Humanitarian Situation In Tripoli Increasingly Dire

Though rebels have consolidated control over Tripoli, life in the Libyan capital grows more difficult by the day. Residents scramble just to get basic supplies, such as food and water. The city’s tap water normally comes from what Moammar Gadhafi touted as the “Eighth Wonder of the World,” the Great Man-Made River. The system channels [...]

More Than 9,000 Flights Cancelled Due To Irene

Hurricane Irene has forced airlines to cancel more than 9,000 flights this weekend, with the AP reporting 3,600 cancellations on Saturday. United Continental and Delta Air Lines, two of America’s largest airlines, have each announced thousands of cancellations for the period between Saturday and Monday. International carriers, such as British Airways, have also cancelled flights [...]

In Libya, Gas Prices Rise As Rebels Seek Control

Libyan rebels fought to gain control of a major supply road to Tripoli on Saturday, seizing a border crossing with Tunisia and strengthening their hold on the oil-rich country as they hunt for Moammar Gadhafi. Controlling the road from the Tunisian border to the capital would help ease growing shortages of fuel and food, particularly [...]

U.S. Aids Hunt For Gadhafi, Drawing On Iraq Lesson

It took a U.S.-led invasion force of more than 200,000 troops nine months to scour Iraq’s nearly 170,000 square miles before they captured Saddam Hussein, in one of the largest manhunts ever. Now, Moammar Gadhafi is on the run in Libya — but chasing after him is a much smaller and less well-equipped force of [...]

Is Libya The First ‘True Arab Revolution’?

The Libyan rebels’ takeover of Tripoli may be a landmark of the movement known as the Arab Spring, but does it qualify as a revolution? James DeFronzo, author of the book Revolutions and Revolutionary Movements, thinks it’s still too early to tell. “You have to have some great structural, institutional change for an uprising to [...]

El Paso Weathers Drought, Thanks To Lawn Policy

For decades, the city of El Paso, in far West Texas, defied the look of most desert communities, with neighborhoods boasting lush, green lawns and residents freely running their sprinklers. Then a study came out in 1979 that showed just how close El Paso was to a crisis: At its rate of water use, the [...]

Insurers Prepare For Flood Of Claims From Irene

As Hurricane Irene makes its way north, insurance companies are scrambling to get claims adjusters and other personnel in place up and down the East Coast and into New England. Companies will be assessing the damage once Irene is through battering the northeastern states. If the hurricane hits as wide an area as is predicted, [...]

Policymakers Seek Prescription For Ailing Economy

Think of the U.S. economy as a patient who is bedridden after a long illness. At an annual policy conference this weekend in Jackson Hole, Wyo., they’re discussing is not just about how to get the patient up and hobbling around, but how to get him running wind sprints. The meeting’s title is “Achieving Maximum [...]

First Irene-Related Deaths Reported

The first deaths in the U.S. related to Hurricane Irene to be reported come from North Carolina. The Raleigh News & Observer writes that: “Emergency officials in Nash County said a man was crushed to death outside his home by a large limb blown down by the storm. Nash County Emergency Management Director Brian Brantley [...]

Mayor Bloomberg On Evacuations: ‘You Have To Start Right Now’

Hoping to convince anyone who is ignoring the mandatory evacuation orders for those living in New York City’s low-lying areas, Mayor Michael Bloomberg just warned that if anyone hasn’t already moved to higher ground, “you have to start right now.” Though Hurricane Irene has weakened somewhat, the mayor noted, that hasn’t lessened the danger to [...]