Foreign Policy Public Health Blog

Just what is a European Socialist these days?

Last night, Greece's parliament approved a controversial pension reform plan which would raise the retirement age to 65 -- many Greeks currently retire around 50 -- reduce payouts, and make it easier for companies to fire workers. Just how upset are...

Published Thu, Jul 08 2010 10:46 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Europe, Economics

Were Kim Jong Il's instructions to blame for North Korea's World Cup humiliation?

How come the North Korean national team that managed to lose by only one goal to Brazil -- a win, essentially -- got beat down so brutally by Portugal? According to some sources,* Dear Leader himsel f may be to blame : Quoting a source, RFA reported that...

Published Thu, Jul 08 2010 7:46 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: North Korea, World Cup

Morning Brief: Norway arrests three men linked to al Qaeda

Norway arrests three men linked to al Qaeda Top story: Three alleged al Qaeda members were arrested Thursday morning in a joint U.S. and Norwegian counterterrorism effort. They are believed to have been plotting a terrorist attack using portable bombs...

Published Thu, Jul 08 2010 5:39 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

British schools to bring back the rod?

If you think a day in the life of a British school kid is all about matching knee socks, "smart" ties, and a good dose of old-fashioned law and order (just think Professor McGonogall and those no-nonsense glasses) -- think again. Last year alone...

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

Filed under: Europe, Law, Education

Swedish parliament to host Pirate Bay?

In what may be its most audacious move yet, the Swedish Pirate Party , which aims to radically liberalize copyright and patent law, thinks it may have found a new home for the controversial filesharing site Pirate Bay: After a pan-European legal attempt...

Published Wed, Jul 07 2010 10:22 AM by FP Passport

Lula's latest dodgy friend

As part of what seems like a quest to get in a good photo-op with every one of the world's most despotic leaders before the end of his presidency, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva stopped in Equatorial Guinea yesterady for a meeting with...

Published Wed, Jul 07 2010 8:43 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Africa, Latin America

More Chavez than Chavez?

Welcome to the ultimate Bolivarian oasis: the 23 de Enero slum -- a veritable hotbed of die-hard chavismo and radical socialism in Caracas. What can you expect to find in this little slice of heaven? Stockpiles of Communist Manifesto , murals depicting...

Published Wed, Jul 07 2010 7:55 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Latin America

Morning Brief: Afghan troops killed in NATO airstrike

Afghan troops killed in NATO airstrike Top news: Rockets fired from a NATO helicopter mistakenly killed five Afghan soldiers in Eastern Afghanistan. The friendly-fire incident is another setback in the international coalition's effort to build cooperation...

Published Wed, Jul 07 2010 5:54 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

What the heck is Gerald Posner doing in Afghanistan? - By Charles Homans

Maybe it was all the excitement with the Russian spies last week, but somehow we missed one of the more intriguing things to grace the Wall Street Journal 's letters page in a while: A full-throated defense of Hamid Karzai's brother, Mahmood Karzai...

Published Tue, Jul 06 2010 4:52 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: North America, Corruption, Drugs & Crime, Politics, Afghanistan, Media, Central Asia, Foreign Aid, Development

Muslim Brotherhood starts its own Facebook - by Brian Fung

Search for the Muslim Brotherhood on Facebook, and you'll probably find little more than an unofficial community page whose members barely exceed 120 -- although, amusingly, one of them happens to be somebody posing as Tariq Aziz, Saddam Hussein's...

Published Tue, Jul 06 2010 12:58 PM by FP Passport

Should high-risk travelers have to pay for their own rescues?

The French parliament is currently debating a bill that would hold French tourists financially responsible for their own rescues should they run into trouble. As you might expect, those pesky Somali pirates have something to do with it: The proposed law...

Published Tue, Jul 06 2010 12:14 PM by FP Passport

The new Iranian style guide

Is it that time of year for a haircut? If you're in Iran, take a walk to your nearest barbershop, plop in a swively chair, and peruse through the catalogue of hairstyles on the counter. But make sure to survey the clean-shaven coifs and gel-infused...

Published Tue, Jul 06 2010 10:03 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Law, Middle East, Iran

The White Flag approach

Somalia's transitional federal government doesn't have a lot going for it. No control over the territory, no money in the coffers, no ability to tax, and no ability to offer services. This is not exactly a new predicament, but it's also not...

Published Tue, Jul 06 2010 9:52 AM by FP Passport

Why is Tony Hayward in Azerbaijan? - By Joshua Keating

Hillary Clinton wasn't the only high-profile visitor to stop by Baku for some "reassuring" this week. BP CEO Tony "embattled" Hayward was there as well: BP's embattled chief executive on Tuesday visited oil-rich Azerbaijan...

Published Tue, Jul 06 2010 9:35 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Oil, Oil / Energy Disaster / Problem / Shennanigans

Dirty dollars get a cleaning in Zimbabwe

Germaphobic consumers can take heart here in the United States, where dollar bill circulation is fairly short-lived -- only about 20 months of wallet-hopping before the Federal Reserve pulls the plug , destroying on average about 7,000 tons of over-the...

Published Tue, Jul 06 2010 9:30 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Africa, Finance