LA Times News

LA Times News

Syria rebels appear to be shifting strategy in Damascus

Posted: 07 Nov 2012 06:16 PM PST

Bombings and assassinations seem to be less about holding territory than making guerrilla-style strikes, some of which have caused civilian casualties.

BEIRUT — Syria's armed opposition, driven back from Damascus in a fierce government counteroffensive last summer, appears to be responding with a revamped strategy that runs through some of the capital's most explosive sectarian and ethnic fault lines.

Obama faces new Mideast challenges in his second term

Posted: 07 Nov 2012 05:47 PM PST

In a region reshaped by the 'Arab Spring,' the U.S. faces changing alliances and an aggressive political Islam, along with the tinderbox that is Iran.

CAIRO — President Obama faces a more volatile Middle East than the one he brought a sense of promise to nearly four years ago when he delivered his seminal "new beginnings" speech here to an intrigued, if suspicious, Muslim world.

As 'insider attacks' grow, so does U.S.-Afghanistan divide

Posted: 07 Nov 2012 06:09 PM PST

Suspicion and resentment are rife amid the deadly attacks on U.S. troops from within the ranks of the Afghan security personnel they're training.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Army Spc. Steve Beaty was on alert for signs of danger, well aware of a surge in attacks on U.S. troops by Afghans wearing police or army uniforms. The guard approaching him in a bulky coat, hands crossed at his waist, looked suspicious.

7.4 earthquake kills at least 39 in Guatemala

Posted: 07 Nov 2012 05:07 PM PST

The earthquake along Guatemala's Pacific coast causes widespread damage. Many people are missing.

MEXICO CITY — A deadly earthquake rattled Guatemala on Wednesday, knocking out electricity, destroying dozens of buildings, and killing at least 39 people, with many more missing or buried, President Otto Perez Molina said.

China museum builder lets history speak

Posted: 07 Nov 2012 04:54 PM PST

Fan Jianchuan, an obsessive collector and wealthy developer, uses his massive museum cluster to carefully display objects related to touchy subjects.

ANREN, China — From floor to ceiling, wall to wall, the narrow entry corridor at the Red Era Daily Necessities Museum is bathed in a blood-red light. There is no map, no brochure, no choice of direction; the architecture forces visitors forward, over glowing panels labeled by year: 1966. 1967. 1968. A few dozen paces later: 1976.

Troops heard shots on night of Afghan massacre

Posted: 06 Nov 2012 07:45 PM PST

Guards heard gunfire but the Army did not act, learning later that 16 civilians had been killed in nearby villages. A hearing will determine whether a soldier will face court-martial in the deaths.

JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. — American troops heard sporadic gunfire coming from the Afghan village of Alkozai for more than half an hour but failed to act on it, learning later that at least four people were shot to death, allegedly by a U.S. Army staff sergeant, several soldiers testified Tuesday.