LA Times News

LA Times News

Mexico reports capture of alleged Zetas cartel commander

Posted: 08 Nov 2012 05:52 PM PST

The Mexican navy says it hopes Said Omar Juarez's capture in Coahuila state will lead authorities to the cartel's remaining top leader.

MEXICO CITY — An alleged local commander of the Zetas paramilitary cartel in the troubled border state of Coahuila has been captured, the Mexican navy announced Thursday, expressing hope that he might lead authorities to the notorious group's remaining top leader.

In China, self-immolations continue as party congress opens

Posted: 09 Nov 2012 12:00 AM PST

At least five Tibetans are reported to have set themselves on fire to protest Chinese rule. The protests illustrate the tensions facing China's new leaders.

BEIJING — As China launched its 18th Communist Party congress on Thursday, a record number of Tibetans immolated themselves in a stark illustration of the internal tensions facing the country's new leadership.

Syria President Bashar Assad warns against foreign invasion

Posted: 09 Nov 2012 12:00 AM PST

He says an invasion by the West would lead to a global catastrophe. Meanwhile, opposition factions struggle to form a coalition and the Red Cross says the crisis is growing too fast.

BEIRUT — Syrian President Bashar Assad predicted a global catastrophe should the West invade his country, and representatives of Syria's notoriously divided opposition struggled Thursday to form a united government in exile against Assad's beleaguered rule.

President Obama to visit Myanmar this month

Posted: 08 Nov 2012 05:52 PM PST

The trip, in which the president will also attend the ASEAN summit in Cambodia, reflects Washington's efforts to encourage Myanmar's steps toward democracy.

NEW DELHI — President Obama will visit Myanmar this month, the White House said Thursday, as his administration seeks to bolster democracy and strengthen ties with nations in the region.

Colombia drug traffickers sought in peasant massacre

Posted: 08 Nov 2012 03:59 PM PST

Police say gang members killed 10 farmworkers in Antioquia state for not paying extortion money.

BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombian authorities launched an intensive manhunt for members of a drug-trafficking gang suspected in the massacre of 10 peasants in the northern state of Antioquia, apparently for not paying extortion money.

New Berlin airport is number who-knows for takeoff

Posted: 09 Nov 2012 12:00 AM PST

The opening of Berlin Brandenburg Airport has been delayed three times already, a setback that the famously efficient Germans call embarrassing.

BERLIN — By now, the sleek new Berlin Brandenburg Airport was supposed to be bustling with passengers. But the opening has already been delayed three times, and the main terminal looks more like an abandoned movie set than the busy hub that was built to connect Germany's capital with the rest of the world.

Britain's crackdown on Web comments sparks free-speech debate

Posted: 08 Nov 2012 05:40 PM PST

Facebook and Twitter have landed several Britons in court and even jail recently. Critics decry the trend as a worrisome overreaction.

CHORLEY, England — Everyone agrees that his "jokes" making fun of two kidnapped girls crossed the line. Matthew Woods swiftly became an object of contempt after he posted the crude and offensive comments on his Facebook page.

Israel historian Benny Morris responds to critics left and right

Posted: 09 Nov 2012 12:00 AM PST

The writer once riled right-wingers with his research on the 1948 war and the Palestinian refugee problem, but his political views have changed.

JERUSALEM — Historian Benny Morris has a knack for enraging Israelis of every political stripe.

Greece passes new spending cuts amid protests

Posted: 08 Nov 2012 12:00 AM PST

The austerity package is intended to save the country about $17 billion and ward off a messy financial collapse.

ATHENS — As tens of thousands of protesters shouting "Resist!" swarmed the streets outside, Greece's Parliament on Wednesday narrowly approved its toughest batch of spending cuts yet in order to secure vital bailout funding from its European peers.

China begins leadership transition as congress opens

Posted: 08 Nov 2012 12:00 AM PST

As the Chinese Communist Party congress gets underway in Beijing, President Hu Jintao, in one of his last speeches, says economic concerns should outweigh others.

BEIJING — On the heels of the U.S. election, the Chinese Communist Party began its own leadership transition Thursday with promises to double income over the next decade, stamp out corruption and allow more democracy — at least within the ranks of the party that has ruled unchallenged since 1949.