April 2010 - Foreign Policy Public Health Blog

Rumors: Kyrgyz president taking refuge on U.S. airbase?

Eurasianet reports on the latest from the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek where at least 21 people have been killed. Stores are being looted, the office of the state broadcaster has been raided and automatic weapons fire has been exchanged between rioters and...

Published Wed, Apr 07 2010 11:26 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Central Asia

Teenage goddess to pursue banking career

What's a girl to do when she's not a living goddess anymore? Apparently aim for a career in finance : Chanira Bajracharya, 15, has been the Kumari or “living goddess” of Patan, an ancient town south of Kathmandu, for nine years, blessing devotees...

Published Wed, Apr 07 2010 8:30 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Religion, Finance

Morning Brief: Bangkok under state of emergency after protesters storm parliament

Bangkok under state of emergency after protesters storm parliament Top Story: Thai Prime Minsiter Abhisit Vejjajjiva declared a state of emergency after anti-government protesters broke into the parliament building forcing lawmakers to escape by helicopter...

Published Wed, Apr 07 2010 5:49 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

A South Asian love story takes a twist

The controversy surrounding the pending marriage between an Indian tennis player Sania Mirza and Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik, which Saba Imtiaz covered for FP last week , has grown larger -- and more absurd -- in recent days. An Indian woman, Ayesha...

Published Tue, Apr 06 2010 3:25 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Pakistan, South Asia, Sports, India

How much is "Brzezinski" on a triple-word score?

Huge news for foreign policy and international affairs junkies: a new version of Scrabble to be released in the U.K. this July allows the playing of proper nouns (among other rule changes). Many are outraged , but I couldn't be more excited. Finally...

Published Tue, Apr 06 2010 11:56 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Culture, Fun Stuff

Iran's speedboat of doom

We're a little late to this story , but this is one hell of a lede graf from the Financial Times: Has a record-breaking British powerboat become the “ultimate toy” for an Iranian playboy or – as US investigators fear – is it now equipped with the...

Published Tue, Apr 06 2010 11:48 AM by FP Passport

When you've got pirates in your sights, you don't check with Brussels

Apparently Dutch Navy Captain Hans Lodder didn't think it worthwile to check in with EU headquarters when he was gaining on a German freighter seized by pirates off the coast of Somalia: The pirates surrendered the moment they saw the marines,"...

Published Tue, Apr 06 2010 11:28 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Pirates

The era of cyberespionage. Yawn.

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Google's January investigation into Chinese hacking of over twenty companies and the emails of dozens of human rights activists has highlighted an increasingly potent form of...

Published Tue, Apr 06 2010 10:15 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Science & Technology, Security, China, Internet, Intelligence, India

The U.S. Nuclear Posture Review Report

Here it is , for your reading pleasure. Read More...

Published Tue, Apr 06 2010 8:52 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Nukes

Lavrov: Russia may pull out of nuke deal if U.S. expands missile defense

It appears that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Lavrov isn't quite ready to pop the champagne on the new nuclear arms reduction agreement due to be signed in Prague this week: Russia will have the right to exit the accord if “the U.S.’s build-up of...

Published Tue, Apr 06 2010 8:49 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Russia

Morning Brief: Leaked video shows killing of journalist in Iraq

Leaked video shows killing of journalist in Iraq Top news: A video released yesterday by the anti-censorship website Wikileaks show a 2007 helicopter attack in Baghdad which killed 12 people, including a Reuters photographer and his driver. The gunsight...

Published Tue, Apr 06 2010 6:03 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

Wikileaks' explosive scoop

It is utterly sickening to watch the video of what Wikileaks claims is "the unprovoked slaying" of two Reuters employees, Saeed Chmagh and Namir Noor-Eldeen. We watch events unfold through the perspective of an Apache gunsight, as the helicopter...

Published Mon, Apr 05 2010 4:16 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Middle East, Media, Iraq

Tomb Sweeping Day in China

Today, April 5, marks the traditional "Tomb Sweeping Day" in China, an annual observance when families pay tribute to deceased relatives and ancestors. The day is now also a time to honor the victims and approximate anniversary of the earthquake...

Published Mon, Apr 05 2010 3:54 PM by FP Passport

Outlaw Blues

As anyone who's attended a Bob Dylan concert in the past decade knows, the man ain't what he used to be. But it's not just the music that's changed (many fans complain that during shows Dylan alters the arrangements of his songs beyond...

Published Mon, Apr 05 2010 3:06 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: East Asia, China, Culture

German minister warns Facebook over privacy rules

It doesn't have quite the same high stakes as the Google-China showdown, but German Consumer Protection Minister Ilse Aigner's broadside against Facebook's user privacy policies is an interesting case. Via Der Spiegel, h ere's an excerpt...

Published Mon, Apr 05 2010 1:53 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Internet, Germany