Schwarzenegger and DSK: when powerful men cross lines
By Tracy Weber in ProPublica. The week’s news about the sexual conduct of politically powerful men gives me a queasy feeling of déjà vu. As the French agonize over whether Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s star power quashed past allegations, I can respond cynically: Yes, that probably happened. But we should not automatically assume that timelier reporting about […]
New details in the bin Laden docs: portrait of a fugitive micro-manager
By Sebastian Rotella in ProPublica During his final years, Osama bin Laden expressed interest in everything from killing President Obama to his deputies’ personalities to an article in an extremist magazine that he didn’t like, according to two U.S. officials familiar with material seized during the raid that killed bin Laden. A trove of digital […]
Arctic nations eye future of world's last frontier
By Andrew Quinn, Reuters Leaders of Arctic nations gather in Greenland this week to chart future cooperation as global warming sets off a race for oil, mineral, fishing and shipping opportunities in the world’s fragile final frontier. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will join foreign ministers from seven other Arctic states in Greenland’s tiny capital […]
Day 2 of Marchanacional: Protesters enter Mexico City
By Geraldine Juarez This post is part of a series of posts on Mexico’s ‘march for peace.’ The silent caravan of the Marchanacional (national march) left Coajumulco early on Friday morning, May 6, to continue on its way to El Zócalo in downtown Mexico City. Jesus Robles Maloof has been blogging about the march, and he […]
The original sea monster
By David A Gabel, ENN If an extra terrestrial civilization were to study the history of Earth, they would most likely conclude that this is the planet of the dinosaurs, giant reptiles who ruled the world for hundreds of millions of years. Humans, currently the dominant species, have not even existed for one per cent […]
'Where is your god now?': London policemen on trial accused of beating Muslim
Four officers from London’s Metropolitan Police went on trial today accused of repeatedly beating a Muslim arrested on suspicion of helping “terrorist organisations operating abroad.” The men deny assaulting Babar Ahmad, 36, in his home, in a police van and in a police station. The assault charges stem from the December 2003 arrest in the city’s south-west. Less […]
Financial ties bind medical societies to drug and device makers
By Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber SAN FRANCISCO — From the time they arrived to the moment they laid their heads on hotel pillows, the thousands of cardiologists attending this week’s Heart Rhythm Society conference have been bombarded with pitches for drugs and medical devices. St. Jude Medical adorns every hotel key card. Medtronic ads […]
Outsourcing greenhouse gas emissions to the developing world
By David A Gabel, ENN In many developed nations, increased energy efficiency has effectively lowered emissions of carbon dioxide. However, the cuts in advanced economies are merely an illusion, as manufacturing and dirty industries have moved offshore to the developing world such as China and India. These countries produce goods cheaply which Western consumers like. […]
Egyptian politician ElBaradei says ousted President Mubarak must stand trial
Egyptian politician Mohamed ElBaradei said that ousted President Hosni Mubarak must stand trial. His statement follows the recent ratification by Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil El Araby of a statute that ensures Egypt will join the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC). If ElBaradei assumes power in the coming October/November 2011 elections, Mubarak and other former high-ranking corrupt Egyptian officials could potentially be tried […]
China carbon emissions could peak by 2025-2030
By Chris Buckley, Reuters China, the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, could peak in emissions by 2030 or earlier, says a study from U.S. researchers who foresee Chinese demand for appliances, buildings and much industry reaching “saturation” around then. The study by energy and emissions experts at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California […]