Front page: Los Angeles Times | Sunday, June 15, 2014

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Iraq conflict poses threats across the region

Laura King, reporting from Cairo, writes: "Fallout from the conflict in Iraq has spread to the deserts of North Africa and the shores of the Persian Gulf amid fear of a widening arc of sectarian strife, emboldened Islamist militant movements and a burgeoning exodus of refugees." Read the story

Straying from its target

David Willman, an investigative reporter based in Washington, D.C., examines a $40 billion missile defense system that has proven a costly disappointment: "With a convulsive rumble, followed by billowing flames and exhaust, a sleek 60-foot rocket emerged from its silo at California's Vandenberg Air Force Base. It was a test of the backbone of the nation's missile defense system." Read the story

Chinese buying up U.S. golf courses

E. Scott Reckard, who covers mortgage and banking issues, writes: "Eight years ago, Du Sha cashed out his chain of home-improvement centers — the first superstores of their kind in China — with a sale to Home Depot for $100 million. Today, with a net worth of more than $600 million, the former economics professor has taken up the conventional pastime for those with money and time: golf." Read the story

Wikipedia welcome

Education report Larry Gordon looks at the proliferation of Wikipedia as a source: "All through high school, Ani Schug was told to steer clear of Wikipedia. Her teachers talked about the popular online encyclopedia "as if it wasn't serious or trustworthy" and suggested it only be used as a tip sheet." Read the story