LA Times News

LA Times News

Britain celebrates the royal wedding

Posted: 29 Apr 2011 03:40 PM PDT

William and Kate's nuptials are accompanied by an outpouring of patriotism at a time of economic uncertainty and public austerity.

If a single prince is in want of a wife, no one puts on a better show than the British when he finally gets one.

China smoking ban may have little effect

Posted: 29 Apr 2011 07:15 PM PDT

In a country of 300 million smokers, where many don't know of the health risks of tobacco, few expect much from a ban effective Sunday.

On sunny days, Xu Dongguang, a manager of a trendy cafe in downtown Beijing, arranges tables outside for patrons to while away the afternoon, reading, drinking coffee and chain-smoking. But starting Sunday, all bars, restaurants, hospitals and other public places in China are slated to become smoke-free, inside and out.

Royal wedding dress is fit for a future queen

Posted: 29 Apr 2011 07:15 PM PDT

Kate's classic-looking handcrafted dress with a modern edge from designer Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen is expected to influence fashion trends for years.

After weeks of speculation that at times verged on the absurd, Catherine Middleton emerged Friday for her wedding in a gown by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. The gown is classic-looking, in silk gazar with long intricate lace sleeves, and it will probably be a force of pop culture for years to come, influencing fashion trends and reinforcing the sociological significance of the white wedding gown.

Relatives of 2010 Afghan air crash victims lobby for redress

Posted: 29 Apr 2011 06:41 PM PDT

After a Pamir Airways plane crash in 2010 killed all 44 aboard, it emerged the aircraft had an apparently forged registration; the now-suspended airline's bank is at the center of a scandal.

The moment Aminullah Arbabi heard that Pamir Airways Flight 112 to Kabul had disappeared in the mountains north of the capital, he ran to his car.

Not all Britons are royally thrilled

Posted: 29 Apr 2011 06:46 PM PDT

Amid the royalist fervor as a potential future king and his bride exchanged vows was the smaller voice of naysayers far less impressed by the idea of celebrating kings, queens, dukes and duchesses.

Some wore T-shirts blazoned with the words "Off with their Heads." Others favored phrases such as "Citizens not Subjects" or "England doesn't need a Queen."

NATO says 8 U.S. troops were armed when Afghan pilot killed them

Posted: 29 Apr 2011 04:13 PM PDT

The NATO statement raises more questions about how the Afghan pilot, who opened fire during a meeting in Kabul, managed to kill the Americans and a U.S. contractor. Meanwhile, the Defense Department identifies the eight slain servicemen.

Eight U.S. troops killed by an Afghan pilot earlier this week at a military compound at Kabul International Airport were all armed, according to a NATO statement released Friday, prompting more questions about how the pilot managed to kill them and a U.S. contractor and escape the room before dying of gunshot wounds.

Thousands protest in Damascus after Syrian crackdown

Posted: 29 Apr 2011 10:31 AM PDT

Protesters pour out across Syria, including Damascus, after Friday prayers defying the regime of President Bashar Assad. The protests suggest that the use of extreme force has failed.

Syria's loosely organized pro-democracy movement drew tens of thousands of people into the heart of Damascus and cities across the country Friday, a major victory against a government campaign of violence that has killed hundreds of peaceful protesters.

Libyan fighting spills into Tunisia

Posted: 29 Apr 2011 09:25 AM PDT

Tunisia condemns the shelling of its territory, and reports say pro-Kadafi forces violated the frontier. The cross-border incident is an outgrowth of battles between Libyan rebels and loyalists.

Fighting in western Libya spread into neighboring Tunisia, where the government Friday condemned the shelling of its territory and the official press agency reported more than a dozen trucks carrying forces loyal to Moammar Kadafi had crossed the border.

William and Kate: 'Man and wife together'

Posted: 29 Apr 2011 04:42 AM PDT

Amid extravagant displays of elegance, patriotism and tradition, Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton are married in Westminster Abbey.

In a ceremony steeped in tradition and symbolism, Prince William, the second in line to the British throne, married his longtime girlfriend, Kate Middleton, on Friday amid an outpouring of joy and patriotism here and before a potential worldwide audience of two billion people who tuned in on television and the Internet.

Syria protests erupt despite government warnings

Posted: 29 Apr 2011 04:54 AM PDT

In spite of edicts from the government against any civil disobedience, protesters across the country strike out in a 'Friday of Rage' demonstration.

Fresh protests erupted in Syrian cities and towns after weekly Muslim prayer sermons Friday despite dire warnings by security officials and violent suppression of protests by the armed forces.

Syria Baath Party members quit; military defections reported

Posted: 28 Apr 2011 08:40 PM PDT

About 200 people have resigned from the ruling Baath Party in two days to protest the government's violence; reports continue of dissent among the armed forces.

Cracks appeared in the Syrian regime Thursday with the resignations of members of the ruling Baath Party and continuing reports of divisions in the military before another showdown with protesters expected Friday.

China is 'backsliding' on human rights, U.S. envoy says

Posted: 28 Apr 2011 08:40 PM PDT

Michael Posner says that in two days of talks Beijing has revealed little about writers, churchgoers, artists and others who have disappeared.

U.S. envoy Michael Posner said Thursday that China was "backsliding" on human rights and that, in two days of talks, Chinese officials had failed to give satisfactory answers about writers, intellectuals, lawyers, churchgoers and artists who have been arrested or have disappeared.