Staff Sgt. Robert Bales will be charged on Friday with 17 counts of murder and various other charges, including attempted murder, in connection with the March 11 shooting deaths of Afghan civilians, a senior United States official said on Thursday [.....]
By James Surowiecki, The New Yorker, March 26, 2012
Over the past decade, the Japanese fashion chain Uniqlo has become among the most successful retailers in the world. Its success is due in large part to the fact that it has found a way to sell basic stuff that is not only affordable but also stylish and durable. And there’s something else that makes Uniqlo distinctive: it hires a lot of people, and spends a lot of time training them.[....]
By Charles M Blow, New York Times Op-Ed, March 16/17, 2012
[....] This case has reignited a furor about vigilante justice, racial-profiling and equitable treatment under the law, and it has stirred the pot of racial strife.
By Suzanne Daley, New York Times, March 18/19, 2012
ATHENS — It was about a year ago that Fotis I. Antonopoulos, a successful Web program designer here, decided he wanted to open an e-business selling olive products.
By Spencer Ackerman, Danger Room @ wired.com, March 15, 2012
Here’s how you know the Afghan surge really is coming to an end: The U.S. Army is starting to pack up its stuff, close its bases and begin the arduous logistical work of downsizing in Afghanistan [....]
By Peter Bergen, CNN National Security Analyst, March 16, 2012
Washington (CNN) -- Tapping away at his computer in the study of the suburban compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, that he called home for the last years of his life, Osama bin Laden wrote memos urging his followers to continue to try to attack the United States, suggesting, for instance, they mount assassination attempts against President Obama and Gen. David Petraeus.
By Tony Perry and Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, March 17, 2012
Reporting from San Diego and Los Angeles -- San Diego police said Friday that they don't expect to seek any criminal charges against Jason Russell, the filmmaker behind the viral "Kony 2012" video, after a bizarre incident.
Julian Borger with David Rohde, guardian.co.uk, 14 March 2012
Transcript of
Our transatlantic webchat on Afghanistan with international affairs experts from the Guardian and Reuters
Highly recommended, both have been on this beat and related for over a decade. Borger has long shown himself to have a lot of strong sources on the diplomatic front, and Rohde was the one kidnapped by the Taliban when he worked for the NYT and knows Afghanistan and Pakistan as well as any Westerner can.
By Robert Booth, Mona Mahmood and Luke Harding, guardian.co.uk, 14 March 2012
• Messages show president Bashar al-Assad took advice from Iran
• Under-pressure leader made light of of promised reforms
• Assad's wife spent thousands shopping on jewellery and furniture
By Martin Hutchinson, Asia Times Online, March 13, 2012
Only China of the much-lauded "BRIC" countries is (possibly) living up to its fast-growth billing. The economies of Russia, Brazil and India are facing slowing or suspect expansion, and given their political leadership their outlook is far from bright [....]
By Dominik Drutschman, Spiegel Online, March 14, 2012
Mozambique-born Ibraimo Alberto was the only black man in the eastern German town of Schwedt. But half a year ago, after 21 years, he fled the daily racism and moved to the western city of Karlsruhe with his family. The social worker and former boxer is trying to come to terms with his experiences
By Greg Smith, New York Times Guest Op-Ed, March 14, 2012
Editor's note: Greg Smith is resigning today as a Goldman Sachs executive director and head of the firm’s United States equity derivatives business in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
By Jim Rutenberg and Majorie Connelly, New York Times, March 12/13, 2012
Despite improving job growth and an extended Republican primary fight dividing his would-be opponents, President Obama is heading into the general election season on treacherous political ground, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.
