LA Times News

LA Times News

Mexico's Enrique Peña Nieto, man of mystery

Posted: 08 Jul 2012 07:00 PM PDT

Many wonder about the convictions of the president-elect, who never veers far from the script. To some, he's a creation of a PRI cabal and a key TV network.

MEXICO CITY — He bears tiny white scars all over his hands from the sea of supporters who grasped at his outstretched arms, clawing to greet him, during three months of music-filled rallies and mobbed appearances in almost every Mexican state.

Death toll in Russia flooding hits 150

Posted: 08 Jul 2012 07:01 AM PDT

Some parts of the Black Sea region were pounded by a foot of rain in 24 hours.

The death toll rose to at least 150 on Sunday from severe flooding in the Black Sea region of southern Russia that turned streets into rivers, swept away bridges and inundated thousands of homes as many residents were sleeping.

'Poetry of the Taliban' elicits both anger, astonishment

Posted: 07 Jul 2012 05:43 PM PDT

Denounced by some as propaganda and hailed by others as art, the anthology of poems by militants in Afghanistan reveals at times a surprisingly emotional tone.

KABUL, Afghanistan — War is an ageless poetic wellspring, yielding wrenching odes to the white heat of combat, the longing for lost loved ones, the dust of graveyards. Now a controversial new anthology unveils a collection of seldom-heard voices: those of Taliban fighters.

Hillary Clinton stays vague about Afghanistan corruption

Posted: 07 Jul 2012 05:32 PM PDT

During a Kabul stopover en route to Tokyo for a donors conference, Clinton says many nations find it a 'major challenge' to meet standards of accountability.

KABUL, Afghanistan — Not so long ago, if a senior U.S. official appearing in a high-profile setting were asked about corruption in Afghanistan, the response might have been a stern reminder that the government of President Hamid Karzai needed to do much more, and quickly, to fight graft and cronyism.