Britain will allow referendum on Scottish independence, but Scots want it held later LONDON (AP) ― Breaking up is supposed to be hard to do ― but Britain’s government confirmed Tuesday it would happily offer Scotland the powers it needs to sever centuries-old ties to England. Prime Minister David Cameron’s government said it would sweep away legal hurdles to allow the Scots a vote on whether th...

Korean novelist Shin Kyung-sook’s latest novel was put on the shortlist of the 2011 Man Asian Literary Prize, the prize’s organizing committee said on its website on Wednesday. “Please Look After Mom” is one of the seven finalists of the prize along with works by authors from such countries as India, Japan, China and Pakistan. It was the first time that a South Korean novel has been included on...

Held just before the Lunar New Year holidays, the 2012 Korea Travel Expo will be offering special gift and travel ideas for visitors, the Korea Tourism Association said. Some 400 local government organizations, travel agencies and related groups are participating in the largest travel expo in Korea, held under the theme “Artistic Landscape of My Country” this year. The Jan. 12-15 event will be h...

PARIS (AFP) ― Steven Spielberg caught the filmmaking bug as a 12-year-old boy, and half a century on still goes “crazy” when he doesn’t have a story to tell, he admitted to fans packing a masterclass in Paris Monday night. Greeted with a standing ovation, the U.S. director ― whose works from “E.T.” to “Indiana Jones” are the focus of a retrospective at Paris’ Cinematheque film centre ― told the ...

KAMAISHI, Japan ― A roll cake flavored with soy sauce made by a company with old roots in the city of Kamaishi has become a popular symbol of reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake in Iwate Prefecture and around the nation. The Shoyu Roll cake is a collaboration between soy sauce producer Fujiyu Jozo and semipublic company Kamaishi Shinko Kaihatsu. Before the March 11 disaster, the...

LOS ANGELES ― Rodarte designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy are slated to design their first opera costumes for the Los Angeles Philharmonic production of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” in May, which will be staged by modernist director Christopher Alden. The pair will join a creative team that includes conductor Gustavo Dudamel and architect Frank Gehry, the latter doing the set design. The production wi...

GREEN, Ohio ― Teaching grade-schoolers to speak Mandarin might not be difficult in Asia, but in America, the challenge is daunting. But the students in J.T. Kuzior’s Green, Ohio, Primary School third-grade classroom are doing just that, using a computer application that helps them learn the language. Thanks to a local businessman, the nearly 1,000 students at the school in grades 1-3 are getting...

MADRID (AP) ― Real Madrid advanced to a likely Copa del Rey quarterfinal matchup against Barcelona after Malaga goalkeeper Willy Caballero’s error gave the defending champions a 1-0 victory on Tuesday. Caballero’s standout performance was spoiled when he tried to hold Karim Benzema’s low shot but let it slip through his arms and between his legs in the 72nd minute, sending Madrid through 4-2 on ...

NEW YORK (AP) ― Still glowing over his election to the Hall of Fame, Barry Larkin was asked about next year’s sure-to-be-controversial vote: the first appearances of Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa on the Cooperstown ballot. “All I know is playing and competing against some of these guys, they’re the best ― period,” he said. The Steroids Era will be the focal point of next year’s Hall...