Even though cigarette smoking in the United States is on the decline, the Middle East is rife with individuals who just want to light up after a long day of work, an excessively delicious meal, or an exhilarating night of… Israel recently introduced a ban on cigarette smoking in bars and restaurants. But, as anyone […]
The President of Lebanon Michel Suleiman will not attend the Arab League Summit later this month in Libya. There are also unconfirmed reports that the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will not attend. The Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is recovering from a gallbladder surgery in Germany. his chances of attending the summit are also small. The […]
Is poverty falling across Africa? At least one study seems to indicate as much. But the data on poverty is actually fairly shoddy and so any conclusions should be seen as tentative at best, which does not mean that there is not good news on the poverty front, just that there are too many unknowns […]
While Lebanon worries about another attack from Israel, two other issues have been consistently popping up on the radar: the question of Hizballah’s arms, and the prospect of ending sectarianism. Not surprisingly, the three are closely related. — During the run-up to the 2009 parliamentary elections in Lebanon, a cloud of anxiety blanketed the country. […]
The upshot of the recent trip to Beijing by NSC Senior Director Jeffrey Bader and Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg? The U.S. got an earful about China’s top three foreign policy concerns: “Taiwan, Taiwan, Taiwan” (courtesy of The Cable). “It was all about Taiwan,” said Bonnie Glaser, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic […]
Bangladeshi entrepreneurs are ahead of the curve again. This time its innovations in agricultural development and production. The good news at issue is: using 40% less nitrogen fertiizer, farmers have increased rice yield by 20%. And why is this a significant achievement? The NY Times blog Green Inc has some answers: “Chemical fertilizers are critical […]
The High Court in Dhaka quashed all the corruption charges brought against sitting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her involvement in purchasing Russian MIG-29 planes during her previous term in office. The charges, brought by a group that was associated with the BNP-led coalition were dropped declared the Court because the charges were meant […]
The State Department released today its 2009 Human Rights Report that outlines freedom of the press, religion, democracy, and a slew of other issues throughout the world. The section on Israel is quite lengthy and, while one would expect the bulk of the report to deal with Israeli actions toward Palestinians, significant sections are devoted […]
Yesterday in Seattle, U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen announced a $62 million plan to refit the Polar Star, an old icebreaker. Originally commissioned in 1976, it’s one of the U.S.’ two Polar Class icebreakers. Russia, on the other hand, has 20 icebreakers. USCGC Polar Star can ram through 21 feet of ice, and one […]
Or should I say, ‘Continue!’ When it comes to the geopolitical game, Afghanistan President Karzai, Iranian President Ahmadinejad, and US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates are more than willing to let the dice roll. Gates got to go first, when he made an unannounced visit to Kabul earlier in the week, and was followed by […]
What do the following four World Cup games have in common? Serbia v. Ghana, 13 June, Pretoria Slovenia v. USA, 18 June, Johannesburg Nigeria v. Tolerable Korea, 22 June, Durban Commie Korea v. Ivory Coast, 25 June, Nelspruit Give up? Your faithful scribe is gonna be at all four of ’em. Laduma!!!!!!!
Late last month the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) released a lengthy report that described a weakening of democratic freedoms and rights in Venezuela. In its overview, the Commission stated that the country experiences: “political intolerance; the lack of independence of the branches of the State in dealing with the executive; constraints on freedom […]
Update: It didn’t undermine them, it destroyed them. What shows more chutzpah- making the prime minister of an ally wait for an hour and a half for your arrival or insulting an ally’s vice president by announcing a new policy welcomed by that ally, before subsequently undermining it? Vice President Joe Biden is nearing completion […]