LA Times News

LA Times News

Venezuela Amuay refinery blast kills at least 39

Posted: 26 Aug 2012 12:00 AM PDT

Venezuela's Amuay refinery, run by state-owned oil company PDVSA, is the nation's most important source of auto and airline fuel. It also exports gasoline to the U.S.

CARACAS, Venezuela — An early morning explosion and fire at Venezuela's largest refinery killed at least 39 people Saturday and left the nation's most important source of auto and airline fuel out of commission.

Syria massacre reportedly leaves more than 200 dead

Posted: 25 Aug 2012 07:00 PM PDT

Government forces are said to be pounding a suburb of Damascus as part of an attempt to retake rebel-held areas.

BEIRUT — Syrian activists Saturday reported a massacre in a suburb of Damascus that may have claimed more than 200 lives in the last few days.

A new breathalyzer law drives anger in France

Posted: 25 Aug 2012 05:43 PM PDT

A law requiring drivers to have breathalyzer kits has the French seeing red over what they view as lobbying — a practice reviled in the country — by an employee of a test manufacturer.

PARIS — Mention the name Daniel Orgeval in France these days, and an unpopular little device inevitably comes up: the breathalyzer. But lately Orgeval has been thinking about another "gadget" that was once a staple in the country's system of law and order: the guillotine.

In Syria, Islamic militants may complicate uprising

Posted: 25 Aug 2012 05:32 PM PDT

Some are Syrian, some have come from other nations to fight oppression. Rebels are grateful for the support but object to some of the fighters' methods.

ALEPPO, Syria — Justice was swift and brutal when fighters of the Al Nusra Front militia caught a man accused of raping and killing a young girl in front of her father. They beheaded the man and left his body in the street.

Tiger escapes, kills keeper in German zoo

Posted: 25 Aug 2012 09:51 AM PDT

A tiger escaped its enclosure at Cologne Zoo in western Germany on Saturday and killed a female keeper before being shot dead by the zoo's director, police said.

Refinery blast kills 24 in Venezuela, 86 hurt

Posted: 25 Aug 2012 10:01 AM PDT

Balls of fire rose over the Amuay refinery, one of the largest in the world.

A huge explosion rocked Venezuela's biggest oil refinery and unleashed a ferocious fire Saturday, killing at least 24 people and injuring more than 80 others in the deadliest disaster in memory for the country's key oil industry.

China eagerly buying up American assets

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 07:59 PM PDT

Chinese firms see bargains in the U.S., as well as opportunities for technological gain and expanded reach.

BEIJING — Facing a sharp economic slowdown at home, Chinese companies are plowing money into U.S. assets at a record pace, making huge bids for American energy, aviation, entertainment and other businesses.

U.S. drone strikes kill 18 in Pakistan near Afghanistan border

Posted: 24 Aug 2012 04:39 PM PDT

The strikes reportedly hit compounds and vehicles in North Waziristan, home to two Taliban-allied groups and other militants. It wasn't clear who was targeted.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A barrage of missiles fired by U.S. drones killed at least 18 people in northwest Pakistan on Friday, the latest in a flurry of attacks in a tribal region along the Afghan border that soon may become the site of the new Pakistani offensive against Taliban militants.

Israel's slowing economy may pose trouble for Netanyahu

Posted: 25 Aug 2012 12:00 AM PDT

The long-resilient economy has hit a rough patch, so the prime minister has pushed through a set of austerity measures, drawing criticism. And more fiscal challenges may be in the offing.

JERUSALEM — Israel's once-envied economy, which dodged the recent credit crunch and grew even amid the international recession, is heading toward choppier waters.