LA Times News

LA Times News

Yemen opposition signs deal for Saleh's departure

Posted: 21 May 2011 06:24 PM PDT

But the president, after saying he would sign the accord, dismisses it as 'a mere coup operation.' He has twice sidestepped the plan, in which he would step down in exchange for immunity from prosecution.

Yemen's political opposition signed an internationally negotiated deal Saturday that lays the groundwork for an end to President Ali Abdullah Saleh's nearly 33-year rule.

Landslide buries 20 boys at Malaysian orphanage

Posted: 21 May 2011 09:37 AM PDT

A landslide buried 20 boys and four adults at a Malaysian orphanage Saturday where scores of rescuers were digging by their hands in soil softened by the rains to find the missing, police said.

Iran claims to break CIA spy ring, arrests 30

Posted: 21 May 2011 10:32 AM PDT

Iran's Intelligence Ministry says it dismantled 'a complex espionage and sabotage network' and uncovered the identities of 42 operatives in various countries.

Iran declared Saturday that it had uncovered and dismantled what it called a U.S. "espionage and sabotage network" and arrested 30 people allegedly spying for the CIA.

Afghan hospital hit by suicide bomber; 6 killed

Posted: 21 May 2011 09:35 AM PDT

The midday attack is the first major assault in Kabul since the Taliban announced the start of their 'spring offensive' and revives fears about the militants' ability to infiltrate sensitive government sites.

The medical trainees were just settling in for lunch when the bomber struck.

Suicide bomber kills 6 at Afghan military hospital

Posted: 21 May 2011 03:38 AM PDT

Dozens are injured in the blast, the first major assault inside the capital since Taliban fighters announced their "spring offensive."

A suicide bomber slipped into a well-guarded Afghan military hospital complex in the capital Saturday, killing at least six people and injuring dozens, the Defense Ministry said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

Thousands march in Chile against Patagonia dam project

Posted: 21 May 2011 06:33 AM PDT

About 20,000 people rally in the capital, Santiago, against a massive hydroelectric project that calls for five dams in the largely pristine Aysen region of Patagonia. The government says the project is crucial to meeting energy needs.

Thousands of people marched Friday in Santiago to protest a proposed hydroelectric project in southern Chile that critics say will spoil much of the pristine and biodiverse Patagonia region that is an increasingly popular eco-tourism destination.

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei faces tax evasion charges

Posted: 21 May 2011 06:33 AM PDT

The official New China News Agency reports that Ai Weiwei's company 'intentionally destroyed accounting records' and committed other criminal acts. The internationally known artist was arrested last month at Beijing airport.

Ai Weiwei, the dissident artist whose arrest has prompted an international outcry, is being charged with evading "huge amounts" of taxes, Chinese state media reported late Friday.

NATO targets Kadafi vessels at 3 ports

Posted: 20 May 2011 08:36 PM PDT

NATO says the airstrikes came after it observed Libyan government vessels threatening alliance ships and mining sea lanes off the city of Misurata.

A series of NATO airstrikes on Libyan government vessels left ships burned, battered and sunk in three ports Friday as the alliance sought to degrade the ability of Moammar Kadafi's regime to attack from the sea.

Syrian troops fire on protesters, 34 killed

Posted: 20 May 2011 06:35 PM PDT

A day after President Obama pressed Syria to end brutal attacks on pro-democracy demonstrators, Bashar Assad's forces continue their violent crackdown. Activists work to broaden the movement by bringing in Kurds.

Syrian security forces loyal to President Bashar Assad, ignoring international pressure, fired on anti-government protesters, killing at least 34 on a day activists tried to draw the country's Kurdish minority into the nationwide movement for political change.

Netanyahu pushes back on Obama's peace plan

Posted: 20 May 2011 08:36 PM PDT

In an Oval Office appearance, the Israeli leader rejects Obama's plan as the basis for Middle East peace talks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly lectured President Obama on the shortcomings of his plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks during a tense Oval Office appearance that laid bare the strained relations between the leaders.

Japan utility chief resigns over nuclear crisis

Posted: 20 May 2011 08:36 PM PDT

The president of Tokyo Electric Power Co., Masataka Shimizu, quits amid continuing criticism of handling of the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. The company also announces a record $15.3 billion in losses, stemming largely from the disaster.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. President Masataka Shimizu resigned Friday in the face of increasing allegations that the utility has mishandled the ongoing crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which was damaged in the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

Yemen's leader calls for early vote

Posted: 20 May 2011 08:36 PM PDT

President Ali Abdullah Saleh's move throws into question a deal brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council under which he would step down within a month and be granted immunity. Critics are skeptical that he will leave office.

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Friday called for early elections, casting into doubt a deal brokered by a regional alliance that would have had him step down within a month, with immunity from prosecution.

Mexico poet an emblem of nation's drug war carnage

Posted: 20 May 2011 02:31 PM PDT

To poet Javier Sicilia, his son's March slaying is a sign of Mexico's failure to safeguard its people amid what he considers an ill-conceived war on drug gangs. It has also launched him on a crusade.

He is now a poet absent words, a father without a son — a 54-year-old man, Javier Sicilia says, who inhabits a "broken life."