LA Times News

LA Times News

Killing rats in Mumbai, a job to die for

Posted: 20 Nov 2010 12:00 AM PST

Even as India's economy booms, overflowing with opportunities for engineers and programmers, the poor barely scrape by. And a job as a city rat catcher means security, more precious than wealth.

Sabid Ali Sheikh stands on a prairie of trash — onion skins, excrement, animal bones — slowly rotting its way back into an earth riddled with rat burrows. Sometimes the ground gives way under his feet.

18 rhino carcasses found in South Africa

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 02:49 PM PST

Wildlife groups react with shock to news of the discovery at the Letaba reserve. South Africa has seen a major increase in killings of the endangered animals, which are poached for their horns.

Wildlife groups react with shock to news of the discovery at the Letaba Ranch Game Reserve. South Africa has seen a major increase in rhino killings this year, with poachers armed with AK-47s frequently attacking the endangered animals.

From Koogle to Yideotube, efforts to provide a kosher Internet

Posted: 20 Nov 2010 12:00 AM PST

As more ultra-Orthodox Jews venture online, various providers in Israel are offering them pre-screened access so they can avoid inadvertently viewing any offensive content.

From a drab office in this ultra-Orthodox Jewish stronghold, three devout young women hunch over computers and surf the Internet — looking for pornography, celebrity gossip and a laundry list of other items banned by their rabbis.

Israeli jets strike targets in Gaza

Posted: 20 Nov 2010 12:00 AM PST

At least six Palestinians are injured in the attacks on three targets. Israeli officials said the strikes are retaliation for heavy rocket and mortar fire from Gaza militants.

Capping a flurry of renewed violence in the Gaza Strip, Israeli jets Friday struck three Palestinian targets, including a deserted building and a tunnel that Israel says militants used to smuggle in weapons.

NATO agrees on missile defense shield

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 05:11 PM PST

Member nations plan to develop a system to protect Europe and the U.S. from attack and will ask Russia to play a role. Though past talks with Moscow on the issue have been rocky, things appear different this time.

The Western military alliance agreed Friday to build an international missile defense system and offered Russia a role, a step aimed at reshaping the relationship with a former foe after years of mistrust and friction.

Obama arrives in Portugal to meet with NATO allies

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 03:27 AM PST

After the Asia trip, the president aims to show Europeans that their concerns are also a top priority. The focus for the weekend: the Afghan war.

President Obama arrived here this morning for two days of meetings with NATO allies as they craft a new plan for the war in Afghanistan and seek a new mission statement that will keep them relevant in the 21st century.

Bernanke scolds China over currency policies

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 12:00 AM PST

The Federal Reserve chairman, in remarks prepared for a speech Friday in Germany, also defends a $600-billion bond-buying plan to stimulate the U.S. economy.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke, in text for a upcoming speech, strongly criticized China and other emerging countries that he said were stunting a balanced global economic recovery by manipulating their currencies.