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Dentist Aims To Clone Former Beatle John Lennon

7:25am August 23, 2013

A Canadian dentist bought one of John Lennon's molars at auction for $31,000. And now, Michael Zuk plans to use the tooth to clone the former Beatle. The DNA sequencing is already underway.

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Former Chinese Politician Has Spirited Defense At Trial

5:08pm August 22, 2013

by Anthony Kuhn

The former politician Bo Xilai offered a spirited defense in court in China on Thursday, surprising observers who had expected a quick show trial to end the country's biggest political scandal in decades. However Bo was allowed to cross-examine witnesses and tell judges he had been framed in the bribery charges against him. He said he had confessed to the charges under psychological pressure during interrogation.

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South Korean police stand guard beside a comfort woman statue in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul in May. The Southern California city of Glendale will dedicate an identical statue on Tuesday.

Statue Brings Friction Over WWII Comfort Women To California

2:24pm August 22, 2013

by Aaron Schrank

A sculpture memorializing the East Asian women forced to provide sex to Japanese soldiers during World War II is causing a stir in Glendale, Calif. An identical statue in Seoul has become a focal point of tension among former "comfort women" and some Japanese who say the women's stories are untrue.

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U.S. Retailers Vow To Upgrade Bangladesh's Safety Standards

12:03pm August 21, 2013

by Jim Zarroli

A group of 20 companies, meeting in Chicago Tuesday, announced steps to implement a safety plan for factories in Bangladesh. The companies, including Wal-Mart, Costco and Gap, formed the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, which promises to have fire and building safety standards in place by mid-September.

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Syrian Government Accused In Gas Attacks On Civilians

12:03pm August 21, 2013

Renee Montagne speaks with Los Angeles Times Beirut bureau chief Patrick McDonnell about allegations that the Syrian government used gas attacks on civilians near the capital, Damascus. The Syrian government has strongly denied the accusation.

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Mingma Tshering helps care for his nephew, whose father died on Everest in 2006. Mingma worked on Everest for the first time this past spring.

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On Mount Everest, Sherpa Guides Bear The Brunt Of The Danger

1:46pm August 20, 2013

Sherpa guides are 10 times more likely to die than commercial fishermen, the most dangerous, nonmilitary occupation in the U.S. But they're offered little financial protection by companies who charge Western climbers thousands of dollars for a trip up the mountain.

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Pakistan's Former Leader Musharraf Charged In Bhutto's Death

5:55am August 20, 2013

A Pakistani court Tuesday indicted former president and army chief Pervez Musharraf on murder charges in connection with the 2007 assassination of Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. For more on this development, Renee Montagne talks to Associated Press reporter Rebecca Santana, who's in Islamabad.

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U.K. Detains Partner Of Journalist Who Talked With Snowden

6:58pm August 19, 2013

by Philip Reeves

British authorities detained the partner of journalist Glenn Greenwald's for nearly nine hours at Heathrow Airport on Monday. Greenwald, who works for The Guardian, published many of Edward Snowden's revelations about the National Security Agency's large-scale monitoring of telephone and email traffic. Key members of parliament and human rights activists are demanding to know why Greenwald's partner, David Miranda, was held.

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Relying On Old Artisan Ways, French Brand Makes Itself Anew

6:58pm August 19, 2013

by Eleanor Beardsley

Founded in the mid-19th century, luxury leather goods maker Moynat won renown for its traveling trunks for the moneyed set. But it fell on hard times and closed in the 1970s. Now, it's undergoing a rebirth, turning out limited quantities of luxurious, handmade bags that utilize centuries-old craftsmanship.

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U.S. Family Of Ill Prisoner Wants North Korea To Release Him

6:52am August 19, 2013

by Liz Jones

American citizen Kenneth Bae has spent nearly 10 months imprisoned in North Korea. That's longer than any other American held there in recent years. Bae was recently moved to a hospital for ailments related to diabetes, an enlarged heart and liver problems. Bae's family says the situation is more urgent than ever.

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