LA Times News

LA Times News

An enduring tale of royal romance and scandal

Posted: 25 Apr 2011 07:41 PM PDT

The story of Britain's King Edward VIII, who gave up the throne for American divorcee Wallis Simpson, is drawing renewed fascination amid the frenzy over another royal wedding.

Watch "The King's Speech" closely and you'll realize that the real villain of the Oscar-winning film isn't King George VI's debilitating stammer. It's his older brother, David.

Many freed Guantanamo inmates join terrorists, files say

Posted: 25 Apr 2011 07:38 PM PDT

Detainees from Yemen and Saudi Arabia are the most problematic, according to classified documents released by WikiLeaks. And with Yemen roiled in political upheaval, some worry that the former inmates will see an opportunity.

Said Shihri, who was captured in Pakistan in late 2001 and became one of the first suspected terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay, was released six years later after he convinced U.S. officials that he would go home to Saudi Arabia to work in his family's furniture store.

Shells rain on Misurata neighborhood

Posted: 25 Apr 2011 06:34 PM PDT

Kadafi's troops, who have fled the western Libyan city, launch air attacks that struck a hospital and a car full of civilians. Meanwhile, a NATO airstrike in Tripoli damages Kadafi's compound.

Artillery shells and rockets rained down on rebel-held Misurata on Monday, killing at least 12 people, as troops loyal to Col. Moammar Kadafi who fled the city over the weekend continued to launch bloody air attacks.

Carter heads for North Korea

Posted: 25 Apr 2011 05:23 PM PDT

The former president hopes to meet with Kim Jong II, who snubbed him last year. Carter will focus on nuclear and human rights issues.

Former President Carter is heading to North Korea on Tuesday with a to-do list that includes breaking the long impasse over the nation's nuclear program, nudging the regime forward on human rights and possibly securing the release of an imprisoned U.S. citizen.

South Koreans rethink Japan earthquake aid

Posted: 25 Apr 2011 04:28 PM PDT

South Koreans put aside their bitterness and generously donated to the earthquake and tsunami victims. But after Japan made a couple of moves that angered the Koreans, the goodwill began evaporating.

For two decades, the weekly protest has come as sure as the changing seasons: a handful of graying Korean women picketing Tokyo's embassy here, demanding an apology and compensation for being forced into sexual slavery during Japan's World War II-era occupation.

Hugo Chavez aids in capture of suspected Colombian rebel leader

Posted: 25 Apr 2011 12:50 PM PDT

A key FARC suspect was arrested at a Caracas airport after Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos personally telephoned Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, officials say, in another sign of improved ties between the nations.

The weekend capture of a suspected rebel leader at a Caracas airport came after Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos personally telephoned his Venezuelan counterpart, Hugo Chavez, to seek the arrest, Santos' office confirmed Monday.

U.S. prepares to impose sanctions on Syria

Posted: 25 Apr 2011 07:07 PM PDT

The Obama administration says it's readying orders to freeze assets of senior Syrian officials. European officials say they are also considering sanctions. The steps come as Assad's regime sends tanks to the city of Dara, where protesters say 25 people were killed.

With tanks now patrolling the streets of a restive Syrian city, the Obama administration is preparing to take its first concrete steps against President Bashar Assad and his top lieutenants — the imposition of sanctions for an increasingly bloody crackdown on demonstrators.

Afghanistan prison break shows serious security flaws, officials say

Posted: 25 Apr 2011 09:05 AM PDT

Authorities say 26 of the 475 inmates in Kandahar who escaped through a tunnel have been caught. The tunnel reportedly began at a Taliban sympathizer's compound.

Afghan insurgents proudly claimed they helped dig the long, narrow tunnel used by at least 475 inmates to escape Sarposa prison in the southern city of Kandahar.

Hundreds escape from Afghan prison, NATO says

Posted: 24 Apr 2011 11:11 PM PDT

The prisoners in the mass jailbreak in the southern city of Kandahar fled through a tunnel they had dug, a Taliban spokesman says. Many of the escapees are Islamic insurgents.

More than 400 inmates, many of them Islamic insurgents, escaped overnight from the main prison in the southern city of Kandahar, the spiritual home of the Taliban movement, according to NATO officials.

Police, bus companies failed to act as graves filled in Tamaulipas

Posted: 24 Apr 2011 09:14 PM PDT

There were clues but nothing was done, and now at least 177 bodies have been unearthed. Demand grows for dismissing the state's elected but apparently ineffective officials.

Suitcases started piling up, unclaimed, at the depot where buses crossing northern Tamaulipas state ended their route. That should have been an early clue.

U.S. drones may provide psychological edge in Libya

Posted: 24 Apr 2011 09:14 PM PDT

The decision to unleash the unmanned Predators in Misurata delights rebels fighting to topple Moammar Kadafi. But few believe the aircraft will be the key to victory.

The first missile strike by an unmanned Predator against Moammar Kadafi's forces underscores how the drones have become the go-to weapon for an Obama White House wary of being drawn deeper into another messy conflict. But few believe the remote-controlled aircraft are likely to tip the balance in the Libyan stalemate.

Kadafi fighters flee Misurata, but their artillery onslaught continues

Posted: 24 Apr 2011 09:14 PM PDT

The victorious Libyan rebels in this key western city have lost hundreds of fighters in block-by-block battles. Meanwhile, explosions continue to shake the buildings.

Fighters loyal to Col. Moammar Kadafi fled their last position inside the western Libyan city of Misurata on Sunday morning, leaving the center of the besieged port community in the hands of rebels seeking to oust the longtime leader.

3 senators call on Obama to step up support for Libyan rebels

Posted: 24 Apr 2011 09:14 PM PDT

Sens. Graham, McCain and Lieberman urge the U.S. to resume a leadership role in the campaign against Moammar Kadafi, perhaps even targeting him directly.

A trio of U.S. senators redoubled calls Sunday for the Obama administration to step up U.S. support for Libyan rebels in their battle against the regime of Moammar Kadafi, even targeting Kadafi directly if necessary.