After Katrina, New Orleans cops were told they could shoot looters
By Sabrina Shankman and Tom Jennings of Frontline, Brendan McCarthy and Laura Maggi of The New Orleans Times-Picayune and A.C. Thompson of ProPublica This story was co-published with The New Orleans Times-Picayune. In the chaotic days after Hurricane Katrina, an order circulated among New Orleans police authorizing officers...
China's economy surpasses Japan's in second quarter
China's economy surpassed Japan's during the second quarter of 2010, and now is the second largest world economic power. China's economy already is larger than Japan's in the fourth quarter of most years, and many expect that the world's most populous country will soon cement its place as the world's second largest economy...
Early puberty for US girls raises health risk
According to a new study, US girls are reaching puberty earlier than ever, a trend that raises some health concerns. The study, which was conducted in New York's East Harlem, the Cincinnati metropolitan area and the San Francisco Bay area, showed that by age eight, 27% of girls had begun puberty and showed breast development....
Flooding devastates millions in Pakistan
The Pakistan Red Crescent Society, which has branches and volunteers across the country, has been helping survivors since the flooding began by delivering food, health services, shelter and relief items (including hygiene kits and cooking equipment).Monsoon rains have caused extensive flash flooding throughout Pakistan, killing...
Mia Farrow, Carole White testify in Charles Taylor's war crimes trial
Actress Mia Farrow and Carole White have testified in former Liberian president Charles Taylor's war crimes trial at the Special Court for Sierra Leone in The Hague, The Netherlands. Farrow and White's testimonies contradict supermodel Naomi Campbell's testimony from last week.White said Campbell was "mildly flirtatious" with...
Pressure mounts against Florida church plans to burn Quran
A Gainesville, Florida church named the Dove World Outreach Center has drawn international attention to itself with its planned book burning of the Quran. The church urges people to send them copies of the book for burning at a bonfire event to be held on church property this coming September 11. The date marks the ninth...
The Net Neutrality spat explained
By Marian Wang in PropublicaIn recent weeks, top officials from the Federal Communications Commission have held closed-door meetings to negotiate with the country’s biggest communications companies and online service providers on how the Internet should be regulated. In a statement today, the FCC said it had called off those...
Northern lights may appear across Canada and northern U.S. late Tuesday night
Forecasters predict that northern lights could be visible to the naked eye late tonight and early tomorrow morning across Canada, northern parts of the U.S., and possibly the United Kingdom.Solar storms caused a large ejection of plasma from the Sun's surface on Sunday, and the plasma...
Bull fighting banned in Catalonia
The parliament of Catalonia, an autonomous region of Spain, today voted to outlaw bullfighting – an iconic sport in much of the country. The vote was held after animal rights activists, led by Spanish animal rights group Prou! (Spanish for "Enough!"), who claim the practice is "barbaric", collected 180,000 signatures to a ...
Gitmo challenges could endanger half of convictions
By Chisun Lee in ProPublicaDecisions on two legal challenges to the Guantanamo military commissions system, both expected this summer, could undo half the convictions won so far before the tribunals and disrupt a number of pending cases.The appeals of two 2008 convictions attack several core aspects of the young trial system....
