Jews With Ties To Iran And Israel Feel Conflicted
As tensions between Israel and Iran ratchet up, one community is caught in the middle: Iranian Jews living in Israel. There are some 250,000 people of Persian descent living in Israel, and they maintain strong ties with their homeland. As a result, they are uniquely conflicted over the possibility of war between the two countries. [...]
United Opposition A Challenge To Venezuela’s Chavez
The opposition to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has tried everything to end his long rule: huge protests, a coup and an oil strike. Nothing has worked, but now opposition leaders have coalesced into a united and focused movement that is preparing to choose one candidate to run against the president, posing the strongest electoral challenge [...]
Drought Ravages Farms Across Wide Swath Of Mexico
In the central Mexican state of Zacatecas, 76-year-old Genaro Rodarte Huizar rides his donkey along a dry riverbed. On his left is a dried out pasture; on his right is what used to be a cornfield; now it’s just long furrows of gray, dusty dirt. Rodarte says that for the past two years, the crops [...]
As Syrian Violence Worsens, U.S. Diplomats Leave
President Obama administration says it’s time for Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down. Yet Monday’s decision to shut down the U.S. Embassy in Damascus reflected the deteriorating conditions in a country that appears locked in a protracted conflict with no end in sight. “The closing of the U.S. embassy is a clear signal to [...]
U.S. Travel To Cuba Grows As Restrictions Are Eased
Cuba is the only country in the world the U.S. government restricts its own citizens from visiting. Americans can go to Burma, Iran, even North Korea if those places give them a visa. The Obama administration has now relaxed travel rules for Cuba, leading to a surge in U.S.-government approved tours to the island. But [...]
Where Eye Care Is A Luxury, Technology Offers Access
For millions of people in the developing world, one thing stands between them and a job or an education: a good pair of glasses. Quality eye care is often a luxury in areas where health services are scarce. So researchers and entrepreneurs are looking for breakthrough technologies to bring the cost of glasses and eye [...]
First Barbie, Now Bart Simpson Is Banned In Iran
As most of the headlines we’re seeing say: “Aww, man!” A newspaper in Iran says the authorities there have banned dolls of characters from The Simpsons because they supposedly promote Western culture. So that means Homer, Marge, Lisa, Maggie and, of course, Bart, join Barbie on the list of toys deemed to be too hot [...]
U.S. Aid At Risk As Egypt Targets Democracy Groups
In a rapidly escalating dispute between allies, 43 people, including 19 Americans, are to face trial in Egypt for their work in promoting democracy. They include the son of U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. Sam LaHood was running the Cairo office of the International Republican Institute. The case against him and others has caused a [...]
Obama Signs Order Extending Sanctions To Property Of Iranian Government
President Obama has signed an executive order blocking the movement of “all property and interests in property of the government of Iran, including the Central Bank of Iran,” if the assets are in the U.S. or are controlled by an American or U.S. entity at foreign branches of U.S. institutions. As The Associated Press says, [...]
Syrian Regime Has ‘License To Kill’ After Diplomatic Impasse, Activists Say
We’re following the day’s news from Syria, where there are reports of more attacks by government forces on people in the city of Homs. Update at 8:55 a.m. ET. U.S. Diplomats Reportedly Leaving: CNN’s Rima Maktabi reports on her Twitter page that “17 officials including [U.S.] ambassador Robert Ford left #Syria via #Jordan, in the [...]
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