L.A. Times - Asia

Budget cuts raise concerns for future of Southeast Asian archive

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

UC Irvine's extensive collection preserves the stories of refugees, but researchers worry that cuts will hinder documentation of the evolving immigrant community.

In an unremarkable room in a corner of UC Irvine's main library, the little-known stories of Southeast Asian refugees are kept alive.

Philippine bombings: No one is a suspect and everyone is to blame

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

A series of blasts on Mindanao has left 12 dead and 100 injured. No one has taken responsibility, but most every group on the troubled archipelago is being blamed. Some even suspect President Arroyo.

The first bombs exploded outside two Catholic cathedrals on the restive southern Philippine island of Mindanao. They were followed by a series of blasts two days later that raised the toll to 12 dead and 100 injured.

After a long absence, pro-Mousavi cleric Rafsanjani to lead prayers

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Former President Mohammad Khatami reportedly will also attend Iran's weekly keynote sermon Friday. The reformists' return to the event can be seen as a challenge to hard-liners or a sign of a truce.

A powerful cleric who has been a driving force behind the opposition movement challenging the reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will lead Friday prayers this week after a two-month absence that was considered a sign of conflict within the Iranian establishment.

World Briefing

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Somalia: Dozens die as rebels fight in capital / Honduras: Interim leader says Zelaya could return / India: 26 drown as boats capsize / Middle East: Palestinians demand settlement freeze before talks

SOMALIA

2 Marines slain in southern Afghanistan

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The U.S. troops are killed in a bomb blast in Helmand province, where a massive offensive is underway to root out Taliban fighters.

A bomb blast killed two Marines in Afghanistan's south, where thousands of American troops have deployed in a massive operation to oust Taliban fighters from the country's opium poppy region, officials said Sunday.

Military deaths