Li Peng, Chinese premier during Tiananmen crackdown, dies

BEIJING -- Li Peng, a former hard-line Chinese premier best known for announcing martial law during the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests that ended with a bloody crackdown by troops, has died. He was 90. China's official Xinhua News Agency said Li died Monday of an unspecified illness. His death was not announced until Tuesday evening. Li, a keen political infighter, spent two decades at the pinnacle of power before retiring in 2002. He left behind a legacy of prolonged and broad-bas