U.S. and the World
8-Year-Long Ban on Sex Trafficking in War Zones Never Enforced
U.S. government contractors may be engaging in sex trafficking in Iraq and Afghanistan, but officials in Washington appear to be taking no action despite a law created to discourage the illicit behavior.
According to the law approved eight yea... read more
U.S. Marshals Catch Accused Caribbean Drug Lord after 10-Year Chase
It took 10 years, as well as officers from the U.S. Marshals, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration
and Puerto Rico, but José Figueroa Agosto is finally behind bars once again.
Alias “Junior” and known as the Pablo Escobar of the Caribbean, Ag... read more
Falun Gong Follower Given Second Chance at Asylum
Shan Zhu Qiu, an immigrant from China who fled his native country out of fear of persecution over his Falun Gong practice, has been given a second opportunity to stay in the United States. The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals on July 12 ordered im... read more
Dictator of Sudan Officially Charged with Genocide
President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan has become the first sitting head of state ever to be charged by the International Criminal Court with committing crimes of genocide. The charges stem from a long campaign targeting three of Sudan’s ethnic ... read more
Vatican Loses Money for Third Straight Year Despite Rise in Donations
The Catholic Church’s headquarters in Rome announced over the weekend that it lost money for the third year in a row. Expenses outpaced revenues for the Vatican in 2009 by $5.2 million ($314.7 million in revenue against $319.9 million in expenses)... read more
Obama Administration Refuses Visa to Colombian Investigative Journalist
Hollman Morris has earned a reputation as a hard-hitting investigative journalist in Colombia, exposing abuses by government officials and paramilitary groups. This body of work may be what’s keeping Morris from visiting the United States, accordi... read more
Afghans Paid $1 Billion in Bribes Last Year, Double Two Years Earlier
Corruption continues to rob struggling Afghans of their currency. The citizens of Afghanistan forked over $1 billion in bribes in 2009—more than double of what was paid in 2007 ($466 million).
A new report from the anti-corruption organization... read more
U.S. Chooses Abusive Cambodian Military Units to Host Joint Exercises
Despite its own reports documenting abusive behavior by Cambodian military units, the U.S. State Department agreed with the Department of Defense to allow Cambodia to host a military exercise for international peacekeepers.
The “Angkor Sentine... read more
Ex-Michigan Congressman Pleads Guilty in Terror-Related Case
Republican Mark Siljander, who represented a Michigan district in Congress during the 1980s, is facing up to 15 years in prison and a fine of half a million dollars for his work helping an Islamic charity deemed a supporter of terrorists.
Afte... read more
Chinese Set to Begin International Deep-Sea Mining
With the Gulf of Mexico oil spill still at the forefront of environmental consciousness, biologists are concerned about China’s plans to begin the first deep-sea mining in international waters. The Deepwater Horizon accident 5,000 feet below the o... read more
China Accused of Smuggling Honey into U.S.
America’s honey industry is pleading with the Food and Drug Administration to create national standards for the sweet product in order to curb China’s efforts to dominate the U.S. market. Lobbyists and members of Congress believe China has been sn... read more
Supreme Court Gives Nigerians Go-Ahead to Sue Pfizer over Deadly Drug Tests
Lawyers for Pfizer were unsuccessful this week in convincing the U.S. Supreme Court to block a lawsuit against the pharmaceutical giant over its testing of a drug that killed 11 children in Nigeria
and left many others disabled.
The high cour... read more
Afghan Security Forces Woefully Inadequate
Afghanistan’s military and police still have a long way to go before they can operate without the assistance of the United States, which has overestimated the capabilities of the country’s security forces, according to an independent investigation... read more
Supreme Court Rejects Vatican Immunity in Pedophilia Cases
Vatican officials were displeased by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to allow a lawsuit to proceed in district court that seeks to prove the Catholic Church’s senior hierarchy was partly responsible for allowing American priests to molest young ... read more
Another Problem for Soldiers in Afghanistan: Toxic Sand
Soldiers returning home from Afghanistan with neurological problems may not be victims of just traumatic brain injury stemming from battles. Scientists with the U.S. Navy have speculated that toxic sand also may be damaging the nervous systems of ... read more
Canadian Oil Firm Found Guilty of Causing Deaths of 1,600 Ducks
Oil company Syncrude Canada has been found guilty by a Canadian court of killing 1,600 ducks two years ago by allowing the birds to land on a toxic pond filled with oilsands waste in April 2008. A judge determined Syncrude was liable for the death... read more