Claims US, Israel
were 'wrongly' included with other countries
BBC Jan 20, 08 2:00 PM CST
(Newser)
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Canadian foreign minister Maxime Bernier has apologized for the inclusion of the US and Israel on a list of countries in which prisoners risk being subjected to torture, the BBC reports. The list, part of a torture awareness guide for diplomats, cited US interrogation techniques and referred to its Guantanamo Bay facility. Both countries denounced their placement on the list.
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'Torture awareness' manual for diplomats includes US, Syria, Israel, Iran
BBC Jan 18, 08 6:40 AM CST
(Newser)
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The US, along with China, Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, and Israel, is listed in an official Canadian foreign ministry document of countries where prisoners are at risk of torture, the BBC reports. The "torture awareness" training manual classifies as torture some US interrogation techniques, including forced nudity, isolation, and sleep deprivation.
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New survey touted as most reliable yet, but definite figure hard to come by
Associated Press Jan 9, 08 7:47 PM CST
(Newser)
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More than 150,000 Iraqis—about 120 a day—were killed in the first three years of the Iraqi war following the US invasion in 2003, a new study says. The estimate, from the WHO and the Iraqi government, is said to be the most scientific study yet of the civilian death toll, but the true figure may never be known, the AP reports.
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Rescue undermined
by US, says Stone
Guardian (UK) Jan 7, 08 3:40 AM CST
(Newser)
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Maverick Hollywood director Oliver Stone had a front-row seat on the scene of the failed hostage rescue mission in Colombia last month—and has returned blaming that nation's government and President Bush. "Shame on Bush,” Stone told the Guardian . Colombian rebels reneged on a deal to free two female politicians and a child, saying stepped up military operations in the area made release too dangerous.
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US market tumbles as mobsters flourish
Los Angeles Times Dec 27, 07 4:44 PM CST
(Newser)
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Europe is gaining a foothold in the world’s cocaine trade, elbowing out the US as the largest market thanks to the bravado of one Italian crime syndicate. The ‘Ndrangheta mafia, based in the hills of southern Italy, has won prominence by dealing directly with Colombian kingpins and shunning the spotlight, the LA Times reports. The syndicate of 155 families has assets totaling $50 billion.
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Critics question secret oversight; official says
it avoids public blame
Reuters Dec 23, 07 4:02 PM CST
(Newser)
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Washington will secretly score Israeli and Palestinian adherence to the "road map" peace plan and hash out results with each side, Reuters reports. US diplomats plan to report to the White House on Israeli settlement growth and Palestinian vows to curb militants, two keys to the peace deal—but critics question the value of such secret oversight.
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Shiite-led gov't fears US-backed militias
will become rival force
Associated Press Dec 23, 07 11:20 AM CST
(Newser)
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Iraq's Shiite-dominated government is demanding that Sunni militias who are helping fight Islamic extremists eventually disband, fearing they will otherwise turn into their own military force. The militias, called Awakening Councils, or Concerned Local Citizens, comprise more than 70,000 Iraqis, including former insurgents, and are funded by the United States.
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Claims rebels suffer 'heavy losses'
but no fatalities
BBC Dec 22, 07 3:33 PM CST
(Newser)
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Turkey bombed Kurdish rebel targets in Northern Iraq today, claiming strikes on "infrastructure" but no fatalities, the BBC reports. Ten planes reportedly attacked the al-Amadiyah region, which Kurdish officials say is abandoned for fear of military strikes. Turkish officials said the militant PKK "suffered heavy losses in terms of its infrastructure and its human resources."
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Institution raises record $25.1B for globe's poorest countries
New York Times Dec 14, 07 3:15 PM CST
(Newser)
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Great Britain has supplanted the United States as the largest contributor to the World Bank, pledging $4.2 billion of the total $25.1 billion raised for the world's poorest nations, a record high. The shift in power reflects both the dollar's waning dominance as well as an end to US-Europe tensions following Paul Wolfowitz's resignation, the Times reports.
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OPINION
Writer pans Brits for letting themselves go
Times (UK) Dec 13, 07 5:37 PM CST
(Newser)
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British women could stand to take a few pointers from their American counterparts when it comes to the fine art of grooming, complains Tad Safran in the Times . The single-and-looking screenwriter, who splits time between London and LA, says it's no competition. American women follow "obligatory beauty maintenance"—exercise, manicures, pedicures—while British women are more content to "tuck into a second huge plate shepherd's pie."
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US, EU in standoff over new carbon limits
Reuters Dec 13, 07 4:00 AM CST
(Newser)
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A face-off between American and European environment officials has pushed the Bali climate change talks to the breaking point, with United Nations officials warning that the summit could collapse "like a house of cards." Delegates in Bali are sharply divided over the guidelines for the next two years of formal talks on a successor to the Kyoto Protocol, which will establish new carbon caps for industrial nations.
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