Foreign Policy Public Health Blog

Death threats for Egyptian tycoon over Twitter icon

Another example of why some famous people (*cough* Anthony Weiner *cough*) should not use Twitter : Egyptian tycoon and politician Naguib Sawiris has come under fire for posting a picture of Mickey and Minnie Mouse in Islamic dress, sparking a torrent...

Published Tue, Jun 28 2011 2:42 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Egypt

Syrian media quoting Kucinich: 'Assad is highly loved and appreciated by the Syrians'

Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich is in Syria "to investigate conditions on the ground" on behalf of his Syrian-American constituents and held a meeting with President Bashar al-Assad. If these quotes from the state-sponsored Syrian news wire SANA are...

Published Tue, Jun 28 2011 1:16 PM by FP Passport

Hollywood actress expelled from Burma over her movie role

Though the ruling regime in Burma freed political dissident Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest last November and relaxed restrictions on her -- she's met with foreign diplomats and given interviews -- they don't seem to be any less sensitive about...

Published Tue, Jun 28 2011 10:51 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: East Asia

Is Iran killing U.S. soldiers in Iraq?

June has been the deadliest month for U.S. soldiers in Iraq since May, 2009 -- with 11 deaths , including two soldiers killed Sunday in northern Iraq. The American combat mission officially ended in August 2010, and the 45,000 U.S. forces that are still...

Published Tue, Jun 28 2011 7:10 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Middle East, Iraq

Morning Brief: Afghan central banker flees

Afghan central banker flees Top story: Abdul Qadeer Fitrat, the governor of Afghanistan's central bank, resigned his position and fled the country, saying that the government interfered in his corruption investigation into Kabul Bank. He said that...

Published Tue, Jun 28 2011 5:06 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

Why Republicans really want a louder Obama

Ezra Klein muses on why Republicans seem to intent on President Obama becoming more personally involved in the debt ceiling debates: “I believe it is time for the President to speak clearly and resolve the tax issue,” said Eric Cantor in his prepared...

Published Mon, Jun 27 2011 3:47 PM by FP Passport

Does the I.C.C. indictment of Qaddafi make getting him to leave harder?

Today's news that Muammar al-Qaddafi was indicted by the International Criminal Court on charges he ordered attacks against civilians in the early days of the Libya uprising was greeted by celebratory gunfire in the rebel-controlled east, but it might...

Published Mon, Jun 27 2011 2:26 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Middle East, North Africa, Libya

China's panda census

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Chinese state media reported today that the country has started its once-a-decade panda census, the fourth tallying of the endangered species since it first began in the 1970s....

Published Mon, Jun 27 2011 1:05 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: China, Cute

Is Saleh's return to Yemen imminent?

There are mixed reports about the health of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh -- recovering in Saudi Arabia from an attack on his palace earlier this month -- and whether he's planning on returning home to his embattled country anytime soon. Reuters...

Published Mon, Jun 27 2011 10:56 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Middle East, Saudi Arabia, Arab World, Yemen

Smear campaign against hero of “Hotel Rwanda”?

Paul Rusesabagina is credited with saving the lives of 1,268 people during the darkest moments of the Rwandan genocide. In April 1994, as an assistant hotel manager at the Sabena Hotel des Mille Collines in Kigali, he took in and sheltered desperate Tutsis...

Published Mon, Jun 27 2011 10:00 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Africa

Why couldn't Omar al-Bashir fly over Turkmenistan?

Something odd seems to have happened this morning on Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir's flight from Iran to China: Sudan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the official Sudan News Agency that al-Bashir's plane had been instructed...

Published Mon, Jun 27 2011 8:31 AM by FP Passport

Egyptian lion fight totally lame

After all the hype surrounding Egyptian strongman al-Sayed al-Essawy's planned fight with a lion, the main event turned out to be a bit of a letdown : On Saturday Mr. Al Essawy stepped into the cage, which was painted like an Egyptian flag, sporting...

Published Mon, Jun 27 2011 8:21 AM by FP Passport

Morning Brief: Hague court issues arrest warrant for Qaddafi as fighting nears Tripoli

Hague court issues arrest warrant for Qaddafi as fighting nears Tripoli Top news: The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam, and intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi on charges...

Published Mon, Jun 27 2011 5:40 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

Friday photo: The night shift

NOGALES, AZ - JUNE 22: U.S. Army National Guardsman Pfc. Philip Moore, 28, rests during a 'down time' shift overlooking the border fence with Mexico on June 22, 2011 in Nogales, Arizona. The Pentagon recently extended the deployment of some 1...

Published Fri, Jun 24 2011 3:26 PM by FP Passport

Hugo Chavez’s medical mystery

What exactly is Hugo Chavez recovering from in Cuba? Two weeks ago, he underwent surgery for what he later described as a swelling in his pelvis. Initially, his spokesman said he would return to Venezuela in a few days. But after two weeks, there's...

Published Fri, Jun 24 2011 3:20 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Latin America