LA Times News

LA Times News

Getting U.S. weapons to Syria rebels will take weeks

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 06:04 PM PDT

President Obama's decision to arm the opposition draws both praise and criticism. Either way, it faces a number of logistical hurdles.

WASHINGTON — Delivering weapons and ammunition to beleaguered Syrian rebels will take weeks, White House officials acknowledged Friday as the administration's decision to supply arms set off a debate about how far, and how fast, President Obama's plunge into the conflict will take him.

Europe rethinks its pursuit of austerity

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 06:03 PM PDT

European Union leaders are beginning to acknowledge that cutting spending too much too fast to solve the continent's debt crisis is crippling nations.

LONDON — After years of unrelenting austerity, Europe seems to have turned a corner on its debt crisis — right into a dead-end street.

China has several options on Edward Snowden

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 05:51 PM PDT

Each carries risk, and analysts say Beijing is playing it savvy by doing nothing right now regarding the man who disclosed the NSA cyber surveillance program.

BEIJING — With Edward Snowden in Hong Kong dribbling out morsels on U.S. cyber surveillance activities to the press, Chinese authorities have several choices for dealing with him.

Iranian officials count ballots in presidential election

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 04:03 PM PDT

TEHRAN -- Electoral authorities began counting ballots late Friday after tens of millions of Iranians turned out to vote for a successor to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Iran presidential election underway

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 08:53 PM PDT

In Iran's presidential election, the three front-runners are conservatives, but Hassan Rowhani, a moderate, has gained momentum in recent days.

TEHRAN — Millions of Iranians headed to the polls early Friday to choose a new president in balloting that has taken on a competitive edge as a single moderate contender faces off against a splintered array of hard-line hopefuls.

Turkey's leader agrees to halt park project

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 08:08 PM PDT

After meeting with protesters, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he'll freeze a development project in popular Gezi Park in Istanbul, let a referendum decide.

ISTANBUL, Turkey — Besieged Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed Friday to freeze construction in a popular Istanbul park after an emergency meeting with antigovernment protesters in Ankara, easing fear of further violence after two weeks of widespread chaos and bloodshed.