India at 75 The issue dated August 15, with the page of 1947 in black and white and in a vintage font, made one feel both proud and nostalgic. It is remarkable that our freedom fighters achieved the goal of Independence. The memories of their sacrifices must remain evergreen. Tushar Anand, Patna, Bihar The issue dated August 15, 2022, dedicated to India’s 75th year of Independence, was inspiring in many ways. It had enlightening articles by eminent writers, a rare photograph or two such as ‘The Second Round Table Conference in 1931’, and importantly, the facsimile of the iconic page of August 15, 1947. The day was also special as a close relative, who was a freedom fighter, and aged 104, was invited to unfurl the tricolour flag at a function in Chennai. R. Sivakumar, Chennai I am 76-plus and the special edition was a delight. The front page was a surprise. I was able to retrieve a copy of the full issue of The Hindu (August 15, 1947) preserved at home — it is in a poor … [Read more...] about Letters to the Editor — August 17, 2022
Das Boot and Air Force One director Wolfgang Petersen dies aged 81
German director Wolfgang Petersen, known for the World War Two submarine epic Das Boot and Air Force One, has died aged 81. The filmmaker died on Friday at his home in the Los Angeles neighbourhood of Brentwood after a battle with pancreatic cancer, said representative Michelle Bega. His 1982 breakthrough, Das Boot, chronicled the intense claustrophobia of life aboard a doomed German U-boat during the Battle of the Atlantic, with Jurgen Prochnow as the submarine's commander. The 149-minute film, heralded as an anti-war masterpiece, was nominated for six Oscars and was the then most expensive movie in German film history. Petersen's films featured Hollywood stars including Brad Pitt, Dustin Hoffman, Harrison Ford and Rene Russo. Das Boot launched Petersen as a filmmaker in Hollywood, where he became one of the top makers of action adventure films including 1993's In The Line Of Fire with Clint Eastwood as a secret service agent charged with protecting the president. that … [Read more...] about Das Boot and Air Force One director Wolfgang Petersen dies aged 81
Read Liz Cheney’s concession speech as congresswoman ousted in Wyoming
Representative Liz Cheney delivered a powerful concession speech on Tuesday night after Wyoming Republicans ousted her from her House seat representing the state's at-large district. Cheney was defeated by her GOP opponent Harriet Hageman, who was endorsed by former President Donald Tump, and will not return for a fourth congressional term next year. Cheney, Trump's harshest critic in the Republican Party, made it clear in her remarks from Jackson, Wyoming, that she would not back down from her denouncements of the former president and urged Americans to unite against Trump's failed efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The congresswoman reminded the crowd on Tuesday that she had won in a landslide just four years ago—and argued that she could have done it again this midterm cycle, but said it would have required her to toe Trump's line. "That was a path I could not and would not take," the Wyoming Republican said. Read her full speech below: … [Read more...] about Read Liz Cheney’s concession speech as congresswoman ousted in Wyoming
Gov’t to Supply Millions of Quality Homes in Next 5 Years
August 17, 2022 13:18 The government has promised to supply 2.7 million new quality homes over the next five years in a bid to stabilize soaring apartment prices. The government announced the plans on Tuesday with a projected supply volume even higher than the 2.5 million new homes President Yoon Suk-yeol pledged on the campaign trail. Seoul will see construction of 500,000 new homes by 2027 and the surrounding region 1.58 million, while another 1.12 million will be built in other parts of the country, said Won Hee-ryong, the minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The new homes will be built near major transportation hubs with a focus on trying quality apartments for young and poorer households instead of simply increasing quantity. There have been constant complaints over cramped, shoddily built public housing in unpopular locations. Won also said the ministry is considering a gradual phase-out of basement flats, which made headlines after … [Read more...] about Gov’t to Supply Millions of Quality Homes in Next 5 Years
Most Koreans Trust Joe Biden
August 17, 2022 09:33 Koreans' confidence in the U.S. president has grown rapidly since Joe Biden came to power, a U.S. survey suggest. In a survey of 18 countries by Pew Research Center early this year, 70 percent of Korean respondents said they trust Biden to do the right thing in world affairs, according to the think tank. The figure was a mere 17 percent in 2020, the final year of Donald Trump's presidency. Poles were Biden's biggest fans with 82 percent, followed by Swedes (74 percent) and Koreans. Confidence in Biden's global leadership dropped in all other countries since his first year in office, but it grew three percentage points in Korea. Some 89 percent of Korean respondents also have a favorable view of the U.S., the second highest rating after Poland's 91 percent. Only 12 percent of Koreans said Chinese President Xi Jinping is doing the right thing in international affairs and a mere five percent said the same about Russian President Vladimir Putin. … [Read more...] about Most Koreans Trust Joe Biden
Law Enforcement Agencies to Step up War on Drugs
August 17, 2022 12:23 The Supreme Prosecutors' Office said Tuesday that it will set up a new drug-busting body together with police and customs agents. It plans to launch the body by the end of this month with the National Intelligence Service, National Police Agency, Korea Customs Office and Korea Coast Guard. Prosecutors also plan to set up a database on major drug-exporting countries by next year and bolster cooperation with 30 countries and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime to exchange information, dispatch observers and seek help in arresting criminals abroad. Drug-related crimes are skyrocketing. Last year, law enforcement officers seized 1,296 kg of drugs in Korea, up more than eight times compared to 2017, and in the first half of this year, 8,575 people were arrested on drug-related charges, up 13.4 percent on-year. Police Issue Interpol Alert for New Drug-Smuggling Tricks Police to Crack down on Messenger App Drug Trade Record Numbers of Drug … [Read more...] about Law Enforcement Agencies to Step up War on Drugs
Kakao Bosses Are Korea’s Highest-Paid Executives
August 17, 2022 11:22 Two Kakao CEOs who have now left the mobile app giant were the highest-paid executives in Korea in the first half of this year, according to business reports of major listed companies published Tuesday. Joh Su-yong and Yeo Min-soo left the company in February with a golden parachute of a total of W36.15 billion and W33.22 billion, respectively (US$1=W1,308). They received only W700 million and W200 million in severance pay but earned the rest from stock options. Joh earned W33.75 billion by selling 450,000 Kakao stocks at strike prices of between W17,070 and W20,116 per share when the company's stock was valued at W94,100. Yeo sold 425,000 stocks for a gain of W31.82 billion. Several other current and former Kakao executives also bagged billions of won by selling stock options. SK Hynix vice chairman Park Sung-wook was the highest-paid incumbent executive with a salary of W600 million and another W600 million in incentives and bonuses. He also … [Read more...] about Kakao Bosses Are Korea’s Highest-Paid Executives
Korean Air to Resume 1st Class Service on Key Routes
August 17, 2022 11:33 Korean Air will resume first class service after two years of suspension, in a bid to increase profitability amid surging demand for international flights. Starting with the route to Washington on Sept. 1, first class seats will be available on flights to Paris from Oct. 1, to London, Atlanta and San Francisco from Nov. 1, and to Frankfurt next year, the airline said Tuesday. The airline stopped operating first class cabins on all routes except flights to New York and Los Angeles in June 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic brought the airline business around the world to a near-complete halt. Korean Air to Resume More Int'l Flights Airlines to Put Super Jumbo Jets Back into Use Korean Air to Buy 20 New Passenger Planes by 2025 Korean Air Buys Latest 747 Jumbo Jet Korean Air Buys 100 New Planes Asiana Gets Its First A380 Superjumbo Asiana Airlines to Start Superjumbo Flights to Narita Asiana to Buy Six … [Read more...] about Korean Air to Resume 1st Class Service on Key Routes
U.S., S.Korea to Begin Combined Military Drills Next Week
August 17, 2022 08:33 The United States and South Korea will begin their biggest combined military training in years next week in the face of an increasingly aggressive North Korea, which has been ramping up weapons tests and threats of nuclear conflict against Seoul and Washington, the South's military said Tuesday. The allies' summertime drills, which will take place from Aug. 22 to Sept. 1 in South Korea under the name of Ulchi Freedom Shield, will include field exercises involving aircraft, warships, tanks and potentially tens of thousands of troops. The drills underscore Washington and Seoul's commitment to restore large-scale training after they canceled some of their regular drills and downsized others to computer simulations in recent years to create space for diplomacy with Pyongyang and because of COVID-19 concerns. The U.S. Department of Defense also said the U.S., South Korean and Japanese navies took part in missile warning and ballistic missile search and … [Read more...] about U.S., S.Korea to Begin Combined Military Drills Next Week
Yoon, Bill Gates Discuss Vaccine Development, Further Cooperation
August 17, 2022 08:39 President Yoon Suk-yeol met with Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates at the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul on Tuesday. During a meeting, they discussed cooperation on global public health issues and vaccine development. After saying how glad they both were to see each other in person following phone talks in June, Yoon said he "hopes the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Korea's SK Bioscience can be readily used to protect people in developing countries." Gates said, "I've been very pleased to see the priority you put on biological innovation. The opportunity to both create good jobs and to improve health not just in the rich countries but also the developing countries is very, very exciting." Gates praised SK for being an excellent partner in making the country's very first COVID-19 vaccine, and added he expected further cooperation with the country. SK has cooperated with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to develop … [Read more...] about Yoon, Bill Gates Discuss Vaccine Development, Further Cooperation