LA Times News

LA Times News

Mexicans see a losing battle in the war on crooked police

Posted: 30 Aug 2012 12:00 AM PDT

President Calderon vowed to create a trustworthy federal police force. Now as he apologizes for a police shooting of a U.S. Embassy vehicle, citizens scoff at the very notion.

MEXICO CITY — In the midst of a violent drug war, President Felipe Calderon fired crooked cops by the hundreds, and hired new ones — rigorously vetted and college educated — by the thousands. Salaries were doubled, new standards imposed and officers were subjected to extensive background checks.

Syria President Bashar Assad appears confident of victory

Posted: 30 Aug 2012 12:00 AM PDT

Syria President Bashar Assad says in a televised interview that his forces are pushing back the rebels. Opposition activists call his comments misleading, even delusional.

BEIRUT — He flashed a smile and seemed at ease. He vowed victory even though it wouldn't happen any time soon.

Pentagon reviews ex-Navy SEAL's book about Osama bin Laden raid

Posted: 30 Aug 2012 12:00 AM PDT

The Defense Department and CIA consider legal action against the former SEAL, author of 'No Easy Day,' for failing to submit the work for a security review.

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon and CIA are reviewing a forthcoming book by a retired Navy SEAL who was on the May 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden, and they are considering legal action against the author for failing to submit his account for security review, officials said.

Bo Xilai issue hangs over China's 18th Party Congress

Posted: 30 Aug 2012 12:00 AM PDT

China must be working hard on making the larger-than-life political character, whose wife recently confessed to murder, essentially vanish, analysts say.

BEIJING — Bo Xilai could be the ultimate party pooper.

Hillary Clinton's visit underscores new value of Cook Islands

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 12:00 AM PDT

Don't know where they are? They sit in the South Pacific, where the U.S. seeks to strengthen its presence in the face of China's growing power in the region.

WASHINGTON — Officials on one of Earth's most isolated archipelagoes are borrowing four-wheel-drive vehicles from private owners for the motorcade. The impending visit, according to one website, will be the biggest thing since a New Zealand rugby star ran naked from the waterfront.

Italy Prime Minister Mario Monti faces growing pressure over debt

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 12:00 AM PDT

As other nations push Italy to buckle down with austerity measures, critics at home blast Monti for focusing on cost-cutting and taxes rather than growth.

ROME — Italy's record hot summer is coming to an end, but the heat will remain on Prime Minister Mario Monti in the coming weeks as he faces enacting more unpopular measures to cut the nation's enormous debt while trying to coax its economy to grow, even if only slightly.

Insulting Hugo Chavez challenger is prime-time TV in Venezuela

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 12:00 AM PDT

As Venezuela's presidential election approaches, state media 'are doing totally unacceptable things' in attacking Hugo Chavez's opponent, an analyst says.

CARACAS, Venezuela — It's prime-time TV in Venezuela and the host is saying that opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles, whose grandmother was a Holocaust survivor, is a Nazi and Hitler cultist.