LA Times News

LA Times News

As officials abandon him, Yemen president fires Cabinet

Posted: 20 Mar 2011 04:56 PM PDT

The move by President Ali Abdullah Saleh comes as an ambassador and several prominent ministers resign over the bloody crackdown on protests. Defiant protesters hold funerals in Sana.

Yemen's embattled president sacked his Cabinet, state media reported Sunday, as many ministers prepared to abandon him in protest over recent attacks on unarmed protesters by his security forces and supporters.

Double standard seen in Arab response to Libya

Posted: 20 Mar 2011 04:56 PM PDT

Concerns over Western involvement and possible reigniting of Islamic radicalism complicate the situation, which is also coated with hypocrisy.

Arab leaders don't relish attacking one of their own. But bloodshed across Libya and Western pressure have forced them into supporting international airstrikes against Col. Moammar Kadafi, who in many ways is merely a caricature of monarchies and autocrats throughout the Middle East.

Obama juggles Libya war, Brazil trade

Posted: 20 Mar 2011 04:56 PM PDT

The president has the resources and ability to simultaneously manage a war and open up markets for U.S. business, aides say.

When they planned President Obama's first foray to South America, White House aides envisioned a trip that wouldn't pose any special diplomatic challenges. They built in plenty of sightseeing, and the president brought along not only his wife and two daughters, but also his mother-in-law and a close family friend.

Fears of radiation-contaminated food rise in Japan

Posted: 20 Mar 2011 03:21 PM PDT

Japanese authorities restrict some produce shipments and advise a village near a damaged nuclear plant not to drink tap water because of radioactive elements in its supply.

Fears about the safety of the Japanese food supply grew Sunday as authorities restricted some produce shipments and advised a town near a damaged nuclear plant not to drink tap water because of radioactive elements in its supply.

Egyptians overwhelmingly approve constitutional changes

Posted: 20 Mar 2011 01:10 PM PDT

Just weeks after the ouster of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, a referendum calling for judicial oversight of elections and limited presidential terms passes with 77.2% of the vote.

Egyptians moved further beyond the legacy of former President Hosni Mubarak's strongman rule by voting overwhelmingly to amend the nation's constitution and head swiftly toward parliamentary and presidential elections, according to results of a referendum announced Sunday.

Haiti votes for new president in runoff election

Posted: 20 Mar 2011 05:34 PM PDT

The scene is calm in Haiti's capital as officials try to prevent the fraud and confusion that characterized the first round of the election. Candidates Michel Martelly and Mirlande Manigat are poles apart in style and background.

For 14 months, mason Michel Lifrand has lived in a wretched tent camp, desperate for relief, getting none. On Sunday, he sought help by marking an X on a paper ballot.

In Japan, a glimmer of progress, a miracle rescue and rising food fears

Posted: 20 Mar 2011 10:06 AM PDT

Power is partially restored at Japan's quake-damaged Fukushima nuclear complex and an elderly woman and her grandson are found alive after being trapped for nine days, but elevated radiation levels are detected in milk and vegetables, leading to high anxiety and long lines in stores.

Workers at a crippled Japanese nuclear plant said they succeeded in connecting two reactors to the power grid Sunday, raising the possibility it could restore vital cooling systems to the overheated facilities.

Radiation levels may be falling at stricken nuclear plant

Posted: 20 Mar 2011 04:43 PM PDT

The radiation levels are still high at the Fukushima Daiichi plant but appear to be coming down, says the head of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, cautioning that it is still hard to obtain accurate data.

Radiation levels at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan are still high but may be tapering off, a senior U.S. nuclear official said Sunday.

Japanese woman, grandson rescued after 9 days trapped in rubble

Posted: 20 Mar 2011 03:51 PM PDT

The 80-year-old woman and her grandson, 16, were trapped in the kitchen of her destroyed home after the earthquake and tsunami. The teen dug his way to the roof, but his grandmother was caught beneath the refrigerator.

An 80-year-old woman and her 16-year-old grandson were rescued Sunday after being buried under rubble for nine days after the worst earthquake in Japanese history and a massive tsunami toppled their home.

Libya bombing campaign targets Kadafi's air, ground forces

Posted: 20 Mar 2011 08:15 PM PDT

The U.S. and its allies expand their strikes to include ground forces that threaten civilians or are able to target planes that are enforcing the no-fly zone. A missile hits Kadafi's compound in Tripoli.

The second day of the Western military campaign against Moammar Kadafi saw an escalation of attacks, with bombing raids against ground forces loyal to the Libyan leader — and an escalation of questions on the strikes' objective and the extent of the U.S. role.

Reactor progress, miraculous rescue fuel Japan's hope, but food worries persist

Posted: 20 Mar 2011 03:58 AM PDT

Nuclear reactors are connected to the grid, meaning cooling systems could soon kick in. Also, a woman and her grandson are rescued after being trapped for nine days. But radiation found in beans quells the joy.

On a day police miraculously rescued an elderly woman and her teenage grandson trapped for nine days under rubble, workers at a crippled Japanese nuclear plant said they succeeded in connecting two reactors to the power grid Sunday, raising the possibility it could restore vital cooling systems to the overheated facilities.

Clinton: US ambassador to Mexico has resigned

Posted: 19 Mar 2011 07:01 PM PDT

WASHINGTON — U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Carlos Pascual, who criticized his host government's handling of the drug problem in a cable divulged by the WikiLeaks website, has resigned, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Saturday.

U.S., allies launch missile strikes on Libyan targets

Posted: 19 Mar 2011 08:02 PM PDT

The U.S. takes the lead in the assault to cripple air-defense systems and armor in order to establish a no-fly zone to protect rebel-held areas. Kadafi vows to fight the 'flagrant military aggression.'

U.S., French and British forces blasted Libyan air defenses and armor, drawing intense volleys of tracer and antiaircraft fire over Tripoli early Sunday at the start of a campaign aimed at protecting rebel-held areas that will severely test Moammar Kadafi's powers of survival.

New progress, worries in Japan nuclear crisis

Posted: 19 Mar 2011 10:38 PM PDT

As electricity is partially restored at the Fukushima nuclear plant, above-normal levels of radiation are found in food and water. The number of dead or missing in Japan's disaster now exceeds 20,000.

Japan took a step toward possibly getting its nuclear disaster under control Sunday as electricity to power some reactor cooling systems was restored and previous efforts to lower reactor temperatures with seawater at the battered Fukushima atomic energy plant appeared to have had an effect.