LA Times News

LA Times News

Genetics study of North African Jews tells migratory tale

Posted: 07 Aug 2012 12:00 AM PDT

North African Jews are more closely related to Jews from other parts of the world than they are to most of their non-Jewish neighbors, a study has found.

North African Jews are more closely related to Jews from other parts of the world than they are to most of their non-Jewish neighbors in North Africa, a study has found.

In Egypt's Sinai peninsula, militants pose a new threat

Posted: 06 Aug 2012 06:44 PM PDT

Bedouin tribes have held sway here for centuries, but amid the country's political instability, extremists are finding its lawless terrain ideal.

SHEIKH ZUWEID, Egypt — The Bedouin tribal leader hurried up a sand dune in the moonlight and scanned the troubled land below: the Israeli border to the east, the Mediterranean Sea to the north and, to the south, a desert of militants, smugglers and African migrants, some of whom almost certainly will die miles from their dream.

Syria's prime minister reportedly flees to Jordan

Posted: 07 Aug 2012 12:00 AM PDT

Prime Minister Riyad Farid Hijab says he left the 'killing and terrorist regime' and 'joined the ranks of the freedom and dignity revolution.' Syria's official media says he was dismissed.

BEIRUT — Syria's prime minister reportedly defected Monday, a stunning blow to a government already reeling from severe security breaches, a war-ravaged economy, international isolation and pitched battles throughout much of the country.

South Korean pastor devotes his life to defectors

Posted: 07 Aug 2012 12:00 AM PDT

Kim Sung-eun has been helping North Koreans find freedom from the repressive state for more than a decade. He also secures sensitive materials that 'reveal the harsh reality' there.

CHEONAN, South Korea — Kim Sung-eun let out a sigh as he checked email from a North Korean defector in China. The teenager had been sending the pastor emails for months, begging for help in escaping China.