LA Times News

LA Times News

Proposed bigger government cut of gas field revenue roils Israel

Posted: 05 Jan 2011 12:00 AM PST

A panel reviewing Israel's policy on oil and gas resources has recommended more than doubling the government's take of profits. But Israeli and U.S. firms behind recent discoveries are fighting back.

Big natural gas fields found recently off Israel's coast could be a game-changer for the small country, pumping billions of dollars into the economy. But the prospect of huge profits is igniting a battle to divide the spoils, long before drilling gets underway.

A complex feeling tugs at Koreans

Posted: 05 Jan 2011 12:00 AM PST

For South Koreans han is as amorphous a notion as love or hate: intensely personal, yet carried around collectively, a national torch, a badge of suffering tempered by a sense of resiliency.

For most of his life, record store owner Kim Ji-yun has battled against a feeling he has trouble describing; a mystery of the soul, a puzzle that many say helps define their culture — the ineffable sadness of being Korean.

High mercury levels in Colombia port raise concern

Posted: 05 Jan 2011 12:00 AM PST

A study has found up to three times the recommended level of mercury in Buenaventura Bay, a possible byproduct of illegal mining. Gold mining, which has increased as gold prices have soared, has exacted a heavy toll.

A scientific study indicating high levels of mercury in Colombia's largest Pacific port, a possible byproduct of illegal mining, has raised health and safety concerns at a time when the nation is considering green-lighting several major mining projects.

North Korea's nuclear program tops U.S. envoy's agenda

Posted: 05 Jan 2011 12:00 AM PST

Stephen Bosworth is hoping for 'serious negotiations' during his tour. Both Koreas have been conciliatory after tension-filled weeks that included a North Korean attack that killed four people.

U.S. envoy Stephen Bosworth arrived in South Korea on Tuesday expressing hope for the resumption of long-stalled negotiations over North Korea's increasingly worrisome nuclear program.

With killing of governor, Pakistan's government in turmoil

Posted: 05 Jan 2011 12:00 AM PST

Punjab Gov. Salman Taseer, an outspoken foe of religious extremism, was shot and killed by a member of an elite security team, officials say. Police say the gunman killed Taseer because of his opposition to Pakistan's blasphemy laws.

The brazen assassination Tuesday of a popular and progressive Pakistani governor allied with the nation's president threw an already teetering U.S.-backed government into even greater turmoil.

Pakistani governor assassinated by his guard

Posted: 04 Jan 2011 04:48 AM PST

Punjab Gov. Salman Taseer was a close associate of President Asif Ali Zardari. Officials say the suspected killer cited Taseer's opposition to the country's blasphemy law as his motive.

The governor of Pakistan's powerful Punjab province was shot dead Tuesday by one of his guards in the national capital, apparently because he had spoken out against the country's controversial blasphemy laws, officials said.

Pete Postlethwaite dies at 64; actor was nominated for an Oscar for 'In the Name of the Father'

Posted: 04 Jan 2011 12:00 AM PST

Steven Spielberg, who directed Postlethwaite in 'The Lost World: Jurassic Park' and 'Amistad,' once called him' probably the best actor in the world.'

When British actor Pete Postlethwaite was studying at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in the 1970s, the head of the school predicted he would fare well as an actor but couldn't resist telling him that he had a face like a "stone archway."