LA Times News

LA Times News

North Korea shelling stirs up Japan-South Korea tensions

Posted: 15 Dec 2010 12:00 AM PST

Anything that involves the Japanese military still makes Seoul highly nervous.

North Korea's deadly shelling of a Yellow Sea island last month not only raised the specter of war on the Korean peninsula, it also laid bare the political tensions between two key U.S. allies: Japan and South Korea.

Berlusconi narrowly wins confidence vote

Posted: 15 Dec 2010 12:00 AM PST

But the wafer-thin victory suggests it will be tough for Italy's prime minister to pass legislation or enact his center-right agenda, prolonging the sense of political paralysis gripping the nation.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi survived an important vote of no confidence by the narrowest of margins Tuesday but emerged with a severely weakened mandate that has thrown doubt on his ability to govern effectively.

In region he oversaw, a mixed review for Holbrooke

Posted: 15 Dec 2010 12:00 AM PST

In Kabul, he was seen as out of touch and too combative to forge a partnership with Afghan leaders. But in Islamabad, he is called a seasoned envoy who tried to strengthen U.S. ties with Pakistan.

Richard C. Holbrooke is being praised in the United States after his death as a giant of diplomacy, but in South Asia, the turbulent region that constituted his last assignment, his legacy received mixed reviews.

Sweden appeals UK granting bail for Julian Assange

Posted: 14 Dec 2010 01:14 PM PST

A British judge ordered Julian Assange released on 200,000 pounds ($316,000) bail Tuesday, but the WikiLeaks founder will remain in custody for at least two more days after Swedish prosecutors challenged that decision.

Italy's Prime Minister Berlusconi survives no-confidence vote

Posted: 14 Dec 2010 09:27 AM PST

Fighting breaks out on the chamber floor when one lawmaker thought to be against Prime Minister Berlusconi changes her mind.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi squeaked through a vote of no confidence in his government Tuesday, surviving one of the toughest tests of his leadership but emerging with his power severely weakened.