foreign-affairs

Vladimir Putin Wants to See Your Boobs

Jeff Neumann · 07/17/11 11:45PM

Hey politically inclined ladies, do you have what it takes to join Putin's Army? By that we mean, are you willing to rip your clothes off in public to support the studly Vladimir Putin in his quest to become Russia's President again? If so, you might even win an iPad2!

Drug Lord Brother of Afghan President Assassinated

Jeff Neumann · 07/12/11 04:03AM

It's a good day to be an enterprising heroin dealer in southern Afghanistan. Ahmed Wali Karzai, half-brother of President Hamid Karzai, was shot and killed by a family bodyguard at his home in Kandahar, where he was the chief of the provincial council. The deceased is said to have been the owner of truckloads of heroin over the years, but to be fair, in a 2008 interview with the New York Times he said, "I am not a drug dealer, I never was and I never will be." So take that for what's it worth?

Rude Racist Truths From a Call Center

Ryan Tate · 07/06/11 02:31PM

Oh, the things they say about us in Indian call centers. About Americans, about Australians — it's terribly insulting stuff. It's also kinda true!

Facebook Parties Could Be Banned in Germany

Ryan Tate · 07/05/11 08:41PM

The riots spread from Hamburg to Wuppertal, but the terror reigns over an entire nation. Or a municipality, at least: Lower Saxony could ban Facebook parties following a string of violent incidents involving open party invitations.

Libyan Rebels Get Closer to Tripoli

Jeff Neumann · 06/27/11 07:11AM

Libyan rebels battling Muammar Qaddafi's forces in the western mountains are now only about 50 miles away from Tripoli. Meanwhile, "foreign parties" are meeting in Tunisia with Qaddafi government ministers today. [Reuters, LAT]

Obama's War in Libya Facing a Big Congressional Slap

Jim Newell · 06/24/11 11:09AM

The House of Representatives will actually hold two votes today on war funding. This is quite something: One vote to defund military action in Libya, another to authorize it for a year. Finally, many months after the Obama administration went into another MENA country with little-to-no strategy, we're having something akin to a congressional authorization process. This is healthy.

Apple Kills an App on Behalf of Israel

Ryan Tate · 06/23/11 04:31PM

Apple is becoming a major diplomatic player. The company agreed to remove an iPhone app devoted to Palestinian insurrection, eliciting praise for "swift action" from Israel's public diplomacy minister. This sort of app removal is going to get tricky.

Chinese Artist Ai Weiwei Released

Max Read · 06/22/11 07:42PM

Two and a half months after his imprisonment on charges of tax evasion, internationally-renowned artist Ai Weiwei was released by Chinese authorities because (according to state news agency Xinhua) "of his good attitude in confessing his crimes as well as a chronic disease he suffers from" (likely diabetes or hypertension).

Obama's Plan for Afghanistan

Jim Newell · 06/22/11 04:39PM

President Obama will give a speech on Afghanistan tonight, and the Times is reporting on the troop drawdown numbers he's settled on: 10,000 out by the end of the year and an additional 20,000 by September 2012.

The Rise of the Facebook Empire

Ryan Tate · 06/14/11 02:54PM

The "World Map of Social Networks" has long made a game of Risk from the global competition between Facebook, MySpace, Orkut and other social networks. Facebook is, at last, sweeping the board. Just check out the latest map.

Muammar Qaddafi Is a Combative Chess Player

Jeff Neumann · 06/13/11 02:14AM

Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi took some time out of his busy schedule hiding from NATO bombs, fighting a war against his own people, and getting so high to play a game of chess with the president of the World Chess Federation, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov yesterday in Tripoli. Russian news agency Interfax reports that Qaddafi and one of his sons went with the Sicilian Defense — a chess opening that is described as "combative." How fitting. He also said there's no way he's leaving Libya.

Yemeni President Reportedly Undergoing Neurosurgery in Saudi Arabia

Max Read · 06/05/11 10:31AM

Embattled Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh traveled to Saudi Arabia on Saturday following an attack on his compound, leaving Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi in control of the government. According to a spokesman, Saleh is in Saudi Arabia for "simple check-ups," but "western diplomatic sources" tell CNN that the president is undergoing neurosurgery and had suffered "severe burns to his face and chest." It's unclear what Saleh's departure means for the ongoing protests and clashes between government forces and opposition groups, but opposition leaders say they will not allow Saleh to return to the country. The attack on Saleh's compound was originally blamed on a "rebel tribe"; the Yemeni government now believes it may have been Al Qaeda. [CNN; image via AP]

It's Official: North Koreans Happier Than Americans

Ryan Tate · 06/02/11 04:13PM

China and North Korea are the happiest nations on Earth, while people in the United States are utterly miserable, according to a completely objective survey by North Korean researchers. Groundbreaking.

Congress (Almost!) Withdraws from an Illegal War

Jim Newell · 06/02/11 01:02PM

For the past two weeks, President Obama has not had the legal authority from Congress to use military action in Libya. I know I'm being a stickler, but if we're going to get further and further involved in a third war with no plan in both the short and long term, then Congress should at the very least sign off on it as the law requires it to. The other option for Congress is to use its authority to end this altogether — which it appeared willing to do yesterday, before the Republican leadership pulled the vote from the floor.