April 2013 - Foreign Policy Public Health Blog

WikiLeaked: The Soviet space junk that became a Moroccan UFO

There aren't many surprises in the new WikiLeaks document dump -- the organization is calling the collection of 1.7 million documents dated from 1973 to 1976 "The Kissinger Cables" -- but there are a few interesting finds. For example, there's...

Published Thu, Apr 11 2013 4:00 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Science & Technology, History, Intelligence, International Relations, State Department, North Africa, WikiLeaks, Cool

The strangest thing about Putin's appearance on Finland's secret criminal blacklist

On Wednesday we received the bizarre news that Russian President Vladimir Putin's name had mistakenly ended up on a secret criminal blacklist compiled by Finnish police. Those placed on the list face automatic detainment at the Finnish border and...

Published Thu, Apr 11 2013 3:45 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Russia, Politics, Eastern Europe, International Relations

Meet Dom, the inadvertent spy on Iran

Iran, always leery when it comes to espionage, has taken a number of steps to fend off would-be spies. The latest came just yesterday, with the announcement of an "Islamic" alternative to Google Earth -- the ironically named Basir (spectator...

Published Thu, Apr 11 2013 3:10 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Science & Technology, Middle East, Fun Stuff

Fake fake news: The Iranian time machine

A good rule of thumb for news in the Internet age: If there's a "Ha, ha, silly foreigners" story circulating on the Internet, and if 90 percent of the people writing about it are citing the Telegraph , it's probably mostly fake, or at...

Published Thu, Apr 11 2013 2:30 PM by FP Passport

Indian officials fortify elephant-vulnerable polling stations

In India, elephants are revered as the living incarnation of the Hindu god Ganesh -- but that doesn't mean Indians want the huge animals showing up at voting booths. State elections are slated to take place across the country this year, and the Hindu...

Published Thu, Apr 11 2013 1:00 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Elections, South Asia, India

Jay-Z raps back at Cuba trip critics: 'Boy from the hood but got White House clearance'

Jay-Z and Beyonce came under fire this week for a trip they took to Cuba -- a vacation that, as I wrote on Tuesday, underscores the rather silly nature of the restrictions imposed on Americans' ability to visit the island nation. The visit has several...

Published Thu, Apr 11 2013 10:20 AM by FP Passport

Malawi accuses Madonna of emotional blackmail

Emotional blackmail. No, it's not Madonna's new hit single, but rather one of the accusations hurled at the pop star in a statement released by the Malawi State House on Thursday. Earlier this week, we wrote about the material girl's less...

Published Thu, Apr 11 2013 9:55 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Africa, Culture, Media

Coalition forms against CIA officer entangled in torture tape scandal

What started as a murmur is turning into a yell. On Wednesday, a coalition of religious leaders and human rights groups joined to protest the promotion of a CIA officer accused of advocating for torture in the aftermath of 9/11. In a letter to CIA Director...

Published Thu, Apr 11 2013 8:55 AM by FP Passport

Al Qaeda affiliates bicker over branding, identity

Just like in the corporate world, the merger of two established terrorist groups can cause serious disputes over branding and identity strategy. As it happens, the dynamic is driving a wedge through the newly announced alliance between the al Qaeda affiliates...

Published Thu, Apr 11 2013 8:30 AM by FP Passport

Morning Brief: North Korean missiles under observation for possible launch while rhetoric cools

North Korean missiles under observation for possible launch while rhetoric cools Top news: U.S. and South Korean authorities continue to monitor the medium-range missiles that North Korea has moved to its east coast for signs of a possible launch. The...

Published Thu, Apr 11 2013 5:33 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

Syrian rebels want to protect the US from North Korea

The Syrian uprising is serious business, but people still have time for some levity now and then. In this video, for instance, a group of Syrians announce the formation of the "Eagles of Washington" brigade, which they say will protect the United...

Published Thu, Apr 11 2013 3:40 AM by FP Passport

Chinese corporate chutzpah: Michael Jordan's copycat company countersues

The Chinese sportswear company Qiaodan (the Chinese word for Jordan), which Michael Jordan sued for copyright infringement in February 2012, is countersuing, claiming that Jordan's "lawsuit misled customers and the public." The Financial...

Published Wed, Apr 10 2013 4:50 PM by FP Passport

The 9 lives of AQAP’s no. 2

Said al-Shihri just won't stay dead. Each time the deputy emir of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has reportedly been killed, he has popped up again several months later with a new piece of propaganda. He did so after supposedly being killed in...

Published Wed, Apr 10 2013 4:00 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Terrorism, al Qaeda, Middle East, Intelligence, Yemen, National Security

A victory for tolerance? French mother acquitted of dressing her child in 'jihad' T-shirt

This afternoon, a French court acquitted Bouchra Bagour, a 35-year-old resident of the southern town of Sorgues, on charges of defending terrorism after sending her three-year-old son, Jihad, to a nursery wearing a T-shirt bearing the phrase "I am...

Published Wed, Apr 10 2013 3:00 PM by FP Passport

In Hollywood, U.S. and Chinese hackers are friends

Michael Mann -- director of the venerable Al Pacino/Robert De Niro movie Heat and The Last of the Mohicans -- is working on a new film, and its plotline sounds, well, unrealistic. According to the Hollywood Reporter , the still-untitled movie will feature...

Published Wed, Apr 10 2013 12:50 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Science & Technology, Security, China, Culture, Celebs