NYT | Asian Morning October 31, 2013: Chemical Arms Inspectors Say Syria Has Destroyed All Declared Sites

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Thursday, October 31, 2013

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Chemical Arms Inspectors Say Syria Has Destroyed All Declared Sites By ALAN COWELL The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said Syria had met an important deadline. But the government still has 1,290 metric tons of chemical weapons it must destroy by mid-2014.

Tap on Merkel Provides Peek at Vast Spy Net By MARK MAZZETTI and DAVID E. SANGER The National Security Agency's monitoring is not limited to politicians like Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany - it also includes party leaders and aides, and it's all part of efforts to gain an edge over other nations.

Snowden's Lawyer Says He Has a New Job in Russia By STEVEN LEE MYERS The lawyer said Mr. Snowden would start work Friday at a major internet company in Russia, but the assertion could not be verified.  Editors' Picks OPINION | Op-Ed Contributor Young, Restless and Indian By SIDDHARTH DHANVANT SHANGHVI I'm told I'm part of India's powerful ruling class that says in public, "Actually, get four bottles of that red." TECHNOLOGY Video: App Smart: Music Games Highlights of game apps with a strong musical component, as reviewed by The Times's Kit Eaton. World N.S.A. Said to Tap Google and Yahoo Abroad By CHARLIE SAVAGE, CLAIRE CAIN MILLER and NICOLE PERLROTH Unbeknown to Google and Yahoo, the National Security Agency and its British counterpart have tapped into the search engines abroad, where data collection faces less oversight. Australia Participated in N.S.A. Program, Document Says By JANE PERLEZ Australia has used its Asian embassies to collect data on China, Indonesia and other countries, according to a document leaked by Edward J. Snowden. Activists Feel Powerful Wrath as Russia Guards Its Arctic Claims By STEVEN LEE MYERS The detained crew of a Greenpeace ship appears to have grossly underestimated Russia's readiness to assert - and expand - its sovereignty in an Arctic region potentially rich with natural resources. For more world news, go to NYTimes.com/World Business Jobless Rate in Euro Zone Stays at Record By JACK EWING In a sign of weak growth, a slower than expected rise in inflation could put pressure on European officials to further stimulate the economy. F.A.A. Allows Use of Electronic Devices Throughout Flights By MATTHEW L. WALD The Federal Aviation Administration's change, expected before year-end, will allow passengers on most flights to use tablets, MP3 players and other personal electronic devices. Profit Margins Squeeze Exxon Mobil and Shell By CLIFFORD KRAUSS and STANLEY REED Weak margins in refining hurt results at the largest European and American oil companies. For more business news, go to INYT.com/Business Technology No U.S. Action, So States Move on Privacy Law By SOMINI SENGUPTA Lawmakers in 10 states have passed more than two dozen privacy laws this year on phone tracking, the use of drones and other topics, as support for limits on surveillance has grown. N.S.A. Said to Tap Google and Yahoo Abroad Bits Blog Updating Android, Google Announces New Nexus Phone By NICK BILTON The company showed off an updated version of its mobile operating system, as well as a larger smartphone called the Nexus 5. Bitcoin Pursues the Mainstream By NICK WINGFIELD Advocates of the digital currency bitcoin say it is ready to emerge from its fringe status and become a common method of retail payment. An Abridged History of Bitcoin

Editors' Picks

OPINION | Op-Ed Contributor Young, Restless and Indian By SIDDHARTH DHANVANT SHANGHVI I'm told I'm part of India's powerful ruling class that says in public, "Actually, get four bottles of that red."

TECHNOLOGY Video: App Smart: Music Games Highlights of game apps with a strong musical component, as reviewed by The Times's Kit Eaton.

World

N.S.A. Said to Tap Google and Yahoo Abroad By CHARLIE SAVAGE, CLAIRE CAIN MILLER and NICOLE PERLROTH Unbeknown to Google and Yahoo, the National Security Agency and its British counterpart have tapped into the search engines abroad, where data collection faces less oversight.

Australia Participated in N.S.A. Program, Document Says By JANE PERLEZ Australia has used its Asian embassies to collect data on China, Indonesia and other countries, according to a document leaked by Edward J. Snowden.

Activists Feel Powerful Wrath as Russia Guards Its Arctic Claims By STEVEN LEE MYERS The detained crew of a Greenpeace ship appears to have grossly underestimated Russia's readiness to assert - and expand - its sovereignty in an Arctic region potentially rich with natural resources.

Business

Jobless Rate in Euro Zone Stays at Record By JACK EWING In a sign of weak growth, a slower than expected rise in inflation could put pressure on European officials to further stimulate the economy.

F.A.A. Allows Use of Electronic Devices Throughout Flights By MATTHEW L. WALD The Federal Aviation Administration's change, expected before year-end, will allow passengers on most flights to use tablets, MP3 players and other personal electronic devices.

Profit Margins Squeeze Exxon Mobil and Shell By CLIFFORD KRAUSS and STANLEY REED Weak margins in refining hurt results at the largest European and American oil companies.

For more business news, go to INYT.com/Business

Technology

No U.S. Action, So States Move on Privacy Law By SOMINI SENGUPTA Lawmakers in 10 states have passed more than two dozen privacy laws this year on phone tracking, the use of drones and other topics, as support for limits on surveillance has grown. N.S.A. Said to Tap Google and Yahoo Abroad

Bits Blog Updating Android, Google Announces New Nexus Phone By NICK BILTON The company showed off an updated version of its mobile operating system, as well as a larger smartphone called the Nexus 5.

Bitcoin Pursues the Mainstream By NICK WINGFIELD Advocates of the digital currency bitcoin say it is ready to emerge from its fringe status and become a common method of retail payment. An Abridged History of Bitcoin

Sports

The Formula One Race Is Still On By BRAD SPURGEON Although Sebastian Vettel and the Red Bull team have taken the Formula One titles, there is still plenty of tension in the teams' race for second place, and also for 10th.

Sunlight to Darkness, Abu Dhabi Circuit Breeds Success By BRAD SPURGEON The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has improved every year since its furst running in 2009, while many other new venues have faded or been dropped from the calendar.

A 'Tricky and Technical' Track at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix By BRAD SPURGEON Although the Yas Marina Circuit, where the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will take place this weekend, appears to be a flowing, fast, rolling circuit, it is anything but.

For more sports news, go to INYT.com/Sports

U.S. News Contrite White House Spurns Health Law's Critics By MICHAEL D. SHEAR and ROBERT PEAR While the secretary of health and human services apologized profusely for the troubled rollout of the Affordable Care Act, President Obama traveled to Massachusetts to offer a forceful defense of the law.  Video: Obama Defends the Health Care Law Why Some People Can't Keep Their Plans As Interest Fades in the Humanities, Colleges Worry By TAMAR LEWIN With the growing money and attention devoted to science and technology, university administrators are concerned that the humanities are being eclipsed. Some Find Path to Navajo Roots Through Mormon Church By FERNANDA SANTOS Seeking to escape the dysfunction and despair of reservation life, some Navajos are turning to the Mormons for spiritual solace and stability. For more U.S. news, go to NYTimes.com/US

Opinion

Op-Ed | Enrique Krauze Mexico's Theology of Oil By ENRIQUE KRAUZE A bill to open the state-run oil industry to competition troubles many Mexicans -- but it is the right move to make.

Op-Ed Columnist A Journalist With a Mission By ROGER COHEN Glenn Greenwald believes that he faces possible arrest if he returns to the United States but is unbowed. Columnist Page

Op-Ed Contributor Young, Restless and Indian By SIDDHARTH DHANVANT SHANGHVI I'm told I'm part of India's powerful ruling class that says in public, "Actually, get four bottles of that red."