U.S. and the World
Sentenced to Prison for Praying
The repressive tactics of Burma’s military junta have gone so far that people can now go to jail for simply praying. Two supporters of imprisoned opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi were sentenced last week to 18 months in prison after leading othe... read more
Peru Revokes US Trade Agreement Laws after Deadly Clashes with Amazon Tribes
Weeks of violent protests in Peru have ended after the government agreed to revoke two key elements of a free trade agreement with the United States that threatened to open up the country’s Amazonian forests to foreign oil and mineral interests. I... read more
27 in Congress Ask Dow to Finally Clean Up Bhopal Disaster Site
Twenty-five years after one of the world’s worst chemical accidents, the city of Bhopal is still struggling to get the American corporate owners of the plant that spilled deadly fumes to clean up the mess left behind. A delegation from India, incl... read more
No Proof that Abu Ghraib Photos Led to U.S. Military Deaths
President Barack Obama and many members of Congress oppose the release of photos depicting abuse of detainees at U.S.-run facilities on the grounds that the images would spark a violent backlash by terrorists against American soldiers. “Every phot... read more
Military Contractors and Chevron Lobby against Armenian Genocide Bill
Billion-dollar business deals have trumped human rights concerns for some of the largest defense and energy corporations in the United States when it comes to the issue of recognizing the Armenian genocide. According to the Associated Press, six i... read more
Air Force Graduates First Class of Drone Pilots
It may not be as sexy as Tom Cruise conducting aerial dogfights in his F-14 Tomcat while Kenny Loggins sings about the “Danger Zone” in the movie Top Gun, but graduates of the U.S. Air Force’s newest pilot program are hot commodities these days.... read more
U.S. Media Campaign in Iraq Not Taken Seriously by Iraqis
Following the revelations of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, the U.S. government decided it could “PR” its way out of trouble with the Iraqi people and proceeded to launch a multi-million-dollar propaganda campaign to convince people that everythin... read more
Chinese Communists Order Web Blocking Software on All Computers
If computer manufacturers want to continue doing business in one of the fastest growing PC markets in the world, they will have to oblige demands from China’s government to install censorship software that could also allow officials to spy on user... read more
North Korea Sentences U.S. Journalists to 12 Years Hard Labor
About the only thing Laura Ling and Euna Lee are guilty of is bad timing. The two television reporters were captured in March after allegedly entering North Korea via its border with China, just before a series of events that has resulted in tense... read more
Obama Twisted U.S.-Muslim History Just a Bit: Max Boot
Conservative writer and scholar Max Boot was not entirely displeased with President Barack Obama’s address on Wednesday in Egypt, pointing out several points in the speech that he supported. But Obama “twisted history” when it came to his discussi... read more
Wal-Mart Does India
Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, has set its sights on the world’s largest capitalist market: India. Teaming with Bharti Enterprises, the parent company of India’s biggest mobile firm, Bharti Airtel, Wal-Mart has created the joint venture: ... read more
Americans Killed by Atomic Bomb to be Honored in Hiroshima
When the B-29 bomber Enola Gay dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, it not only killed 70,000 Japanese, but also a dozen captured American fliers. The names of the 12 airmen, who were imprisoned at the Chugoku Military Police He... read more
Americans on Trial for Adopting in Egypt
As President Barack Obama prepares to visit Egypt and deliver a much-anticipated speech to the Muslim world, there are three American citizens sitting in Egyptian prisons waiting to be tried…for trying to adopt Christian children.
There are tw... read more
Nicaraguan Journalist Granted Political Asylum in U.S.
A Nicaraguan journalist and political opponent of President Daniel Ortega, Georgina Lupiac, has been granted political asylum in the United States. Lupiac was able demonstrate to the U.S. Immigration Court that she had in the past been a victim of... read more
Japan Apologizes to U.S. for 1942 Bataan Death March
In the early days of World War II, thousands of American soldiers captured in the Philippines were force-marched 65 miles by the Japanese army, enduring starvation, exhaustion and brutal treatment that included beheadings and stabbings. Those who ... read more
Some Christians Voting for Hezbollah in Lebanon
Last month’s announcement by the Armenian Tashnaq party in Lebanon of its intention to support Hezbollah in the upcoming parliamentary elections could provide the crucial votes needed for Hezbollah’s coalition to inch ahead of the current pro-West... read more