LA Times News

LA Times News

Republican senators criticize Afghan pullout plan

Posted: 04 Jul 2011 12:00 AM PDT

Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham, visiting Afghanistan, say the gradual U.S. troop pullout to begin this month may undercut the decade-long effort to combat terrorism.

Two key Republican senators visiting Afghanistan said Sunday that many Afghans may see President Obama's plans to pull 33,000 American troops out of the country as a prelude to a full-fledged U.S. military withdrawal, a perception the lawmakers argued could undercut the decade-long effort to combat terrorists in the region.

Mexico votes, with all eyes on 2012 presidential election

Posted: 03 Jul 2011 12:30 PM PDT

Three governors are elected in voting Sunday, and PRI hopes electoral victories will strengthen its bid to retake the presidency.

Millions of Mexicans voted Sunday to elect governors in three states, but the real focus was on Mexico's presidential race next year.

Syrian forces surround rebellious city of Hama

Posted: 04 Jul 2011 12:00 AM PDT

Syrian troops and tanks spark fears of a full-blown assault as they surround the hotbed of opposition to President Bashar Assad's regime. Protests have increased in Hama, a city loaded with political symbolism.

Syrian tanks and troops surrounded the rebellious city of Hama on Sunday, apparently poised for an assault to crush long-festering opposition to the regime of President Bashar Assad.

2 GOP senators in Afghanistan slam drawdown of U.S. troops

Posted: 03 Jul 2011 11:41 AM PDT

John McCain and Lindsey Graham, both veterans on a tour of Afghanistan, say President Obama's plan to pull 33,000 troops is seen as a military exodus by Afghans. And troops are needed 'for a second fighting season,' McCain says.

WASHINGTON — Less than two weeks after President Obama announced a drawdown of 33,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, two Republican senators visiting that country say many Afghans may be seeing the move as a full-fledged pullout by America's military, a perception that the lawmakers argued could undercut the decade-long efforts to combat terrorists in Central Asia.

Thailand opposition wins election

Posted: 04 Jul 2011 12:00 AM PDT

The outcome paves the way for Yingluck Shinawatra to become the first female Thai prime minister. She's an admitted stand-in for her controversial brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Supporters hope the victory will endure.

Thailand's main opposition party won a fractious election Sunday, paving the way for the nation's first female prime minister and the possible return from exile of her controversial brother, as disenfranchised voters laid down a new challenge to the nation's political establishment.

Bishop in Libya proves unlikely source of international controversy

Posted: 03 Jul 2011 12:00 AM PDT

The Catholic figure has criticized the NATO campaign, calling it immoral and ineffective. 'Kadafi is a Bedouin: You can't change his mind by bombing him,' the bishop says.

For more than a quarter of a century, the soft-spoken padre with the almost beatific glow and more-than-passing resemblance to Pope John Paul II has presided over the soothing confines of St. Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Church here.

Activists caught in Egypt's secretive military justice system

Posted: 03 Jul 2011 12:00 AM PDT

Though the rebellion managed to topple President Hosni Mubarak, the emergency laws that helped sustain his regime are still in effect, leaving a large number of protesters behind bars without access to lawyers and families, human rights groups say.

Taher Nagati awoke early Saturday and squeezed into a cramped sedan with his lawyer for an hour's drive in chaotic morning traffic to military court.

Scandals taint revered Pakistan military

Posted: 03 Jul 2011 12:00 AM PDT

The military establishment, which long dominated politics and society, is accused of incompetency, corruption and abuse of power after the Bin Laden raid and other incidents.

It's difficult to overstate the respect that Pakistan's military has enjoyed among its people. Since the nation's violent birth in 1947, the armed services have been touted as the glue holding the country together, having waged three wars with India, defended Pakistan's part of divided Kashmir, safeguarded the Islamic world's only known nuclear weaponry and battled growing domestic terrorist attacks.

Syrian governor dismissed after massive protests

Posted: 03 Jul 2011 12:00 AM PDT

A coalition of opposition groups says the leader of Hama province was sacked because he refused to allow lawmen to fire at demonstrators.

Syrian President Bashar Assad fired the governor who oversaw the city of Hama on Saturday, a day after massive protests rocked the longtime center of opposition to his family's rule.