Oct 18, 2012

Wae Rebo: Flores’ Traditional Manggaraian Houses

Wae Rebo: Flores’ Traditional Manggaraian Houses:
By: Reyhard Matheos

Enchanting Wae Rebo, By: Lara Shati

Have you ever imagined living in a house with more than 6 families? Seems a bit crowded and uncomfortable right? Yet, the traditional Manggaraian houses in Wae Rebo on the island of Flores house up to 20 people, in a spirit of togetherness.

Far away from the hustle and bustle of the city of Eastern Nusa Tenggara, there’s a village with seven traditional cone-shaped houses standing in a half-circle formation. Wae Rebo is a part of Satar Lenda Village located in Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. This place is something of a tourist hotspot, since it’s the only place which still features mbaru niang, the Traditional Manggaraian House.

Wae Rebo is quite remote and to get there, you need to take a few hurdles. It takes up to six hours by car from Labuan Bajo to Ruteng—the capital of West Manggarai Regency (transportation costs around IDR 60.000/person). From Terminal Mena in Ruteng, you take an oto—traditional passenger truck–to Denge village for seven hours. It’s cheap at only IDR 20.000/person. The Oto is operated twice a week, only on Tuesday and Friday and leaves at 10.00 a.m.

Crossing the Wae Lumba, By: Agustinus Saptono

Denge is the gateway to Wae Rebo. You can collect all information about Wae Rebo, homestays, and local guides in the information center and library of Wae Rebo. From here, another journey will begin by trekking through the dense forest, crossing the small rivers the Wae Lumba, climbing up and down steep hills and finally you will encounter the fascinating mbaru niang in the mountains fog. The trek takes 3/4 hours, but is well worth your time.

The village of Denge (Kombo)

The Architecture of Mbaru Niang

According to the locals, this village has been around for over 100 years. Today, it’s the eighteenth generation who lives there. A man named Empu Maro was touted as the founder and the very first resident of this village. He built seven mbaru niang. The larger one is called niang gendang where all the traditional instruments were kept. The other six are called niang gena.

The roof consists of lontar—palmyra palm leaves—and grass. The inner construction is made of wood. Each house has only one door to enter and four very small windows. It is surprisingly cool inside though the sun shines very brightly and the nights are just as warm.

Beside its shape, the uniqueness of this kind of these houses is its five floors, each floor having its own name and purpose. The first floor is called lutur. It consists of the undivided living room on the front side, the busy and smoky kitchen in the middle, and the bedrooms in the back side. People said that the heat of the burning charcoal in the kitchen strengthens the layers of the roof and makes it last longer. The second floor is called lobo and here their crops were kept. The third floor is lentar and served as storage for the seeds. The fourth floor is called lempa rae, used to store all the reserved food. The top floor is called hekang kode home to the offerings to ancestors.

Vistors are welcome, By: Agustinus Saptono

The inhabitants only sleep on the first floor, but the house can be lived in by six to eight families, which means that one dwelling can house about twenty people. It is based on their philosophy that togetherness is the main essence of their culture. Being well-known as good storytellers, Manggaraians are very welcoming when you visit their village, even though they mostly speak their own native language.

Caci war dance in Ruteng, Flores, By: Rosino

The Perfect Time to Visit Wae Rebo

Wae Rebo is very crowded in November. The villagers celebrate Penti as an expression of being grateful to god for the abundant crops and also to pray for the subsequent harvest. Various cultural rituals and the famous Caci war dance are held during this celebration. Joining the locals and being part of the community at this event will be an unforgettable experience in Wae Rebo.

Help out with the coffee beans, By: Lara Shati

Enjoying the beauty of Wae Rebo costs around IDR.250.000 including a homestay for two days-one night and three meals. In Wae Rebo it is possible to stay in the new Mbaru Niang, collective shelter for guests (from 165.000/pax if more than 10, to 300.000/pax if alone, meals included, shared toilet).

You can also participate in the coffee production or weaving the Songke, traditional clothes of Manggarai. Experience a sense of togetherness and visit Wae Rebo!

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: No relief for flood-affected refugees

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: No relief for flood-affected refugees:

BANGKOK, 17 October 2012 (IRIN) - Environmental damage caused by copper mining in Papua New Guinea (PNG) has affected thousands of refugees from the neighbouring Indonesian province of West Papua who have not received any support from PNG or the mining company, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and NGOs.

MALI: Islamists lure back northerners

MALI: Islamists lure back northerners:

BAMAKO, 18 October 2012 (IRIN) - Hundreds of displaced northerners in southern Mali are risking life under Sharia law to return home, lured by the prospect of jobs, free water and electricity, and in some parts, relatively cheaper food, Malians in the north and south told IRIN.

Regional Mixed Migration Summary, September 2012

Colombia's indigenous pushed to find safety in cities

Colombia's indigenous pushed to find safety in cities: Thousands of Colombia's indigenous people have been forced by violence to flee to urban areas. They must balance preserving their identity with starting a new life.

Catholic and Unaffiliated Latinos Support Obama; Evangelicals Divided

Catholic and Unaffiliated Latinos Support Obama; Evangelicals Divided: Three-quarters of Latino Catholics and eight-in-ten religiously unaffiliated Latinos support President Barack Obama's re-election, while just 50% of Latino evangelical Protestants prefer Obama and 39% support Mitt Romney.

State-linked Libyan militias shell Bani Walid

State-linked Libyan militias shell Bani Walid: Ex-rebels allied to Libya's government launch deadly attack on former stronghold of deceased leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Libya: New Proof of Mass Killings at Gaddafi Death Site

Libya: New Proof of Mass Killings at Gaddafi Death Site:

New evidence collected by Human Rights Watch implicates Misrata-based militias in the apparent execution of dozens of detainees following the capture and death of Muammar Gaddafi one year ago.

(Beirut) – New evidence collected by Human Rights Watch implicates Misrata-based militias in the apparent execution of dozens of detainees following the capture and death of Muammar Gaddafi one year ago.
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Philippines: Aquino Should Sign Landmark Disappearances Law

Philippines: Aquino Should Sign Landmark Disappearances Law:

President Benigno Aquino III should sign into law a bill criminalizing enforced disappearances in the Philippines.

(New York) – President Benigno Aquino III should sign into law a bill criminalizing enforced disappearances in the Philippines, Human Rights Watch said today. The Philippine Congress passed the bill, the Anti-Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance Act of 2012, on October 16, 2012, and sent it to the president for signature.
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Landmine Ban: Holdouts Should Join Treaty

Landmine Ban: Holdouts Should Join Treaty:

The United States and other countries that have not yet banned antipersonnel landmines should join the treaty to eradicate these weapons.

(New York) – The United States and other countries that have not yet banned antipersonnel landmines should join the treaty to eradicate these weapons, Human Rights Watch said today on the 20^th anniversary of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), which it co-founded.

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Whither Cambodia's Monarchy?

Whither Cambodia's Monarchy?:
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen may have acquired from ex-king Norodom Sihanouk some shrewd political skills that have made him Southeast Asia’s longest serving leader today. But now that the charismatic ruler is dead, will the powerful Hun Sen deftly move to dismantle the monarchy to further shore up his position?

This question is obviously in the minds of Cambodians as they mourn the death of Sihanouk, who succumbed to a heart attack this week in his "second home" Beijing while undergoing treatment for cancer.

When he was on the throne, Sihanouk had often clashed with Hun Sen. Their relationship was a rocky one, especially after 1997 when the tough Hun Sen began dominating power in Cambodia and undercut Sihanouk's influence.

Though Sihanouk cited old age and health problems when he abdicated the throne—for the second and final time—in 2004 in favor of his son Norodom Sihamoni, many believe one of the reasons for his stepping down was his fear that Hun Sen would dismantle the monarchy if they continued to quarrel.

With Sihanouk out of the throne, the monarchy in Cambodia wielded no real power over the last eight years. But it remains a significant institution due to the reverence Cambodians give to the royal family, experts say.

The 59-year-old King Sihamoni, a one-time ballet dancer and cultural ambassador, is seen as completely apolitical and has given little problems to Hun Sen or his senior officials, raising expectations that the 60-year-old prime minister, who has said he will remain in power for another decade, will keep the monarch.

“There is no reason to expect that Hun Sen will act against the monarchy in its present form, despite his occasional highly critical comments on some members of the Cambodian royal family,” said Milton Osborne, a Southeast Asian expert at the Lowy Institute, an international policy think tank in Sydney, Australia.

“King Sihamoni has followed a strictly correct role as king without any hint of involvement in political issues. He is relatively young and in good health, and could remain on the throne for many years to come,” Osborne said in a blog post.

No threat
King Sihamoni is unmarried and has no children but this does not threaten the succession because Cambodia's constitution provides for an elective monarchy drawn from descendants of the 19th century monarch, King Ang Duang, said Osborne, who has written an unauthorized biography Sihanouk: Prince of Light, Prince of Darkness.

Even though hundreds of thousands of Cambodians lined the streets to pay respects to Sihanouk when his body was flown in Wednesday from Beijing, Osborne points out that the bulk of the population has no personal memory of the “golden” years of the mercurial ex-king and independence hero who helped steer Cambodia through five decades of war, genocide, and disorder.

This could change their perception of the monarchy, he said.

“I think there is a genuine adherence to the monarchy, particularly in the peasantry who see the king still as a very special figure, almost divine to some extent. But in fact the majority of Cambodians have grown up without a powerful monarch in the palace in Phnom Penh and I think that does change the way people look at the institution.”

Still, Hun Sen did not take any chances.

Knowing well that Sihanouk was revered at home, the prime minister wasted little time before displaying his affection to the late “King-Father” upon his death.

On learning that the monarch had died in the Chinese capital, Hun Sen immediately flew to Beijing with King Sihamoni to escort his body home.

Then, on returning to Phnom Penh with Sihanouk's body, Hun Sen accompanied the casket as it weaved through the streets of Phnom Penh on a golden float.

Hun Sen also made sure that Sihanouk received a lavish state funeral.

He declared a week of mourning and ordered that the charismatic leader’s body lie in state at the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh for three months during which time the public can pay respects before it is cremated according to Buddhist ritual.

Even stronger

Some believe Hun Sen, who has been at the helm of Cambodian politics for more than three decades and whose administration is often accused of suppressing political freedoms and mistreatment of rights campaigners, will emerge even stronger after Sihanouk’s death.

“This is a new era for Hun Sen,” Lao Moung Hay, a former civil servant and professor of law and economics, told the New York Times. “There is no force to restrain him anymore—there are risks for the country.”

Prince Sisowath Thomico, King Sihanouk’s longtime private secretary and nephew, told the paper that some Cambodians were worried and afraid after Sihanouk’s death.

“He had such charisma,” the prince said. “And now there will be a kind of hiatus. The people of Cambodia will have to wait for the next person who will have that same moral authority.”

While Sihanouk may have been a consummate politician and had survived political maneuvering during the bloody Vietnam War and Pol Pot's murderous Khmer Rouge regime, he is being blamed by some quarters for the extensive powers that have been accumulated by Hun Sen today.

“Not noted in many [of Sihanouk’s] obituaries, however, is one important point,” said Joshua Kurlantzick, a Southeast Asian expert at the Council on Foreign Relations.

“At several times during his reign, Sihanouk made noises about opening Cambodia up to true multiparty democracy, but he never could really do so, preferring instead to keep all parties under the thumb of himself and the royalist establishment,” Kurlantzick said.

He acknowledged that at times, Sihanouk’s beneficent monarchical style proved effective—in the 1940s, 1950s, and early 1960s, “he made many judicious and foresighted decisions for his country.”

“But though he is hardly the only one to blame for Cambodia’s current political state, his inability to ever move beyond his patrician, monarchical, and authoritarian style left a legacy of big man rule that Hun Sen, for years Sihanouk’s antagonist, has readily adopted."

“Today, in fact, the true heir of Sihanouk is not his son Sihamoni, who sits on a far less valuable throne, but rather Hun Sen, who controls Cambodia the way Sihanouk once did.”

Transition Fuels Reform Talk

Transition Fuels Reform Talk:
A series of official media reports in recent days are fueling speculation over whether China's next generation of leaders will implement genuine political reforms, as the ruling Chinese Communist Party gears up for a crucial national congress next month.

Several state-run news outlets, including some with close ties to the Party, have hit out in recent editorials at a two-year labor camp sentence handed to a Chongqing blogger for retweeting the words "Down with the one-party dictatorship" on the popular microblogging service Sina Weibo.

Yu Jincui, opinion writer for the influential Global Times tabloid, wrote last week: "It's worrying that people can still be punished for expressing or writing critical thoughts in modern China."

Yu's article said that being sentenced for negative speech was a holdover from a political tradition from the last century.

"It's outdated and goes against today's freedom of speech and rule of law," said the article, which could not have been published without top-level approval from China's political elite.

Last year, microblog user Ren Jianyu, 25, was handed a sentence of two years' "re-education through labor" in Chongqing for "incitement to subvert state power" after forwarding photographs of President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao online with the words: "Down with the Chinese Communist Party" in the wake of the July 2011 deadly high-speed train crash near the eastern city of Wenzhou.

But labor camp sentences handed down during the anti-crime campaigns of ousted former Chongqing Party chief Bo Xilai and his then-police chief Wang Lijun are now being overturned, or receiving a more sympathetic official hearing, lawyers say.
Before his fall from grace amid the country's biggest political scandal in decades, Bo had been tapped for a key position in the next generation of China's leaders, which will be decided in a once-in-a-decade leadership transition at the 18th Party Congress in Beijing on Nov. 8.
Judicial reform
Meanwhile, Jiang Bixin, deputy chief of China's Supreme People's Court, published an article in the Party's own People's Daily newspaper calling for greater judicial independence, to ensure greater social stability, a key watchword of the current administration of Hu and Wen.

It identified "correctness, thoroughness, and effectiveness" as the core values, calling for "a fair, effective, and authoritative judiciary" to ensure laws were fairly implemented.

"People have a common expectation, that there should be more probity in the actual enforcement of the law," the article said.

Lawyers currently cite lack of judicial independence as the chief obstacle in achieving any sort of rule of law in China, with powerful vested interests at the local level easily able to sway court judgements in their favor.
Sticking to the law
Beijing-based lawyer Cheng Hai said China had plenty of excellent laws on the books that were simply not followed.

"They hamper lawyers' ability to do their job; they hold closed-door trials; they don't accept cases that they should accept, and they don't ... stick to the law in their judgements, for example in the case of complaints against the government," Cheng said.

Jiang's article called for a mechanism to be set up to protect judicial authority, as well as a body which could issue interpretations and plug loopholes in the law and a system for training legal professionals.

But many are skeptical that the public calls for systemic reform will lead to any real change under China's next administration, which is expected to be headed by current Vice President Xi Jinping and Vice Premier Li Keqiang.

"This sounds very nice, but basically it's rubbish," said U.S.-based Chinese lawyer Ding Xiaoji. "China's judiciary is in reality a tool of the Party, for the protection of its own grip on power."

"The highest judicial body in the land is the standing committee of the National People's Congress ... which has no free elections or freedom of expression," Ding said. "It doesn't represent the will of the people, but the will of the Party."
Burgeoning discontent
Calls for reform persist in the public domain, nonetheless, and a recent opinion poll carried out by a U.S. company found that around half of respondents like the idea of a U.S.-style democracy in China.

The survey of Chinese attitudes by the Washington-based Pew Research Center showed that as public confidence in Chinese institutions, from government bureaucracies to the health-care system, deteriorates, appreciation of other possible systems of government is growing.

Burgeoning discontent over issues from corruption to food safety left some 52 percent of people expressed a positive view of American-style democracy, according to the Washington Post, particularly among well-educated urbanites.

On Wednesday, a professor at the People's University in Beijing penned an open letter to China's leaders calling for the country to move to a federal, democratic republic of China.

Such a move, Leng Jiefu argued, would solve the problem of relations with Taiwan, and the political legacy of the military crackdown on the 1989 pro-democracy movement.

"We are facing conflicts of a political, economic, ideological, and military nature that threaten, in the long term, to rip us apart from north to south," Leng wrote.

A recent U.S. congressional study found a huge disconnect between the growing demands of the Chinese people for reforms and Beijing’s ability to meet the deluge of such requests.

In a year marked by a major internal political scandal and leadership transition, the report said, Chinese officials appeared more concerned with ‘‘maintaining stability’’ and preserving the status quo than with addressing grassroots calls for reform across all levels of society.

Beijing has intensified a nationwide clampdown on dissident writers and rights activists ahead of the party congress. Police have launched a "stability" drive, with many rights activists and dissidents reported to be under house arrest, either in their homes or in out-of-town locations like holiday resorts.

Others are being held under criminal detention on charges they say are excuses to limit their freedom over the transition period.

Reported by Xin Yu, Lin Ping, and Xi Wang for RFA's Mandarin service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.

Cummings confronts anti-vote fraud group

Cummings confronts anti-vote fraud group: The top Democratic lawmaker is concerned that its efforts may adversely impact minority voters.

Radio Liberty to Expand Online, Cease Russia Broadcasts

Radio Liberty to Expand Online, Cease Russia Broadcasts: U.S.-funded media outlet Radio Liberty says it will end its radio broadcasts and move to digital platforms to comply with a new Russian law prohibiting foreign control of broadcast licenses.

In a Moscow Times article, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) president Steve Korn says the station is adapting to new legal realities and changing technology and distribution systems.

Korn says Radio Liberty's future lies in digital, Internet and social media, where it hopes to reach ...

Indonesian Minister's Rape Comments Draw Ire

Indonesian Minister's Rape Comments Draw Ire: In Indonesia, the alleged kidnapping and rape of a girl has drawn international headlines for how she has been treated by school and government officials. Activists say the case reveals long-standing shortcomings in how authorities respond to violence against women.

Late last month a 14-year-old girl living on the outskirts of Jakarta was alleged to have been abducted, held captive and repeatedly raped by several men for a week. She was subsequently expelled for bringing shame upon her ...

Explosions, Gunfire Rock Northeastern Nigerian Town

Explosions, Gunfire Rock Northeastern Nigerian Town: Explosions and gunfire shook a city in northeastern Nigeria Wednesday, two days after violence in the region killed at least 24 people.

Residents of Potiskum in Yobe state say the fighting began around 6:00 a.m. local time. A local television station reports that Nigerian security forces are fighting suspected Boko Haram terrorists.

Nigeria's Joint Task Force, or JTF, says it killed 24 Boko Haram members during a clash in the city of Maiduguri late Monday and recovered an ...

Somali Parliament Approves New PM

Somali Parliament Approves New PM: Somalia's parliament has officially approved Abdi Farah Shirdoon as the country's new prime minister.

All 215 lawmakers present for Wednesday's vote endorsed his appointment.

Shirdoon was sworn in immediately and said he will form a competent cabinet as soon as possible.

The U.N. special representative to Somalia, Augustine Mahiga, said Shirdoon's approval is "further incontrovertible evidence of progress in Somalia."

Mahiga encouraged the prime minister to ...

English Replaces Russian as Top Foreign Language of Study in Ex-Soviet Georgia

English Replaces Russian as Top Foreign Language of Study in Ex-Soviet Georgia: Twenty years ago, after the fall of the Soviet Union, 90 percent of the people in the 12 new countries that surrounded Russia, Belarus and Ukraine spoke Russian. By the end of this decade, linguists say, that portion could fall to 10 percent.

The decline of Russian is particularly sharp in Georgia.

Packed with eight-year-olds, a third-grade English class at a government school in northern Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, offers a noisy insight into the country’s linguistic future.

...

Egypt's Electricity Woes Amplify Economic Frustrations

Egypt's Electricity Woes Amplify Economic Frustrations: The Egyptian government is trying to cope with electricity shortages by ordering stores and cafes to close earlier. But economists worry this plan to fix one problem will lead to more and cause further public frustration with the government.

Government officials say legislation to close shops and restaurants early will go into effect after the Eid al Adha holiday later this month.

Energy conservation

Blackouts have become increasingly frequent as the post-revolution economy ...

N. Korean Defections Raise Questions about Security, Loyalty

N. Korean Defections Raise Questions about Security, Loyalty: Three defections across the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea are raising questions about the global flashpoint.

South Korean officials said three North Korean defectors have sneaked across the DMZ in the past three months, one of them announcing his arrival by knocking on the door of a South Korean barracks.

That incident has drawn a public rebuke from South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, who summoned the defense minister Thursday and said those ...

‘Mullah Radio’ believed to be behind attack on Pakistani schoolgirl - The Washington Post

George McGovern No Longer Responsive, Family Says

George McGovern No Longer Responsive, Family Says: George McGovern, the former Democratic Senator remembered for a devastating defeat by Richard Nixon in the 1972 presidential election, was near death on Wednesday at a South Dakota hospice center, his family said.

Media Decoder: Newsweek Will Cease Print Publication at End of Year

Media Decoder: Newsweek Will Cease Print Publication at End of Year: The struggling weekly magazine will publish its final print edition on Dec. 31 and move into an all-digital format next year, announced its editor, Tina Brown.

Oct 17, 2012

Sri Lanka frees Tamil Tiger leader

Sri Lanka frees Tamil Tiger leader: Selvarasa Pathmanathan, the last leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam,was arrested in 2009.

UN envoy warns of Syria crisis spillover

UN envoy warns of Syria crisis spillover: Lakhdar Brahimi, currently in Lebanon, says if the conflict is not solved, it will set the entire region ablaze.

Hunger soars in the Philippines

Hunger soars in the Philippines: Number of undernourished Filipinos has grown by two million in two years, even as it drops in neighbouring countries.

Israel 'set calorie limit' for Gaza Strip

Israel 'set calorie limit' for Gaza Strip: Document in Israel reveals army calculated minimum calories Gazans needed to eat during blockade to avoid malnutrition.

New housing starts surge 15% in September -- best level since '08 - latimes.com

LinkedIn revamps Profile, seeks higher engagement | PCWorld

2 police officers killed while investigating terrorist activities in central Indonesia - The Washington Post

Islamist businessmen challenge Egypt's old money | Reuters

'Spy of the West': Al-Qaida, Taliban struggle to justify attack on Pakistani teen - World News

Rhino slaughter in South Africa sets savage pace: 455 so far this year - World News

Greg Sargent: Obama turns it around

Greg Sargent: Obama turns it around:
A very different President Obama showed up to tonight’s debate than the one who got trounced by Mitt Romney two weeks ago. Obama absolutely had to turn in a performance that would make his base happy — and he did that, by demonstrating a willingness to get in Mitt Romney’s face and in his space, and by not flinching from calling out Romney’s lies. Will Obama’s performance appeal to independents, swing, and undecided voters?
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A clear win for Obama

A clear win for Obama:
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y.
Not a close call. President Obama won the second presidential debate as clearly and decisively as he lost the first. For anyone who disagrees, three simple words: “Please proceed, Governor.”
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Obama and Romney Turn Up the Temperature at Their Second Debate

Obama and Romney Turn Up the Temperature at Their Second Debate: In a charged and clenched debate, President Obama portrayed Mitt Romney as a former corporate raider, while Mr. Romney kept bringing the discussion back to Mr. Obama’s record.

The Tv Watch: In Debate’s Dance, Romney Has More Missteps

The Tv Watch: In Debate’s Dance, Romney Has More Missteps: At their town-hall-style debate, President Obama and Mitt Romney circled around each other like tomcats in an alley as they vied for dominance in an effort to reach voters.

News Analysis: In Second Debate, Obama Strikes Back

News Analysis: In Second Debate, Obama Strikes Back: President Obama emerged from the second debate with Mitt Romney having settled nerves within his party and claimed a new chance to frame the presidential race with just three weeks until Election Day.

Dreams from my daughters: Letting young girls be girls | The Jakarta Post

In U.S., Unadjusted Unemployment at 7.3% in Mid-October

Oct 16, 2012

UK doctors hopeful for Pakistan girl recovery

UK doctors hopeful for Pakistan girl recovery: Malala Yousafzai, getting treatment in UK after shot by Taliban, has chance for "good recovery", British doctors say.

Cuba ends travel exit permit policy

Cuba ends travel exit permit policy: The decision eliminates stringent travel restrictions that have been a major impediment for Cubans travelling abroad.

Iran says EU new sanctions are futile

Iran says EU new sanctions are futile: Tehran says EU's new sanctions will not force any retreat on the country's suspect nuclear programme.

Google rejects EU privacy challenge

Google rejects EU privacy challenge: The internet power house stands by its decision to track user activity across various services for targeted advertising.

'Airstrikes' pound Syrian rebel strongholds

'Airstrikes' pound Syrian rebel strongholds: Activists reports deadly raids in Idlib and Aleppo provinces, despite ceasefire request by UN-Arab league envoy Brahimi.

Karadzic: I should be rewarded for war role

Karadzic: I should be rewarded for war role: Bosnian Serb wartime leader tells court he should be rewarded for "reducing suffering", not accused of war crimes.

Conviction of Bin Laden driver overturned

Conviction of Bin Laden driver overturned: Court overturns 2008 ruling saying Salim Ahmed Hamdan was tried for crimes from 1996 - 2001 using a 2006 law.

Clinton Takes Responsibility for Libya Security Failure

Clinton Takes Responsibility for Libya Security Failure: Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton appeared to be trying to inoculate President Obama from criticism for any security lapses in Libya as he prepared for Tuesday’s debate.

Afghan Army’s High Turnover Clouds U.S. Exit Plan

Afghan Army’s High Turnover Clouds U.S. Exit Plan: The Afghan Army is so plagued with desertions and low re-enlistment rates that it has to replace a third of its entire force every year, officials say.

Well: The Doctor Can See You Now. Really, Right Now.

Well: The Doctor Can See You Now. Really, Right Now.: Web services like Appointment Status and ZocDoc aim to help patients save time at the doctor's office.

The Election—IV

The Election—IV: Steven Weinberg, Garry Wills, and Jeffrey D. Sachs

Barack Obama; drawing by John Springs

Steven Weinberg

The presidency of Barack Obama began to fail on January 6, 2009, a fortnight before the president was inaugurated. Only on that day, the first day of a new Congress, the rules of the Senate could have been changed by a simple majority vote. That was the last opportunity to revise the rule that requires sixty votes to limit a filibuster. Of course, no president-elect or president has ...

The Election—III

The Election—III: Darryl Pinckney, David Bromwich, and Kwame Anthony Appiah

Mother Jones
A still from a video of Mitt Romney talking to wealthy donors at a fund-raiser in Boca Raton, Florida, May 17, 2012

Darryl Pinckney

Mitt Romney admitted to the new social truth in America when he remarked that had his parents been Mexican he’d have a better shot at the presidency. That the United States is a changed country, demographically, from the one that white men of Romney’s generation grew up in became manifest in the last presidential election and will do so again.
Republicans who argue that the Hispanic ...

The Election—II

The Election—II: Frank Rich, David Cole, Ronald Dworkin, and Russell Baker

Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Images
Mitt Romney and Barack Obama at the beginning of the first presidential debate, Denver, October 3, 2012

Frank Rich

For all the liberal nail-biting about the presidential campaign of 2012, and for all the entertaining journalistic updates on the daily horse race, the fundamental story has remained unchanged (and not terribly suspenseful) all year. The Republican Party’s angry and highly motivated conservative base—possessed by loathing of Barack Obama and his devious schemes to turn America into Sweden—could not find a plausible candidate to lead ...