U.S. and the World
Pfizer Finally Begins Payouts in Nigerian Drug Testing Case
Fifteen years after it was accused of illegally testing a drug on children, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer began this week to pay compensation to families in Nigeria.
During an outbreak of meningitis in 1996, Pfizer injected about 200 children ... read more
Sprint Ordered to Pay Terror Victims Money Owed to Iran
Sprint Nextel Corp. has been ordered by a federal judge to pay more than $600,000 to victims of the June 25, 1996, Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia.
The order arose out of a lawsuit filed by families of those who died in the terrorist a... read more
Dutch Experiment with Driving Tax to Cover Decline in Gas Use
With gasoline consumption on the decline, the government of the Netherlands is experimenting with putting meters in cars so it can charge citizens for how much they drive.
Drivers are assessed not only for the miles they rack up, but also fo... read more
Disturbing Rise in Warzone Attacks on Hospitals and Medics
It’s been open season on doctors and nurses in recent years, according to the International Red Cross, which has issued alarming numbers on attacks, some intentional, targeting medical professionals in war zones.
The International Committee ... read more
London Rioters Destroyed 144-Year-Old Family Store
It survived the Great War, the Great Depression and the Second World War. But the House of Reeves wasn’t able to withstand the riots that swept across England.
The family-owned furniture store had been in business since opening its doors i... read more
U.S. Drug Companies Save Money by Testing New Products on Poor Foreigners
Rather than expose themselves to U.S. media scrutiny, not to mention the American judicial system, pharmaceutical companies in the United States are increasingly turning to foreign nations to test their new drugs. The trend in outsourced clinica... read more
Guatemalan Court Orders Return of Child Kidnapped for Illegal Adoption in U.S.
The U.S. government has been ordered by a judge in Guatemala to return a six-year-old girl kidnapped from her family four years ago and adopted by an American couple.
Loyda Rodriguez Morales, the mother of Anyelí Liseth Hernández Rodríguez, ... read more
Which Nation Launched Largest Cyber Attack Ever?
Security company McAfee recently discovered the largest series of cyber attacks to date, and while officials refused to say who was behind the hacking, they’re certain the culprit was a single national government.
Privately, computer experts... read more
Fukushima Radiation Level Hits Record High
Contrary to the government’s previous assurances, the crippled nuclear power plant in Japan still is leaking lethal amounts of radiation.
The owner of the Fukushima Daiichi plant, Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), said Monday that record hig... read more
New Income Opportunity…Selling Spy Equipment to Iraqi Government
The U.S. Air Force is planning to hire a private company to provide wire-tapping capabilities to Iraq.
Iraqi officials will be able to eavesdrop on cellular calls and messages “to assist in combating criminal organizations and insurgencies,”... read more
First-Ever African Little League Team Denied Visas to U.S.
After coming so close last year to becoming the first team from Africa to play in the Little League World Series, players from Uganda had their hopes dashed again this year. But the obstacle had nothing to do with baseball.
Some of the playe... read more
Pentagon Report Concludes Taxpayer Money Ends Up in Hands of Taliban
After a year of investigation, the U.S. military has concluded what was already determined by Congress and the media—that at least some portion of a billion-dollar transportation contract in Afghanistan wound up in the hands of the Taliban.
... read more
Dictator of the Month: Teodoro Obiang Nguema of Equatorial Guinea
One of the most overlooked nations in the world, Equatorial Guinea popped onto the international scene after large reserves of oil were discovered there in 1995. Between 1968 and 1979, the nation was controlled by a dictator, Francisco Macías Ng... read more
Japan Not Sure Where the Nuclear Contaminated Beef Is
In the wake of Japan’s worst-ever civilian nuclear catastrophe, the government failed to take precautions against radiated feed being consumed by cattle as a result of the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant meltdown. The result has alarmed the populat... read more
U.S. Aid Money Funding Afghan Insurgents
It’s bad enough when foreign aid dollars headed for a war zone are siphoned off by government insiders and their wealthy friends before reaching the impoverished people it is meant for. But it’s doubly frustrating when it ends up in the hands of... read more
Mexican Prison Break Is One Event the Media Can't Ignore
Any prison break involving nearly 60 inmates is enough to make the news, even in a Mexican border town where drug cartels dictate what gets reported.
In Nuevo Laredo, where drug smugglers regularly threaten reporters, editors and publishers ... read more