LA Times News

LA Times News

Beijing support for Korea reunification not so clear, despite leaked cables

Posted: 01 Dec 2010 12:00 AM PST

Analysts who follow the long entanglement of China and North Korea say memos outed by WikiLeaks often amount to little more than dinner party chatter reflecting outdated opinion or wishful thinking.

Is China really willing to dump its old ally, North Korea? Would Beijing support a German-style reunification of the Korean peninsula in which economic powerhouse South Korea absorbed its wretchedly poor communist neighbor?

Brazil troops to stay in Rio slum after backing anti-gang assault

Posted: 01 Dec 2010 12:00 AM PST

In a military-style invasion Sunday, 800 troops supported 1,800 police using armored cars and helicopters in an operation to pacify the Complexo do Alemao slum, a sanctuary for hardened traffickers.

After a two-pronged, weeklong assault on entrenched drug gangs in Rio de Janeiro slums, Brazilian army troops will remain in the city's worst shantytown for at least six months to maintain order, the government announced Tuesday.

Egypt's ruling party wins most parliament seats, unofficial results show

Posted: 01 Dec 2010 12:00 AM PST

The National Democratic Party's near-sweep of the disputed election is major defeat for the opposition Muslim Brotherhood.

In an election marred by boycotts and accusations of widespread fraud, Egypt's ruling party strengthened its hold on power by winning all but a few seats in the parliament, according to unofficial results announced Tuesday.

U.S. scrambled to understand protests in Iran, leaked documents show

Posted: 01 Dec 2010 12:00 AM PST

Washington talked with allies' embassies and Iranian dissidents and businessmen to gauge the Iranian opposition, according to dispatches disclosed by WikiLeaks.

As protesters poured into the streets of Iran in the aftermath of the disputed 2009 reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, U.S. diplomats scrambled to decipher the erupting political crisis and the goals of the opposition's so-called green movement, according to recently disclosed diplomatic cables.

South Korean conglomerates act as though they are above the law

Posted: 01 Dec 2010 12:00 AM PST

In one case, a former worker alleges that he was beaten and then paid off, just one example that has the public clamoring for an end to impunity for some family-owned firms, called chaebols .

Yoo Hong-joon says he knows the wrath of the rich and powerful in a nation dominated by family-owned firms known as chaebols .

WikiLeaks cables highlight Arab contempt for Iran

Posted: 01 Dec 2010 12:00 AM PST

Confidential memos further agitate the ill-will between Arab capitals and Tehran over its nuclear enrichment program and influence on militant groups.

The Middle East has been suspicious of Iran for years, but the recent disclosure of diplomatic cables highlights the contempt that has spurred Arab countries to strengthen their defenses, including Saudi Arabia's $60-billion deal with the United States to buy missiles and F-15 fighter jets.

Mexico arrests La Familia drug gang figure

Posted: 30 Nov 2010 03:16 PM PST

Federal police say they have arrested Jose Alfredo Landa Torres, known as 'Skinny,' the regional boss of a gang that dominates western Michoacan. La Familia has become a major trafficker of methamphetamine.

Mexican authorities Tuesday said they had arrested a regional boss of La Familia drug gang, which dominates the western state of Michoacan with violence and a cult-like authority.

South Korea postpones drills on contested island

Posted: 30 Nov 2010 12:00 AM PST

Seoul says artillery exercises on Yeonpyeong Island, shelled last week by North Korea, were delayed because military protocol was not followed in announcing the drills.

SEOUL — South Korea postponed artillery drills planned Tuesday on the Yellow Sea island shelled last week by North Korea, officials said.

Colombia works to keep marimba traditions alive

Posted: 30 Nov 2010 12:00 AM PST

Fearing that the obscure xylophone-like instrument could be a casualty as Afro-Colombian traditions disperse amid migration and other pressures, officials are taking steps to preserve and promote the unique music.

The performing style of the man Angel Marino calls the greatest marimba player ever may help explain why the instrument is so obscure outside the villages along Colombia's Pacific Coast mangroves.