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South Korean President Lee Myung-bak (shown here as a young accountant, working for Hyundai's office in Thailand in the early 1960s) overcame a poverty-stricken childhood to become a student activist, successful business executive and, ultimately, leader of his country.

From Crushing Poverty To South Korea's Presidency

Lee Myung-bak was so poor as a child that he wore his school uniform every day because he had no other clothes. He became a student activist and helped Hyundai become the massive conglomerate it is today. In many ways, Lee's life story — and ultimate success — mirrors that of South Korea.

Keith Rowley, the prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, has called for global vaccine distribution based on models of "sharing and caring" that provide equitable access to small countries like his and "benefit of all humankind and not just the privileged, well-heeled few."

Price Check: Nations Pay Wildly Different Prices For Vaccines

The Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago gave an impassioned speech about the vaccine rollout, warning of hoarding and price gouging. Here's what we could find out about the cost of a dose.

Jake Waleri of Naples, right, and friends caught this 19-foot Burmese python in the Big Cypress National Preserve earlier this month, setting a world record for the longest snake of that species ever caught. The capture perhaps rid the Everglades of one of the original snakes to escape captivity in the 1990s and invade the River of Grass, where they are creating environmental havoc today. Friend Stephen Gauta helps hold up the snake after the duo brought the beast to the Nature Conservancy of Southwest Florida in Naples to have it measured and donated for studies

Naples man captures 19-foot Burmese python in Big Cypress; confirmed as a world record

Naples resident Jake Waleri, who is 22 and an amateur python hunter, caught a world-record 19-footer with some friends earlier this month in the Big Cypress National Preserve.

As millions of Americans struggle with SNAP lapses, food banks are swamped with demand

At one food pantry in Boston, the spike in demand means there's now a two-week wait for some to receive food, stressing needy families as well as pantry staff.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris meets Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the Office of Government in Hanoi, Vietnam, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021.

Harris Says The U.S. Will Provide Vietnam 1 Million More Vaccine Doses

The vice president made the announcement during her trip to Southeast Asia. It's part of the Biden administration's push to strengthen its alliances in the region to counter China's influence

Rounding Up Reindeer: Zoo Prepares To Evacuate As Fire Burns Close

As the massive Thomas Fire burns in California, the Santa Barbara Zoo's elaborate evacuation plan involves 150 species, tranquilizers and maybe even throwing a towel over an alligator's head.

An aerial view of Beirut's port one day after a massive explosion rocked the Lebanese capital. Tuesday's blast flattened much of the port and damaged buildings across the city.

Beirut Death Toll Rises After Enormous Explosion

In Lebanon's devastated capital, at least 137 people are dead and some 5,000 injured. A question looms over the stockpile of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate believed to have exploded: Why was it there?

Calls to volunteer fire departments are at a high but they have few first responders

Fewer volunteers are answering triple the number of calls they did decades ago and those who do show up tend to be older. Some departments were already stretched thin and then along came the pandemic.

Lucas Benitez, a farmworker and co-founder of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers was awarded the Wallenberg Medal by the University of Michigan for his extraordinary achievements in the field of human rights. Here is Benitez as he helped lead the march. Around 500 peaceful protesters came out on the last day of the march in support of the farmworkers. With the determination to “build a new world”, where farmworkers can live free of human rights abuses and have dignified work the Farmworkers and allies marched the 45, plus, miles. On Tuesday they left the fields of Pahokee, FL, and walked to the wealthy enclave of Palm Beach. One of the biggest goals for the march was to put pressure on Wendy’s, Publix and Kroger corporations into joining the Fair Food Program. FFP was started by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.

Over 100 start march across Florida to protest modern slavery in the agricultural fields

For more than a decade the Coalition of Immokalee Workers have been trying to entice giant retailers to join the Fair Food Program. Wendy's, Publix and Kroger have been hold-outs

Professor emerita Henrietta Mann (Cheyenne), a pioneer in Native American studies, received a National Humanities Medal from President Biden in 2021. The White House citation honors Mann "for dedicating her life to strengthening and developing Native American education."

Up First briefing: How — and why — we honor Indigenous Peoples' Day

A growing number of states and cities acknowledge Indigenous Peoples' Day. Some want it to replace Columbus Day. Here are some ideas for how to mark the holiday, plus book and podcast recommendations.

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