LA Times News

LA Times News

Senate poised to pass nuclear treaty, giving Obama a major victory

Posted: 22 Dec 2010 12:00 AM PST

Republican senators break ranks to end debate on the New START nuclear pact with Russia. Adoption is expected Wednesday.

A new arms reduction treaty between the United States and Russia seemed headed for certain Senate ratification after Republican opposition crumbled Tuesday beneath a torrid campaign of White House pressure.

Iraqi parliament approves new Maliki government

Posted: 21 Dec 2010 06:16 PM PST

Prime Minister Nouri Maliki leaves some posts unfilled, including the ministers of interior and defense and the minister of state for national security. The parliamentary vote ends a nine-month stalemate.

Iraq's parliament finally ended a nine-month political vacuum Tuesday, confirming Prime Minister Nouri Maliki for a second term at the head of a sharply divided government whose workings will largely determine how democratic the country can become.

NATO denies that U.S. plans ground raids into Pakistan

Posted: 22 Dec 2010 12:00 AM PST

The sharply worded statement underscores the sensitivities on militant sanctuaries in Pakistan, identified in a White House report on the Afghan conflict as a key impediment to subduing the Taliban.

The NATO force in Afghanistan denied Tuesday that the American military intends to carry out ground raids inside Pakistan in pursuit of insurgent leaders hiding there.

Israel's bank-note makeover gets ugly

Posted: 21 Dec 2010 03:30 PM PST

Politicians, poets and women's activists all have opinions about who should appear on new bills. Some are using the debate to settle old scores.

When Israel decided to redesign its bank notes, it ran into some trouble: No one, apparently, fit the bill.

6.5 earthquake kills at least 11 in Iran

Posted: 22 Dec 2010 12:00 AM PST

The powerful earthquake in southeastern Iran also damages 1,800 homes. Downed phone lines and landslides are hampering rescue efforts, officials say.

A powerful earthquake struck a sparsely populated district of southeastern Iran, killing at least 11 people, injuring at least 40 and damaging 1,800 homes, news reports said Tuesday.

Stark challenges ahead for Iraq's new government as US troops prepare for final withdrawal

Posted: 21 Dec 2010 07:15 PM PST

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq seated a freely elected government Tuesday after nine months of haggling, bringing together the main ethnic and religious groups in a fragile balance that could make it difficult to rebuild a nation devastated by war as American troops prepare for their final withdrawal.

NATO denies having plans for raids inside Pakistan

Posted: 21 Dec 2010 04:33 AM PST

A communications officer denies a report that the U.S. will send American special forces into Pakistan's tribal areas.

The NATO force in Afghanistan denied Tuesday that the U.S. military intends to carry out ground raids inside Pakistan in pursuit of insurgent leaders hiding there.

South Korea braces for a response from the north

Posted: 21 Dec 2010 02:09 AM PST

Seoul shows a new willingness to face down North Korean threats. 'The army will make a strong response to all provocations,' says Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin.

South Korea on Tuesday braced for a surprise attack from North Korea following this week's provocative live-fire drills in disputed Yellow Sea waters, while officials in Seoul expressed a new resolve to counter northern aggression with decisive action.

Magnitude 6.5 quake jolts southeastern Iran

Posted: 21 Dec 2010 01:55 AM PST

At least 11 people are dead and 1,800 homes damaged. Downed phone lines and blocked roads hamper rescue efforts.

A powerful earthquake struck a sparsely populated stretch of southeastern Iran late Monday, killing at least 11 people, injuring at least 40 and damaging 1,800 homes, state media reported early Tuesday.

Flight cancellations increase at Heathrow

Posted: 21 Dec 2010 12:00 AM PST

Stranded travelers across Europe express anger over governments' inability to deal with the unusually harsh weather.

Frustrated travelers in Europe expressed fury Monday at transportation officials' inability to clear snow and ice from planes, runways and high-speed train tracks, failings that have caused holiday travel chaos and fears that many will not get home in time for Christmas.