Most Popular
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Contentious grain bill put directly to plenary meeting for vote
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Yoon's approval rating plunges to all-time low
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Will tug-of-war between doctors, government end soon?
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Climate impacts set to cut 2050 global GDP by nearly a fifth
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Trilateral talks acknowledge ‘serious’ slumps of won, yen
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[KH Explains] Hyundai's full hybrid edge to pay off amid slow transition to pure EVs
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North Korea removes streetlights along cross-border roads with South
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Russia's denial of entry of S. Korean national unrelated to bilateral ties: Seoul official
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S. Korea votes in favor of Palestinian bid for UN membership
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Farming households dip below 1m for first time in 2023
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Williams, first black opera diva, dies at 92
CHICAGO (AFP) ― Camilla Williams, the first black woman to perform with a major US opera company who became both a cultural ambassador and civil rights activist, has died at the age of 92, officials said Monday.“I can confirm that she died at home of complications from cancer,” Alan Barker, a spokesman for Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music where Williams taught for 20 years, told AFP.Born in a small town in the segregated southern state of Virginia, Williams began her singing career at
Jan. 31, 2012
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Asian stars in Cannes to woo Western record market
CANNES, France (AFP) ― Asian stars flew into the French Riviera resort of Cannes at the weekend for the global music industry’s annual MIDEM pow-wow, in a state-backed bid to woo Western markets.Chinese authorities have sent one of the country’s biggest rising stars, Ruhan, to MIDEM to promote her debut album, “Time to Grow”, which features tracks sung in both Chinese and English.It is the first time that Beijing has brought an artist to the MIDEM fair.Taiwan also came to town with one of Asia’s
Jan. 31, 2012
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Fans honor Seo Taiji with Brazilian rainforest
Ardent fans of legendary K-pop musician Seo Taiji are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the singer’s debut by naming a forest after him.Seo Taiji Mania, Seo’s fan club, announced on Tuesday that they are creating “Seotaiji Forest” in Brazil’s Guapi Assu rainforest. They signed an MOU last year with World Land Trust, a British environmental organization which conducts tree-planting projects, about the forest creation and conservation. “The documentary ‘Tears of the Amazon’ came as a great shock
Jan. 31, 2012
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‘American Idol’ alum heading to Broadway
NEW YORK (AP) ― A former “American Idol” contestant is heading to Broadway with a character who, it’s safe to say, is truly two-faced.Constantine Maroulis will play the title dual role in a revival of the musical “Jekyll & Hyde” that’s slated to come to New York in spring 2013 after a 25-week national tour that starts in San Diego on Oct. 2, Nederlander Presentations Inc. announced Sunday. Maroulis, who was a finalist on the fourth season of “American Idol,” had a three-year run in Broadway’s “R
Jan. 30, 2012
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Verdi’s first opera, ‘Oberto,’ gets rare airing
WILMINGTON, Delaware (AP) ― The year was 1839, and a young, unknown Italian composer was having his first opera produced at La Scala.Though only a modest success, “Oberto’’ launched the career of a man who over the next half-century would turn out nearly 30 operas, many of them now staples of the repertory, like “Rigoletto,’’ “La Traviata’’ and “Aida.’’But Giuseppe Verdi’s first work is rarely heard today. So it’s a service that the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia is presenting it in conce
Jan. 30, 2012
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Stars cover Bob Dylan songs for Amnesty International
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) ― Anyone who ever doubted the transformative power of Bob Dylan’s music need only look to Ke$ha.Yes, Ke$ha.The irreverent pop star known for singing about brushing her teeth with “a bottle of Jack’’ turns poignant while covering a song from one of music’s great lyricists on the new four-disc “Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International.’’ The project features 75 newly recorded Dylan songs by 80 artists, including Adele, Sting, Su
Jan. 30, 2012
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Voyage to heart of Islam opens at British Museum
LONDON (AFP) ― It is a rite that all followers of Islam are supposed to perform at least once in a lifetime, yet for the rest of the globe the hajj is veiled in mystery.Now the British Museum in London has opened the first ever major exhibition on the pilgrimage, to give non-Muslims a glimpse of the heart of this world religion.“This exhibition is for everybody, Muslims and non-Muslims, everyone who wants to know more about this extraordinary phenomenon, which is one of the great religious manif
Jan. 30, 2012
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Seoul’s favorite Quasimodo back in the city
‘Notre Dame de Paris’ star Matt Laurent loves his role, even after 13 yearsWithout the make-up and the heavy costume of his famous hunchback character, “Notre Dame de Paris” star Matt Laurent resembles nothing of Quasimodo. Clad in blue jeans and a black jacket, the 44-year-old musical star shows off his cheerful personality during the photo shoot in central Seoul, with his impish and original poses. Then he grabs a bottle of orange juice for “some Vitamin C.”“This is a million dollar production
Jan. 30, 2012
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U.K. radio’s ‘Desert Island Discs’ turns 70
LONDON (AP) ― Margaret Thatcher chose Beethoven, Michael Caine picked Frank Sinatra and boxer George Foreman selected The Beatles’ “All You Need is Love.’’They are among almost 3,000 guests who have appeared on the radio program “Desert Island Discs,’’ a British broadcasting institution that turned 70 on Sunday.The show’s simple format hasn’t changed since 1942: Ask an illustrious or famous figure to choose the eight pieces of music they would take with them to a deserted isle, and talk about wh
Jan. 30, 2012
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Fairy tale, drug war epic win at Sundance
PARK CITY, Utah (AFP) ― Fairy tale “Beasts of the Southern Wild” and drug war epic “The House I Live In” were among the winners at the Sundance film festival, which presented its top awards late Saturday. The Grand Prix for best American fiction went to “Beasts of the Southern Wild” directed by Benh Zeitlin, a film full of imaginary animals, which recounts a fictional journey of a six-year-old girl to some of the remote corners of the world.The film was developed as part of a program launched by
Jan. 30, 2012
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‘The Help’ wins big at SAG awards
LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― “The Help,” a big-screen drama focusing on race relations in America, was the big winner at the Screen Actors Guild awards ceremony here Sunday, sweeping the top prizes for best actress, best supporting actress and best ensemble. The film, which tells the story of an aspiring journalist who decides to write a book exposing racism faced by domestic help in the 1960s, beat black-and-white silent movie “The Artist,” “Bridesmaids,” “The Descendants” and other films that had been
Jan. 30, 2012
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Girls’ Generation No. 2 on U.S. world music chart
K-pop group Girls’ Generation’s special album “The Boys” ranked second place in U.S. Billboard World Albums chart for the week of Feb. 4. After topping the charts in South Korea, the album was released in the U.S. and Europe on Jan. 17. The title song “The Boys” was composed by Teddy Riley, who is well-known for producing albums for Michael Jackson. The special album also came in 22nd in Billboard’s Heatseekers Albums chart, which ranks up-and-coming artists who broke into the market. The result
Jan. 30, 2012
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Hitler painting fetches 32,000 euros in Slovak auction
A 1913 painting by Nazi Germany's dictator Adolf Hitler sold for 32,000 euros ($42,300) in a Slovak internet auction on Sunday, the Darte auction house said. A man looks on a computer screen at an image of a painting by Adolf Hitler, done before he became Nazi Germany's dictator, titled "Maritime No
Jan. 30, 2012
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For Malkovich, the struggle of the sexes changes little
PARIS (AFP) ― More than two decades after John Malkovich starred in “Dangerous Liaisons” as the film’s arch seducer, the American actor is revisiting the classic French work, this time directing a stage version in Paris.For Malkovich, the novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos published in 1782 highlights the centuries-old struggle between men and women.“I’m not saying war between men and women, but the struggle between them. I don’t think that’s changed since the time of Choderlos de Laclos,” Malk
Jan. 29, 2012
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Louvre’s Da Vinci restoration ignites art world row
PARIS (AFP) ― Delicate work to restore a Leonardo Da Vinci masterpiece, to be unveiled in March, has turned into a headache for the Louvre, after experts accused the Paris museum of putting the precious oil work at risk.Da Vinci began painting “The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne” in 1503 and when he died in France in 1519 the unfinished work, depicting Christ beside his mother and grandmother with a sacrificial lamb, was acquired by King Francis I.Restoration carried out in the past century le
Jan. 29, 2012
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Searching for identity in Springfield
Artist Moon Ji-ha blurs identity borders through color, symbol-saturated paintingsHer paintings look unmistakably “Korean” at first glance, like what female shamans might have used in rituals during the Joseon Dynasty. Animals, mountains, letters and all sorts of characters are confusingly strewn on the canvas in rainbow colors. But Moon Ji-ha told the press Thursday that she was surprised to hear many Koreans comment that her works have a strong Asian vibe. “I never thought so. I guess they cou
Jan. 29, 2012
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Vinyl records make the world go around again
NEW YORK (AFP) ― In today’s brave new world of MP3 players, compact discs are dying, cassettes are Stone Age, and old-fashioned vinyl records ... they’re back!It might seem that nothing short of a wind-up gramophone could be more out of place today than the nostalgia-laden, crackly-sounding 33 and 45 RPM disc.Yet in his Brooklyn, New York, factory, 40-year-old Thomas Bernich churns them out by the tens of thousands, feeding a vinyl revival that has record decks ― and cash tills ― spinning. “It’s
Jan. 29, 2012
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Box Office
Papa (Korea)Opening Feb. 1Comedy. Directed by Han Ji-seung. Chun-seob (Park Yong-woo), who used to be a high-earning representative of a popular idol singer, now lives as an illegal immigrant in the U.S. The singer he used to work with ran away with all the money to the U.S., and Chun-seob, without a proper visa, failed to get a hold of her in the foreign country. One day, Chun-seob runs into a young girl named Joon (Go Ara), who is in need of a guardian in order to live with her “siblings” all
Jan. 27, 2012
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EYE LIKE
Best-selling collection on sale in KoreaVarious artists“2012 Grammy Nominees” (Universal Music) The 2012 Grammy Nominees album went on sale on Jan. 17 in Korea, featuring hits from more than 20 chart-topping artists across genres.Artists featured include some of the world’s and Korea’s favorite artists such as Adele, Amy Winehouse, Tony Bennett, the Black Keys, Eric Church, Coldplay, J. Cole, Lady Gaga, Maroon 5, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, Rihanna and Taylor Swift.One of the most notable categories
Jan. 27, 2012
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Vintage eyeglasses provide clear path to Hollywood
Even in Hollywood, it’s rare for anyone to be able to boast a connection to dozens of Oscar-contending films and blockbusters over the last 25 years. But Russ Campbell can hardly turn on the television or go to a movie theater without seeing something he’s made a mark on ― including the high-profile films “J. Edgar,” “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” “The Rum Diary,” “Cowboys & Aliens,” “A Single Man,” “Catch Me if You Can” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” as well as such TV shows as “Mad M
Jan. 27, 2012