LA Times News

LA Times News

U.N. report details Iran progress on nuclear development

Posted: 30 Aug 2012 05:13 PM PDT

Iran has boosted by nearly a third its stockpile of 20% enriched uranium and doubled the number of centrifuges, the International Atomic Energy Agency reports.

WASHINGTON — Iran has increased its stockpile of 20% enriched uranium by nearly a third since May, United Nations investigators reported Thursday, indicating that Tehran is pushing ahead with nuclear development despite tightening U.S. and European sanctions and the threat of an Israeli military strike.

Egypt's Morsi denounces Syria regime, defying summit host Iran

Posted: 31 Aug 2012 12:00 AM PDT

The Egyptian president calls Syrian President Bashar Assad's government 'oppressive' during the Nonaligned Movement summit hosted by Iran, an ally of Assad.

TEHRAN — Egypt's new president rankled his hosts but won plaudits elsewhere Thursday when he condemned the Iran-backed government of Syrian President Bashar Assad as an "oppressive regime," sparking a walkout by Assad government officials at a summit of nonaligned nations.

Former Sierra Leone child soldier helps other victims

Posted: 30 Aug 2012 05:05 PM PDT

As a U.N. advocate, Ishmael Beah counsels children forcibly recruited into war and points up the plight of the tens of thousands of young combatants.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — When Ishmael Beah looked at the dazed faces of child soldiers in the Central African Republic, dark memories rose inside him.

Tunisia democratic activists fear a tilt toward militant Islam

Posted: 30 Aug 2012 04:41 PM PDT

Fundamentalist Islamists in Tunisia try to exert influence on the country as it moves unsteadily toward democracy.

SIDI BOUZID, Tunisia — Bearded and sweaty, they pressed in, their faces shining in the shadow and light beneath billowing tunics hanging for sale outside a mosque. The sun edged higher. A veiled woman hurried past and a boy stepped closer to listen to men complain about no jobs in fields or factories, no water in thousands of homes.

A once-tranquil corner of Afghanistan turns deadly

Posted: 30 Aug 2012 12:00 AM PDT

Afghanistan's largely peaceful Bamiyan province once was touted as a transition success story. Now it may become a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of winding down the war.

KABUL, Afghanistan — Not long ago, Bamiyan province was considered one of the most peaceful corners of Afghanistan, a remote and scenic enclave that was largely free of the daily violence that roils so much of the country. Now it may become a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of winding down the war here.