Today: October 08, 2024
Today: October 08, 2024

Latest From The Los Angeles Post

World

Myanmar won't be allowed to lead Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2026, in blow to generals

Southeast Asian leaders decided that Myanmar won’t take over the rotating leadership of their regional bloc as scheduled in 2026, Asian diplomats and a leader said Tuesday, in the latest blow to efforts by its ruling generals to gain international recognition after violently seizing power in 2021. Western governments led by the United States have condemned the Myanmar army’s ouster of Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government in 2021 and have demanded her immediate release from yearslong detention along with other officials. The Philippines agreed to take over the regional bloc’s chairmanship in 2026 at

Myanmar won't be allowed to lead Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2026, in blow to generals
World

The US sent cluster munitions to Ukraine but activists still seek to bolster a treaty banning them

Backers of an international agreement that bans cluster munitions, which harm and kill many more civilians than combatants, are striving to prevent erosion in support for the deal after what one leading human rights group calls an “unconscionable” U.S. decision to ship such weapons to Ukraine for its fight against Russia. Advocacy groups in the Cluster Munitions Coalition released their latest annual report on Tuesday, ahead of a meeting next week of envoys from the 112 countries that have acceded to or ratified the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which prohibits the explosives and calls for clearing areas

The US sent cluster munitions to Ukraine but activists still seek to bolster a treaty banning them
World

Asylum applications in the European Union continue to rise after a major hike last year

Asylum applications in the European Union continued to rise in the first half of 2023 following a major hike last year, pressuring limited hosting capacities and moving the issue up the political agenda in many nations. The European Union Agency for Asylum said applications in the 27-nation bloc plus Switzerland and Norway rose 28% in the first half of the year compared to the same period last year. In all of 2022, applications increased 53%. “Based on current trends, applications could exceed 1 million by the end of 2023” in the region of about 460 million people,

Asylum applications in the European Union continue to rise after a major hike last year
World

An orangutan, chirping birds and a waterfall at ASEAN venue contrast to Jakarta's pollution outside

Indonesian President Joko Widodo will welcome fellow Asian and world leaders with a captivating jungle scene of a two-story waterfall, wild orchids and even an orangutan perched up a tree. The make-believe wilderness set up in elaborate detail in the huge lobby of the Jakarta Convention Center in the capital includes a widescreen video of a yellow beak hornbill gliding across an azure sky, swaying leaves and piped-in bird chirps. It’s a pleasant icebreaker for Widodo and his guests in Jakarta for a week of Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit talks starting Tuesday. “Indonesia wants

An orangutan, chirping birds and a waterfall at ASEAN venue contrast to Jakarta's pollution outside
World

Cluster munition deaths in Ukraine pass Syria, fueling rise in a weapon the world has tried to ban

More than 300 people were killed and over 600 wounded by cluster munitions in Ukraine in 2022, according to an international watchdog, surpassing Syria as the country with the highest number of casualties from the controversial weapons for the first time in a decade. Russia’s widespread use of the bombs, which open in the air and release scores of smaller bomblets or submunitions as they are called, in its invasion of Ukraine — and, to a lesser extent, their use by Ukrainian forces — helped make 2022 the deadliest year on record globally, according to

Cluster munition deaths in Ukraine pass Syria, fueling rise in a weapon the world has tried to ban
World

The impeachment trial of Attorney General Ken Paxton is set to begin in the Texas Senate

The Texas Senate is set to gavel in Tuesday for the impeachment trial of Attorney General Ken Paxton, a political reckoning of years of alleged corruption that could lead to his permanent ouster from office. The fate of Paxton, a 60-year-old Republican, is in the hands of GOP senators with whom he served before winning a statewide race to take charge of the attorney general’s office in 2015. In an era of bitter partisanship, the historic proceeding is a rare instance of a political party seeking to hold one of its own to account for allegations

The impeachment trial of Attorney General Ken Paxton is set to begin in the Texas Senate
World

Biden to award Medal of Honor to Army helicopter pilot who rescued soldiers in a Vietnam firefight

President Joe Biden will award the Medal of Honor on Tuesday to a Vietnam War Army helicopter pilot who risked his life by flying into heavy enemy fire to save four members of a reconnaissance team from almost certain death as they were about to be overrun. Biden is recognizing retired Capt. Larry Taylor of Tennessee at the White House. On the night of June 18, 1968, then-1st Lt. Taylor flew his Cobra attack helicopter to rescue the men after they had become surrounded by the enemy. Taylor, now 81, recalled in an interview last week that

Biden to award Medal of Honor to Army helicopter pilot who rescued soldiers in a Vietnam firefight
World

Stock market today: Asian shares fall back amid selling of China property shares

Shares fell back Tuesday in Asia after U.S. markets were closed for the Labor Day holiday. U.S. futures also were lower and oil prices were mixed. Hong Kong fell more than 1% as Chinese property stocks declined as investors sold to lock in gains fueled by recent efforts to support the ailing industry. China Vanke lost 1.2%, while Country Garden Holdings gave up 2%. Hong Kong-based Sun Hung Kai Properties shed 2.4%. Chinese services data came in weaker than expected, dulling hopes for a rebound in China’s lackluster growth. A survey showed business activity in China’s services sector increased at

Stock market today: Asian shares fall back amid selling of China property shares
World

A look at the 20 articles of impeachment against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton faces an impeachment trial in the state Senate starting Tuesday on articles overwhelmingly approved by the House of Representatives. Paxton, a Republican and star of the conservatives legal movement, was suspended from office in May when the GOP-controlled House voted 121-23 to impeach him on 20 articles ranging from bribery to abuse of public trust. Most of the articles deal with Paxton using his office to benefit a wealthy donor, Nate Paul, prompting eight of the attorney general’s top deputies to report him to the FBI in 2020. Three other charges date back to Paxton’s

A look at the 20 articles of impeachment against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton
World

Japan's top court orders Okinawa to allow a divisive government plan to build US military runways

Japan’s Supreme Court on Monday dismissed Okinawa’s rejection of a central government plan to build U.S. Marine Corps runways on the island and ordered the prefecture to approve it despite protests by locals who oppose the American troops’ presence. Monday’s ruling upheld a high court ruling in March that the central government’s plan and its instruction for Okinawa’s approval are valid. It will move forward the suspended construction at a time Okinawa’s strategic role is seen increasingly important for the Japan-U.S. military alliance in the face of growing tensions with China. Japan’s central government began the reclamation

Japan's top court orders Okinawa to allow a divisive government plan to build US military runways
World

Member of Panama's national soccer team shot and killed in Colon; 2nd in 6 years

A member of Panama’s national soccer team was hanging out with friends in front of the building where his mother lives, when gunmen in a taxi opened fire, killing Gilberto Hernández and wounding seven others in the country’s violent port city of Colon, police and witnesses said Monday. Hernández, a 26-year-old defender, was the second member of the national team killed in Colon in the past six years. Authorities on Monday announced the arrest of one suspect in Sunday’s killing. Colon sits 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Panama City, where ships enter or exit the

Member of Panama's national soccer team shot and killed in Colon; 2nd in 6 years
World

North Korea's Kim Jong Un may meet with Putin in Russia this month, US official says

A U.S. official said Monday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may travel to Russia soon to meet with President Vladimir Putin as the Kremlin tries to acquire military equipment for use in its war in Ukraine. The official, who was not authorized to address the matter publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said the U.S. expects Kim will make the trip within the month. The official said the U.S. isn’t sure exactly where or when the meeting would take place, but the Pacific port city of Vladivostok would be a

North Korea's Kim Jong Un may meet with Putin in Russia this month, US official says
World

Two military officers are arrested in Congo for leading a protest crackdown that killed 43 people

Two high-ranking military officers in northeast Congo were arrested Monday for taking part in a crackdown on protests last week that left 43 people dead and another 56 severely injured, authorities said. Interior Minister Peter Kazadi said police arrested Commanders Mike Mikombe and Donat Bawili, who respectively headed the Republican Guard unit and the Congolese armed forces regiment in Goma, the eastern city where the violence unfolded. Defense and security forces in the Central African nation used lethal force last Wednesday to repress planned anti-U.N. protests in the city. A government delegation arrived in Goma on

Two military officers are arrested in Congo for leading a protest crackdown that killed 43 people
World

Summer's over for UK politicians as Sunak faces a crisis over crumbling schools

British lawmakers headed back to Parliament on Monday after their summer break. But thousands of U.K. children won’t be returning to their classrooms this week, because their schools are at risk of collapse from crumbling concrete. The news is a start-of-term headache for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as he scrambles to shore up flagging support for the governing Conservative Party ahead of a national election next year. Sunak insists it’s not his fault that more than 150 schools were told last week — days before the start of the new school year — to shut some or

Summer's over for UK politicians as Sunak faces a crisis over crumbling schools
World

West Virginia University crisis looms as GOP leaders focus on economic development, jobs

On the same day that dejected students pleaded with the board of West Virginia’s flagship university not to eliminate its entire foreign languages department and dozens of other programs, Gov. Jim Justice said he was feeling hopeful about the future of education in the state. “We’ve had tough times — there will be more tough times — but absolutely we are rising from the ashes,” Justice said Aug. 22, while signing a bill allocating $45 million for another state school, Marshall University, to open a new cybersecurity center 200 miles from West Virginia University. Lawmakers approved

West Virginia University crisis looms as GOP leaders focus on economic development, jobs
World

Zimbabwean president at his inauguration says the disputed election reveals a ‘mature democracy’

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Monday hailed recent elections as a sign of the country’s “mature democracy” and a victory over Western adversaries, as he took an oath of office following a vote whose credibility was questioned by both Western and African observers. Mnangagwa, 80, won disputed polls held on Aug. 26, garnering 52.6% of the vote ahead of main opposition leader Nelson Chamisa’s 44%. His ZANU-PF party, which has ruled the tiny nation of 15 million people since independence from white minority rule in 1980, also retained a parliamentary majority. “There are no losers but

Zimbabwean president at his inauguration says the disputed election reveals a ‘mature democracy’
World

Pope wants to keep big Vatican meeting on the church's future behind closed doors, ideology-free

Pope Francis defended the decision to keep the discussions of a big Vatican meeting on the future of the Catholic Church behind closed doors, saying Monday the three-week conference was a religious moment for the church and “not a television program” that was open to scrutiny. Francis was asked repeatedly on his way home from Mongolia about the Oct. 4-29 meeting, or synod of bishops, which is opening after an unprecedented two-year canvassing of rank-and-file Catholics around the globe about their hopes for the church. Many Vatican watchers consider the synod to be a

Pope wants to keep big Vatican meeting on the church's future behind closed doors, ideology-free
World

Insider Q&A: Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic foresees interest rates staying higher for longer

The Federal Reserve has reached a delicate stage in its fight against inflation. Its policymakers have raised their key interest rate to about 5.4%, its highest level in 22 years, to try to slow borrowing and spending and cool inflation pressures. They now are considering whether to raise the rate even higher — a move that would heighten the risk of a recession — or leave it at its current level for an extended period. Though inflation has slowed for the past year, it’s showing signs of stickiness at its current levels. A recent uptick in gas

Insider Q&A: Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic foresees interest rates staying higher for longer
World

Lions, tigers, taxidermy, arsenic, political squabbling and the Endangered Species Act. Oh my.

The fate of the mounted lion, tiger, polar bear and gorilla that have long greeted visitors entering South Dakota’s largest zoo is grim after arsenic was found to be widespread in the taxidermy collection, creating a raging debate about whether the more than 150 animals should be destroyed. Some locals who grew up around the menagerie, which used to fill a hardware store, are fighting the mayor and zoo officials to keep the collection, marshaling activism online and in the Sioux Falls City Council. They are buoyed by experts who say the arsenic risk is overblown, the mounts nothing short

Lions, tigers, taxidermy, arsenic, political squabbling and the Endangered Species Act. Oh my.
World

Ukraine's defense minister resigns following Zelenskyy's announcement of his replacement

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov submitted a letter of resignation on Monday after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would be replaced and named his successor. Oleksii Reznikov’s removal follows a scandal around the defense ministry’s procurement of military jackets. It was not the first similar case during the ongoing war. Zelenskyy made the announcement on his official Telegram account, writing that new leadership was needed after Reznikov went through “more than 550 days of full-scale war.” He named Rustem Umerov, a Crimean Tatar lawmaker, as the new defense minister. “Reznikov was a good and prominent international

Ukraine's defense minister resigns following Zelenskyy's announcement of his replacement
World

Gabon's military leader is sworn in as head of state after ousting the president last week

Gabon ‘s new military leader was sworn in as the head of state Monday less than a week after ousting the president whose family had ruled the Central African nation for more than five decades. Gen. Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, took the oath in the presidential palace in front of a packed, boisterous room of government officials, military and local leaders in Gabon’s capital, Libreville. Oligui is a cousin of the ousted President Ali Bongo Ondimba, served as a bodyguard to his late father and is head of the republican guard, an elite military unit. Speaking

Gabon's military leader is sworn in as head of state after ousting the president last week
World

UAW's clash with Big 3 automakers shows off a more confrontational union as strike deadline looms

A 46% pay raise. A 32-hour week with 40 hours of pay. A restoration of traditional pensions. The demands that a more combative United Auto Workers union has pressed on General Motors, Stellantis and Ford — demands that even the UAW’s own president calls “audacious” — are edging it closer to a strike when its contract ends Sept. 14. The automakers, which are making billions in profits, have dismissed the UAW’s wish list. They argue that its demands are unrealistic at a time of fierce competition from Tesla and lower-wage foreign automakers as the world shifts from

UAW's clash with Big 3 automakers shows off a more confrontational union as strike deadline looms
World

UN nuclear watchdog report seen by AP says Iran slows its enrichment of near-weapons-grade uranium

Iran has slowed its enrichment of uranium at nearly weapons-grade levels, a report by the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog seen by The Associated Press said Monday. The confidential report comes as Iran and the United States are negotiating a prisoner swap and the release of billions of dollars in Iranian assets frozen in South Korea. Slowing its enrichment of uranium could serve as another sign that Tehran seeks to lower tensions between it and America after years of tensions since the collapse of its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. The report by the International Atomic Energy

UN nuclear watchdog report seen by AP says Iran slows its enrichment of near-weapons-grade uranium
World

1st Africa Climate Summit opens as hard-hit continent of 1.3 billion demands more say and financing

The first African Climate Summit is opening as heads of state and others assert a stronger voice on a global issue that affects the continent of 1.3 billion people the most, even as they contribute to it the least. Kenyan President William Ruto’s government is launching the ministerial session on Monday while more than a dozen heads of state begin to arrive, determined to wield more global influence and bring in far more financing and support. The first speakers included youth, who demanded a bigger voice in the process. There is some frustration on the continent

1st Africa Climate Summit opens as hard-hit continent of 1.3 billion demands more say and financing
World

France's waning influence in coup-hit Africa appears clear while few remember their former colonizer

When Gabon’s longtime leader was detained in the latest coup in Africa last week, France condemned the takeover but did little to intervene — despite having hundreds of troops in the country. It was a striking break from the past. African and French observers say that France, under pressure, is finally shedding its postcolonial tradition of “Françafrique” — an unflattering term that smacks of paternalistic influence and quiet deal-making among elites — as its economic and political powers wane and an increasingly self-confident Africa looks elsewhere. After repeated military interventions in its former colonies in recent

France's waning influence in coup-hit Africa appears clear while few remember their former colonizer

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