On Syria, Obama says no rush toward costly interventions
BEIRUT (Reuters) – President Barack Obama called the apparent gassing of hundreds of Syrian civilians a “big event of grave concern” but stressed on he was in no rush to embroil Americans in a costly new war. As opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad braved the frontlines around Damascus to smuggle out tissue samples from [...]
Guardian partners with New York Times on Snowden files due to British ‘pressure’
LONDON (AFP) -Britain’s Guardian newspaper said it is teaming up with the New York Times to work on documents obtained by fugitive US security employee Edward Snowden because of “intense pressure” from the British government. It comes after the boyfriend of the Guardian reporter working on the story was detained by British police under anti-terror laws [...]
US soldier who killed Afghan villagers gets life without parole
TACOMA, Wash. (Reuters) – A decorated American soldier was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on for killing 16 Afghan civilians, mostly women and children. Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, a veteran of four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, has admitted to slaughtering the villagers in attacks on their family compounds [...]
Foreign policy: In search of the equilibrium
The author also stresses the need for flexibility and policy space in foreign policy decision-making and states; “Space should always be kept open for manoeuvre, which will create opportunities for tactical decisions……….” and cautions, “A foreign policy that finds itself in a situation where there is no more opportunity for choice and where there is [...]
Obama outs source of White House leaks: Sunny the dog
WASHINGTON, District of Columbia (AFP) -US President Barack Obama admitted Friday to a new source of leaks in the inner corridors of the White House, saying first puppy Sunny has had a “couple of accidents.”In an interview with CNN Obama said the new dog was keeping him and wife Michelle company as they see less [...]
Radiated water has nowhere to go in Fukushima end-game
TOKYO (Reuters) – In the weeks after the Fukushima nuclear plant was destroyed by a triple meltdown in March 2011, the plant’s owner turned to three of Japan’s largest construction companies for a quick fix to store radiated water that was pooling in the disaster zone. The result was a rush order for steel tanks [...]
Thailand, conservative but tolerant, may legalise gay marriage
BANGKOK (Reuters) – On a sweltering Saturday night in Bangkok’s Patpong entertainment district, a group of men spill out of a neon-lit bar blasting dance music. among them is Aashif Hassan and his long-term partner, both visitors from Malaysia. ”We’re celebrating tonight. Where we’re from, it’s illegal to be gay. Here we feel liberated,” said Hassan. [...]
Venice tourists get shock bill at outdoor coffee bar
ROME (Reuters) – Tourists going to Venice beware – and make sure you read the fine print. Everyone knows the lagoon city can be expensive but seven tourists from Rome got a bitter surprise when their bill for four coffees and three liqueurs at an outdoor cafe topped 100 euros ($130). The scene of the mishap [...]
Madras Cafe: Bollywood film stirs up a storm in India
Bollywood’s big cinema release this week, the spy thriller Madras Cafe, has caused controversy in India with Tamil groups demanding a ban. Geeta Pandey in Delhi meets the film’s director and lead actors to find out what the row is all about. Watching the official trailer of the film, it is obvious that the conflict in [...]
Marches, events to mark anniversary of King’s ‘dream’ speech
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Marches, speeches and global bell-ringing are set to mark the 50th anniversary this month of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr’s “I have a dream” speech, a key event in the struggle of African Americans for racial equality. The week of commemorations in Washington will culminate on August 28, when President Barack Obama, [...]
China takes the show online for Bo trial
BEIJING (AFP) -The drama of China’s Bo Xilai trial has millions glued to their screens as a court posts Twitter-like updates in what state media say is an unprecedented advance for transparency in the communist-ruled country. But while the Jinan Intermediate People’s Court is posting details of the proceedings on Sina Weibo, a Chinese equivalent of [...]
Egypt’s reign of terror and the propaganda of ‘Fascism’
How many monsoons will it take to wash the stains of macabre bloodbath engineered against the resolute pro-democracy protesters by General Abdel Fattah El-Sisi-led military regime? The bloodbath began publicly on July 8 when the army cold-bloodedly killed over 50 pro-democracy demonstrators staging a sit-in in front of the Republican Guard headquarters. On July 27, [...]
Palestine: A taste of apartheid and colonialism
Travelling in a lead escort vehicle driven by a police officer can be thrilling for a speed enthusiast. The lead vehicle, an SUV, in which I was occupying the rear seat, was cruising at top speed along the well-paved carpeted motorway with other vehicles in the VIP convoy following. At an intersection the lead vehicle [...]
Diplomacy and double standards
CANBERRA – When does acceptable diplomatic caution and realism become indefensible abdication of moral standards? Not everyone on the foreign-policy frontline cares, but those who do often face deeply uncomfortable choices. Negotiating a life-saving peace may mean giving amnesty to the murderously guilty. Living with tyranny might be less life-threatening than embracing anarchy. Calming a volatile [...]
‘I was asleep, then my breath seized up’
A 13-year-old boy has told how ‘his breath seized up’ as poisonous fumes descended on his Damascus home in the gas attack allegedly launched by Syrian regime forces. The boy has given one of the first witness accounts by survivors of Wednesday morning’s alleged attack which, it is claimed, killed up to 1,700 people in their [...]
Not so safe in Mumbai any more
MUMBAI (Reuters) – A photo journalist was gang-raped in the Indian city of Mumbai, police said on Friday, evoking comparisons with a similar assault in New Delhi in December that led to nationwide protests and a revision of the country’s rape laws. The attack on Thursday night triggered protests and an outcry on social media, with [...]
