights of stairs to Tattoo People, one is greeted only by a large, black door, and, before walking through it, is required to change into slippers and make as little noise as possible as not to disturb the artists who may be inking skin

OSLO (AFP) ― The suspect in Norway’s twin attacks that killed at least 92 people admitted responsibility and said the carnage was long planned as the nation mourned victims of its worst violence since World War II.Anders Behring Breivik, 32, was arrested for allegedly shooting at least 85 people dead at a youth Labour Party meeting on an island and killing seven more in a car bomb explosion which

 

BRUSSELS (AFP) -- Eurozone leaders offered Greece on Thursday some respite from its crippling debt burden while warning Athens could still face a dramatic default as they battled to prevent the debt crisis from spreading.The eurozone will provide Greece fresh loans, take steps to reduce the country's 350-billion-euro debt and open the door for the private sector to contribute to a second bailout,

MACAU (AFP) ― It has taken time and a few false starts but Asia, the spiritual and physical home of martial arts, now seems ready to take on the best in the world of modern mixed combat. Bae Myung-ho posing with the championship beltWhen Bae Myung-ho raised the Legend Fighting Championship welterweight title belt last Saturday night he showed it briefly to his fans and then the South Korean mixed

As classes are about to end at Hanseong Chinese Primary School in downtown Seoul, parents line up outside to pick up their children. Most are Chinese parents but some are Korean mothers.English is by far the language that most Korean parents want their children to learn. But their focus is shifting, albeit slowly, to the Chinese language as China has emerged as the world’s second largest economy.“

Official name: Arab Republic of Egypt Population: 84.5 million (U.N., 2010) Capital: Cairo Main cities: Alexandria, Suez, Port SaidArea: 1,002, 450m3 (World’s 30th largest country) Language: Arabic Major religions: 90 percent Muslim, 10 percent CopticIndustries: agriculture, textiles, food processing, tourism, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, ICT serviceExport commodities: crude oil and petroleum produ

Egypt’s Red Sea has some of the best scuba diving in the world, and people come from everywhere to explore the underwater wonders. In particular, Sharm el-Sheikh ― the City of Peace ― is where tourists from all around the world come to spend an unforgettable vacation of their dreams. Sharm el-Sheikh: high life on the beach, in the city, and under water Exotic scenery in Sharm el-Sheikh (Egypt Tour

 

 

KABUL (AP) ― Gunmen strapped with explosives killed a close adviser to President Hamid Karzai and a member of parliament on Sunday in another insurgent strike against the Afghan leader’s inner circle.Jan Mohammed Khan was an adviser to Karzai on tribal issues and was close to the president, a fellow Pashtun.His killing, which the Taliban claimed responsibility for, came less than a week after the