LA Times News

LA Times News

Economic stakes high in China-Japan islands dispute

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 07:09 PM PDT

Trade between the global powerhouses is likely to suffer, and Japan may focus on other regions, after China's violent protests over islands both nations claim.

BEIJING — The worst of the anti-Japanese protests that have swept China in recent days may be over. The financial fallout for the world's second- and third-biggest economies may be just beginning.

Israel's prehistoric Soreq Cave now a clean, eerily lighted place

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 06:58 PM PDT

The new lighting system in Israel's Soreq Cave not only puts on a spectacular show, but it also curbs algae growth.

SOREQ CAVE, Israel — This prehistoric cave on the slopes of Israel's Judean Mountains has always felt a little otherworldly.

NATO halts routine joint patrols with Afghan forces

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 06:49 PM PDT

NATO troops in Afghanistan will cut back on joint patrols and small operations with Afghan forces. Officials cite 'insider' shootings and an anti-Islam film.

KABUL, Afghanistan — Across Afghanistan, at combat outposts in the wind-scoured desert and the jagged mountains, it was daily routine: A small group of Afghan police or soldiers and Western ground troops would gather their gear and set out together on a foot patrol or a village visit.

French magazine ordered to hand over Kate Middleton photos

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 06:55 PM PDT

British royal family wins a legal victory when a French court tells Closer magazine to give up the photos it published of a topless Kate Middleton.

PARIS — Britain's royal family won a legal victory Tuesday when a French court ordered a magazine to hand over photographs of Kate Middleton, the wife of Prince William, sunbathing topless at a secluded villa in the south of France.

U.S., China file dueling complaints as trade tensions heat up

Posted: 18 Sep 2012 12:30 AM PDT

Washington alleges that Beijing is illegally subsidizing exports of autos and auto parts. The Chinese challenge anti-dumping duties that the Americans levied.

WASHINGTON — The United States and China have filed international trade complaints against each other, escalating trade tensions amid a weakening global economy and a heated U.S. presidential race.