
From the Wall Street Journal:President Barack Obama issued an order Tuesday giving civilian investigators broad power to handle the cases of U.S. terrorism suspects despite a law passed late last year favoring military custody. The decision is likely to raise
by Sun Tzu29 Feb 2012, 1:03 PM PST0

ATHENS, Greece (AP) – Greece’s Parliament late on Tuesday approved new cuts in public sector pensions and government spending required to secure a second package of international rescue loans. Lawmakers voted 202-80 in favor of cutbacks worth a total euro3.2
by Sun Tzu28 Feb 2012, 4:02 PM PST0
BERLIN (AP) – The German parliament approved a second, euro130 billion ($173 billion) loan package for Greece on Monday after Chancellor Angela Merkel warned lawmakers that it would be irresponsible to abandon the country to bankruptcy. Although the motion was
by Sun Tzu27 Feb 2012, 10:26 AM PST0
Banned from the Oscars for fear of an in-character red carpet stunt, British comedian Sascha Baron Cohen has taken to Youtube to slam the Academy with an in-character viral video stunt: [youtube QIrYdivBRss nolink] Though this is certainly a topic
by Sun Tzu24 Feb 2012, 4:22 PM PST0

From the Wall Street Journal: FRANKFURT–European Central Bank President Mario Draghi warned beleaguered euro-zone countries that there is no escape from tough austerity measures and that the Continent’s traditional social contract is obsolete, as he waded into an increasingly divisive debate
by Sun Tzu24 Feb 2012, 3:02 PM PST0

JERUSALEM (AP) – Israeli police clashed with hundreds of Palestinians throwing rocks after Muslim prayers at Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site on Friday. It was not immediately clear what set off the confrontation at the shrine sacred to both Jews
by Sun Tzu24 Feb 2012, 1:45 PM PST0

From Foreign Policy Magazine: Candidate Barack Obama promised to end the time-honored American practice of appointing ambassadors who have no experience in foreign policy, but President Obama has completely ignored that promise, appointing fundraisers to dozens of ambassadorships all over
by Sun Tzu24 Feb 2012, 12:30 PM PST0

An opinion piece by Moshe Arens, the former Defense Minister of Israel. From Haaretz: For the past 12 years the world has been watching the progress of Iran’s nuclear program. Its ultimate aim is to attain nuclear weaponry and is
by Sun Tzu23 Feb 2012, 10:49 AM PST0

VIENNA (AP)–The U.N. nuclear agency acknowledged renewed failure Wednesday after a trip to probe suspicions of covert Iranian nuclear weapons work, in a statement issued just hours after an Iranian general warned of a pre-emptive strike against any foe threatening
by Sun Tzu22 Feb 2012, 2:26 PM PST0
LONDON (AP) – Respected American journalist Marie Colvin, who spent decades reporting on conflicts from Sri Lanka to Syria, focusing on the suffering of women and children in wartime, died in a fierce shelling attack Wednesday in Syria.
by Sun Tzu22 Feb 2012, 7:02 AM PST0

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Obama administration opened the door slightly Tuesday to international military assistance for Syria’s rebels, with officials saying new tactics may have to be explored if President Bashar Assad continues to defy pressure to halt a brutal
by Sun Tzu21 Feb 2012, 3:25 PM PST0

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) – A U.N. team visiting Iran has no plans to inspect the country’s nuclear facilities and will only hold talks with officials in Tehran, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said Tuesday. The remarks by Ramin Mehmanparast cast doubt
by Sun Tzu21 Feb 2012, 1:38 PM PST0

(AP) Oil prices jumped to a nine-month high above $105 a barrel on Monday afterIran said it halted crude exports to Britain and France in an escalation of a dispute over the Middle Eastern country’s nuclear program. By Monday afternoon, benchmark March
by Sun Tzu20 Feb 2012, 4:31 PM PST0

From Reuters: China rebuked Iran on Monday for stopping oil sales to British and French companies at the weekend, calling for renewed efforts at dialogue over an escalating stand-off over Tehran’s controversial nuclear program. China has repeatedly called for talks
by Sun Tzu20 Feb 2012, 6:00 AM PST0

Moreso than, say, a nuclear attack by Iran on Israel or the United States? From Bloomberg: An Israeli attack on Iran would be “destabilizing,” Army General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said. “It’s not
by Sun Tzu19 Feb 2012, 2:36 PM PST0

From Front Page Magazine: Nineteen American citizens working for well-known and well-established nonprofit groups are being held on trumped-up charges that they tried to destabilize Egypt. Their offices were raided in late December, some are holed up in the U.S.
by Sun Tzu19 Feb 2012, 10:51 AM PST0

From The Guardian: Officials in key parts of the Obama administration are increasingly convinced that sanctions will not deter Tehran from pursuing its nuclear programme, and believe that the US will be left with no option but to launch an
by Sun Tzu17 Feb 2012, 4:54 PM PST0
From the Wall Street Journal: WASHINGTON–Federal agents on Friday arrested a man who they allege planned carry out a suicide bombing at the U.S. Capitol, part of a sting operation in which undercover agents posing as al Qaeda operatives
by Sun Tzu17 Feb 2012, 11:49 AM PST0

UNITED NATIONS (AP) – The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Thursday for a resolution backing an Arab League plan calling for Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down and strongly condemning human rights violations by his regime. The vote in
by Sun Tzu16 Feb 2012, 3:08 PM PST0

BANGKOK (AP) – The Iranians arrested after accidentally setting off an explosives cache in Bangkok were planning to attack Israeli diplomats, Thailand’s police chief said Thursday, the first confirmation by local officials that the group was plotting terror attacks in
by Sun Tzu16 Feb 2012, 6:26 AM PST0

WASHINGTON (AP) – Congressional Republicans on Wednesday vowed to block the Obama administration from sharply cutting the U.S. nuclear force, calling potential reductions of as much as 80 percent in the number of deployed weapons “reckless lunacy.” Pointing to the
by Sun Tzu15 Feb 2012, 1:40 PM PST0

WASHINGTON (AP) – Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and the nation’s top military leader on Tuesday defended the Pentagon’s slimmed-down, $614 billion budget, telling lawmakers it’s time to show Congress is serious about reducing the deficit. Testifying before the Senate Armed
by Sun Tzu14 Feb 2012, 3:45 PM PST0

MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) – The top U.S. Navy official in the Gulf said Sunday he takes Iran’s military capabilities seriously but insists his forces are prepared to confront any Iranian aggression in the region. Vice Adm. Mark Fox, commander of
by Sun Tzu12 Feb 2012, 4:11 PM PST0
ATHENS, Greece (AP) – Riots engulfed central Athens and at least 10 buildings went up in flames in mass protests late Sunday as lawmakers prepared for a historic parliamentary vote on harsh austerity measures demanded to keep the country solvent
by Sun Tzu12 Feb 2012, 12:54 PM PST0

Hamas “will never recognise Israel,” Gaza prime minister Ismail Haniya said Saturday in a speech in Iran that is likely to complicate Palestinian efforts to form a unity government in the teeth of opposition from the Jewish state. “They want
by Sun Tzu11 Feb 2012, 8:37 AM PST0