LA Times News

LA Times News

It's not easy being humongous and green

Posted: 01 Jan 2011 06:59 PM PST

The giant bullfrogs of southern Africa used to live for 20 years in the wild, but now their life spans are being cut short by housing development. Still, nothing is more exciting for enthusiasts than the huge amphibians' mating ritual.

It's a lucky day for amphibian enthusiasts at Glen Austin wetlands: The giant bullfrogs of southern Africa are having sex.

Coptic church bombing in Egypt is latest assault on Mideast Christians

Posted: 01 Jan 2011 03:39 PM PST

The New Year's blast kills 21 and sparks clashes between police and Copts. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak accuses foreign elements of involvement in the terrorist attack, which drew condemnation across the Middle East.

A devastating New Year's Day terrorist bombing at a Coptic church in Egypt that killed 21 people was the latest in a spate of violent assaults against the Middle East's vulnerable Christian communities.

For South Korean teen, golf comes first

Posted: 02 Jan 2011 12:00 AM PST

For Eom Jae-moon, 17, golf is more than just his ticket to losing weight; it is his future. He spends 15 hours a day practicing, and his mother keeps him focused on the goal of landing a place on the PGA tour.

Eom Jae-moon, a 17-year-old with an unruly mop of brownish hair, considers golf his savior.

Former Marxist guerrilla sworn in as president of Brazil

Posted: 02 Jan 2011 12:00 AM PST

Dilma Rousseff is Brazil's first female president, taking over from the immensely popular Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The new president hopes to keep the country's booming economy on track while advancing her Workers' Party social agenda.

Accepting the green and yellow mantle of power from her immensely popular mentor, former Marxist guerrilla Dilma Rousseff was sworn in Saturday as Brazil's first female president and faced two immediate tasks: keeping the booming economy on track and fleshing out Brazil's developing role on the world stage.

Missile strikes kill at least 19 in Pakistan tribal area

Posted: 02 Jan 2011 12:00 AM PST

Multiple drone strikes target suspected militants in North Waziristan, suggesting that a high-level insurgent commander might have been in the area.

A series of missile strikes killed at least 19 suspected insurgents Saturday in Pakistan's tribal borderlands, signaling that the new year would bring no respite in a relentless campaign of U.S. attacks employing aerial drones to target militant figures.

Bombing of Christian church in Egypt kills 21

Posted: 01 Jan 2011 03:44 AM PST

The attack targets Coptic worshipers at a New Year's Mass. Enraged congregants respond by storming a nearby mosque, sparking fights and stone-throwing.

At least 21 people attending a Christian Mass were killed and 79 injured when a bomb exploded outside an Alexandria church in the first hour of the New Year, Egyptian officials said.