Foreign Policy Public Health Blog

Fighting malaria, the Linux way

Big pharma's tackling malaria this year, Linux-style. Drug producer GlaxoSmithKline has announced it's giving designs for an anti-malarial project to the public, in hopes that volunteers will step up and help the company deliver a product to the...

Published Wed, May 26 2010 9:52 AM by FP Passport

Morocco can't feel the love tonight

Elton John's slated to perform today in Morocco, and conservative Muslims aren't thrilled with the prospect: "This singer is famous for his homosexual behavior and for advocating it," said Mustapha Ramid, a leader and spokesman for the...

Published Wed, May 26 2010 12:23 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Culture, North Africa

Crisis Group responds to Sri Lanka

Yesterday, I spoke with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris about the serious allegations of war crimes documented in an International Crisis Group (ICG) report released last week. The foreign minister argued that the report was poorly sourced and...

Published Wed, May 26 2010 2:32 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Human Rights, South Asia

Chechnya's top terrorist un-retires

Do terrorists get to retire? Apparently not. After announcing that he was stepping down in an online video a few days ago, Chechen separatist leader Dokku Umarov has now reversed that decision in a follow-up video. "Due to the situation in the Caucasus...

Published Thu, Aug 05 2010 9:53 AM by FP Passport

Did we learn anything from Naomi Campbell's testimony?

In case you were wondering, supermodels are not particularly well informed about world events. Exhibit A: Naomi Campbell's testimony at the trial of former Liberian leader Charles Taylor today: 'I didn't know anything about Charles Taylor...

Published Thu, Aug 05 2010 12:03 PM by FP Passport

Winston Churchill's close encounter - by Brian Fung

Either the tin hats were right all along, or Churchill was as crazy as the rest of 'em. Among the revelations made in files released this week by the British National Archives is the discovery that Winston Churchill had a UFO sighting covered up for...

Published Fri, Aug 06 2010 7:09 AM by FP Passport

The global economy death trap

Today's Financial Times goes large on the global wheat crisis sparked by the Russian fires, warning of dire consequences for global commodity markets as a result of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's decision to ban wheat exports. The FT doesn't...

Published Fri, Aug 06 2010 10:22 AM by FP Passport

Morning Brief: North Korea fires artillery, seizes fishing boat

North Korea fires artillery, seizes fishing boat Top news: North Korea fired 110 rounds of artillery near its disputed sea border with South Korea on Monday, shortly after the conclusion of a massive South Korean military drill. South Korean authorities...

Published Mon, Aug 09 2010 5:25 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

Meet Baidu CEO Robin Li - By Christina Larson

Not many Chinese brands -- aside from state-owned behemoths like PetroChina -- have much international profile, and certainly no recognizable human face at the top. Coming off a round of recent interviews in Beijing with Bloomberg , Forbes , and the Wall...

Published Mon, Aug 09 2010 10:00 AM by FP Passport

Morning Brief: UN report reveals increase in Afghan civilian casualties

UN report reveals increase in Afghan civilian casualties Top story: A UN report found that civilian casualties in Afghanistan increased 31 percent over the first half of this year, compared to the same period of 2009. However, the survey also revealed...

Published Tue, Aug 10 2010 5:50 AM by FP Passport

Iran digs mass graves for U.S. soldiers - By Jared Mondschein

Following Admiral Mullen's declaration last week that the U.S. military has a plan to attack Iran but really does not want to use it, a former deputy commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard has claimed that Iran has dug mass graves for U.S. soldiers...

Published Tue, Aug 10 2010 12:32 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Middle East, Iran

Helpful tips for welcoming foreigners to London

When China hosted the Summer Olympics in 2008, its government tried to rein in citizens' bad habits like spitting . Britain is taking a different tack in the run-up to London 2012 with a guide teaching Britons some helpful cultural stereotypes. Some...

Published Wed, Aug 11 2010 8:28 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Europe, Olympics

Mecca's plan to steal Time

Forget the clash of civilizations -- the next grand battle between East and West will be over Time itself. The world's largest clock is currently under construction in the Islamic holy city of Mecca, with the goal of moving Greenwich Mean Time to...

Published Wed, Aug 11 2010 10:45 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Middle East, Islam

U.S. teen will visit Kim Jong-Il to pitch DMZ "peace forest" - by Brian Fung

File this under "wonderfully weird": A Korean-American teenager will fly to Pyongyang this week so that he can ask Kim Jong-Il whether he'd consider planting a forest in North Korea's backyard -- and by "backyard," of course...

Published Thu, Aug 12 2010 9:41 AM by FP Passport

Morning Brief: Obama prepared to sign legislation bolstering border security

Obama prepared to sign legislation bolstering border security Top story: President Barack Obama will sign legislation into law today that provides an additional $600 million for U.S. border security along the border with Mexico. The bill will pay for...

Published Fri, Aug 13 2010 5:54 AM by FP Passport