BEIRUT (AFP) - Analysts on Thursday cast doubt on the authenticity of thousands of documents reportedly leaked from the Islamic State jihadist group, pointing out mistakes and uncharacteristic language.The trove of documents, which includes the names, addresses, phone numbers and family contacts of IS jihadists, was handed over to Britain's Sky News by a disillusioned former member, the broadcaster said Wednesday.Syrian opposition news website Zaman al-Wasl said there were thousands of repetitio

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) – How far will Mario Draghi and the European Central Bank go to boost inflation and a shaky economy?Market participants are waiting for the bank rate decision and president's news conference Thursday to find out. Economists predict that the ECB's 25-member governing council will follow through on Draghi's comments in recent weeks that have been interpreted as a near-promise of more stimulus. The question is, how much more? And how much good will it do? Market analysts exp

MINAMISOMA, Japan (AP) – The ashes of half a dozen unidentified laborers ended up at a Buddhist temple in this town just north of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant. Some of the dead men had no papers, others left no emergency contacts. Their names could not be confirmed and no family members had been tracked down to claim their remains.They were simply labeled ``decontamination troops'' – unknown soldiers in Japan's massive cleanup campaign to make Fukushima livable again five years after rad

SAO PAULO (AFP) -- Brazilian state prosecutors on Wednesday filed money laundering charges against ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a dramatic twist to an anti-corruption battle threatening to bring down the government.The indictment against the hugely influential leftist leader alleges that he hid ownership of a luxury triplex apartment at a seaside resort in Sao Paulo state, a source in the Sao Paulo prosecutor‘s Office said.“He is accused of hiding property in relation to the triplex

In the Netflix sci-fi series “Sense 8,” actress Bae Doo-na plays Sun Bak, vice president of a Seoul-based firm by day and an underground kickboxer by night. Bak is one of the toughest characters Bae has played in her prolific 17-year acting career. This is also the most widely watched series she has been in. “I heard season one ranked as the most popular show in every region from North and South Americas to Europe. I was thrilled to learn that,” said Bae, who was speaking to The Korea Herald whi

Shen Yun Performing Arts, a New York-based Chinese dance company that was scheduled to perform at Seoul‘s KBS Hall from May 6-8, claims that the Chinese government had a hand in the cancellation of its upcoming Seoul show.  “KBS canceled the rental contract (with us), citing an illogical reason, and we soon found out it was not its voluntary decision, but because of pressure from the Chinese Embassy,” said Lee Chang-sik, head of New Cosmos Media, in charge of promoting and marketing Shen Yun Per

North Korea on Tuesday strongly denounced the upcoming joint military exercise between Seoul and Washington, warning a "pre-emptive strike" against any attempt to collapse the Kim Jong-un regime.South Korea and the United States plan to conduct their largest-ever military drill next month at a time of heightened tension on the Korean Peninsula following Pyongyang's recent nuclear test and long-range missile launch.  North Korean anchor delivers the North Korean regime’s warning against the upcom

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) – The Syrian government and the main umbrella for Syrian opposition and rebel groups announced Tuesday their conditional acceptance of a proposed U.S.-Russian cease fire that the international community hopes will bring them back to the negotiating table in Geneva for talks to end the war.The announcement came after the United States and Russia agreed on a new cease-fire for Syria that will take effect Saturday, even as major questions over enforcement were left unresolved.T

DAMASCUS (AFP) – Syria's regime agreed Tuesday to a ceasefire deal announced by the United States and Russia, but there were widespread doubts it could take effect by the weekend as hoped.The agreement, announced Monday, does not apply to jihadists like the Islamic State group and Al-Nusra Front, putting up major hurdles to how it can be implemented on Syria's complex battlefield.A Syrian foreign ministry statement said the government would continue to fight both those groups as well as other "t

LONDON (AP) – Bill Gates is siding against Apple – and many other technology companies – in saying the firm should help the U.S. government to hack into a locked iPhone as part of an investigation into the San Bernardino shooting.Apple has resisted providing a piece of programming that would help the FBI access the phone. Apple argues that governments, both in the U.S. and overseas, are likely to use the program in other cases, undermining data privacy.In an interview Tuesday with the Financial

SEOUL (Yonhap) – South Korea's main opposition party kicked off a filibuster during a parliamentary session Tuesday, in protest against an assembly speaker's decision to put a long-stalled anti-terrorism bill to a vote.Earlier, National Assembly Speaker Chung Ui-hwa invoked his authority to take the bill to the floor for a vote that has been stalled for more than a decade.Since the first draft of the bill was filed with the National Assembly following the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001 as a measure to

LONDON (AFP) -- Prime Minister David Cameron warned Monday that a vote to leave the EU would risk Britain‘s economic and national security, as uncertainty over the outcome of the June referendum sent the pound plunging.In a speech to the House of Commons, the Conservative leader launched a barely-veiled attack on London Mayor Boris Johnson, his long-term rival who has come out for Britain exiting the EU -- a Brexit -- accusing him of taking the position for political gain.Johnson challenged the

BEIRUT (AFP) -- A landmark truce is to take effect in Syria on Saturday, the United States and Russia announced, but the “cessation of hostilities” does not include the Islamic State and Al-Nusra Front, the main jihadist factions.The leading opposition group in the five-year conflict gave its conditional acceptance to Monday‘s announcement, but Israel said it was skeptical the deal would hold, and analysts warned any pause in the fighting would be dependent on Russia, Iran and President Bashar a

Nighttime at a royal palace in Seoul reveals the beauty of Joseon-era architecture and unique contrast between the centuries-old landscape and modern skyscrapers outside the walls. Thanks to the growing number of visitors wishing to be immersed in the magical night view, royal palaces will remain open in the evening more frequently than it did last year. The state-run Cultural Heritage Administration, which manages public programs at royal palaces, announced it would increase the late-night open

The fast pace and wide reach of social media is a source of inspiration for artist Lee Ye-seung. Social networks allow people to exchange information and ideas with people they have never met in person and expose content to a large number of people.Mirroring this interconnectedness, Lee came up with interactive kinetic media installations that operate on signals they receive from adjoining installations as well as the movements of viewers. They are on view at the Artside Gallery in Tongui-dong,

Over Lunar New Year, Seollal, there are some traditional foods that herald in the festivities. One of them is Tteokguk, or rice cake soup. It is the first meal one should eat in the new year, as it represents hope and is symbolic of another year lived, or as it is properly known here, the Korean age of reckoning. After finishing the bowl of soup, a person’s age goes up by a year. Manduguk, or dumpling soup, is a North Korean variation of the traditional soup eaten during Seollal, and often both

Kim Chung-woon, formerly a psychology professor and who now calls himself a “creator,” is perfectly at home in his basement office in Nonhyeon-dong, Seoul. It is an entirely appropriate title, he claims, as he now writes and paints. Kim’s office is a veritable man cave, that any man -- or woman, for that matter -- would dream of having: Walls lined with massive bookshelves holding volumes and volumes of books; a long desk from Japan that is crafted out of a very old tree trunk; a little nook wit

The Lunar New Year holiday is a chance for Koreans, expats and tourists to enjoy a variety of traditional Korean activities. The five-day holiday will be full of cultural programs and hands-on experiences, offered at public museums and royal palaces. Here is a guide to various holiday programs in major cities. Palaces and folk games  Visitors participate in the kite-making session at the National Folk Museum of Korea in Seoul. (The National Folk Museum of Korea)Major royal palaces in Seoul, incl

A mass migration is underway this weekend as tens of thousands of Koreans travel home for the Lunar New Year, Seollal. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport estimates that a total of 36 million will be on the move, about 70 percent of the total population. Early in the morning on Monday, Lunar New Year’s Day, families will dress in traditional hanbok for the ancestral rite, charye, during which they will pay respect to their late ancestors. Dozens of dishes will be laid out on the c

It has been more than a month since Christmas lights were stripped-down from buildings, reducing the city blocks once again to their default cold, bleak and gray. In Seoul, however, media art installations and exhibitions have replaced the sparkling Christmas decorations, illuminating the city’s bleak midwinter and offering people the opportunity to enjoy some contemporary art. At the grand front entrance of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Gwanghwamun, a huge screen has been set up