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World News Once a Week |
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| Published Thursday, July 3, 2008 |
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| Reuters/Print Samrang: A former Khmer Rouge minister on trial in Cambodia. |
Issue 106
Just in time for Independence Day, the Supreme Court decided that guns are as American as mediocre beer and illegal fireworks. North Korea won't be setting off any unlawful explosions in the near future; the country took a major step toward dismantling its nuclear
program once and for all. And in more good news for the Bush Administration, Pakistan dropped the hammer on militants threatening the strategic Khyber Pass.
Elsewhere, India's gay community made great strides in a historically unwelcoming country. Over in the liberal Netherlands, you can do whatever you want in your bedroom, but
if you're spliffin' in a coffee shop, the cops just might harsh your buzz. For those on the harder stuff, the ants crawling over your skin aren't necessarily a bad trip — although your brain is definitely
going haywire. In this case, just thinking the problem away probably won't help.
- Benjamin Hart |
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 A Note on
Our Sources |
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| Top Stories |
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Inside the North Korean turnaround
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The US rewarded North Korea's plans for nuclear disarmament by removing the country from its terrorism blacklist last week.
Analysts suggest that Pyongyang's dramatic about-face stems from escalating food and power shortages, which have affected
millions of North Koreans. The isolated nation is angling for an increase in aid from the US and its negotiating partners;
the first of many planned relief shipments arrived on Monday.
The past week's developments are a breakthrough for the six-nation talks that began in 2003. Although relations bottomed out in 2006 after a surprise nuclear-weapons test, economic pressures have since forced Kim Jong-il to soften his antagonistic stance. But after so much bad blood, many diplomats are reluctant to celebrate just yet. (ED)
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After the flood, cleaning (and flinging) the mud
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As flood waters receded across the Midwest, the disaster's toll began to take shape. At least 24 people died, and 35,000 more were displaced, in
the region's worst flooding since 1993. Crops took a hard hit, with damages estimated at more than $8 billion. Corn-dependent ethanol prices have risen 19% since the disaster began, and could go higher with a particularly hot summer, highlighting the fuel economy's vulnerability to volatile weather.
Critics say poorly managed flood-defense systems are as much to blame as heavy rain storms. No matter what — or who — is at fault, many small towns may never recover, as
water-logged residents find little to salvage back home. (CN)
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Supreme Court has itchy trigger finger on gun control
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Before breaking for summer, the Supreme Court issued a long-awaited decision on gun rights. Upholding a federal court's decision,
it ruled 5-4 that Washington DC's handgun ban is unconstitutional, and that, under the Second Amendment, a citizen may own a firearm for self-defense. It is the first time since 1939 that the court has directly addressed the constitutionality of gun laws.
While the ruling was historic, it is unclear whether it will have a dramatic effect on other cities. Many local restrictions that stop short of outright bans will likely stay in place. Still, the NRA is quickly targeting those communities with laws akin to Washington's, hoping for more regulations to be overturned. (BH)
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| Newswire |
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| Politics |
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Political crisis over Malaysian sex charges
Anwar Ibrahim, the leader of Malaysia's resurgent opposition, is fighting for his political life after being accused of sodomy, which is illegal in the country. His triumphant return to politics threatened Malaysia's ruling coalition, which has repeatedly targeted Ibrahim for his reformist stances. (ED)
| International Herald Tribune | Sydney Morning Herald |
Surprise! Mugabe wins again
Running unchallenged since his opponent Morgan Tsvangirai dropped out, Robert Mugabe secured his sixth term as Zimbabwe's president in Sunday's runoff election, and rejected any power-sharing
schemes. The African Union, criticized for enabling the political crisis, has refused to condemn the election. (CN)
| Times, UK | Al Jazeera |
Pakistan launches offensive against militants
Pakistan routed a band of Islamic militants near Peshawar, in a sign that the country's new government is increasingly open to using force against insurgents. Pakistan's maneuver ensures control of the Khyber Pass, which allows US and NATO forces into Afghanistan. (BH)
| Christian Science Monitor | Independent |
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| Science & Technology |
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Santa's pool party?
Scientists say there's a 50/50 chance that sea ice will melt at the North Pole this summer, a historical first. An ice-free
Pole is a symbolic but important benchmark; observers point out that it piques interest like few other climate-change stories. (BH)
| Independent | ABC News |
Fight the urge with happy thoughts
Struggling to resist a temptation like a cigarette? Scientists suggest focusing on a relaxing image to curb your craving. Physiological arousal was nearly halved when study participants had calming — rather than anticipatory
— thoughts before receiving a treat. (CN)
| New Scientist | Scientific American |
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An itch you just can't scratch
For medical-oddity lovers, a recent New Yorker story about the neurobiology of itching inspired a lot of chatter — and some squirmy page-turning. The word from surgeon/writer
Atul Gawande to long-suffering scratchers: your itches are not so much perceived, as invented. (CN)
| Mental Floss | Well (New York Times) |
Flak over latest campaign flap
The US presidential race's most recent brouhaha — in which Gen. Wesley Clark questioned the relevance of Sen. John McCain's
military record — has incited media criticism. Meanwhile, some call Clark's verbal bullet a classic case of Army versus Navy rivalry. (ED)
| Campaign Diaries | Swampland (TIME) |
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| The Week in Pictures |
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Click to see the full-size image and caption.
 Reuters/Zeev Rozenberg
 Reuters/Mike Blake
 Reuters/Christinne Muschi
 Reuters/Toru Hanai
 Reuters/Andrei Kasprishin
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*Unless otherwise noted, all photos are courtesy of Reuters.
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| Local Stories |
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Delhi pride out of the closet
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| Reuters/Adnan Abidi |
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Sunday's first Queer Pride Parade in Delhi marked a turning point for India's gays and lesbians, who are persecuted under a colonial-era law, Section 377, that criminalizes some sex acts. A high court is considering a petition against the statute. (CN)
| Guardian | TIME |
Netherlands tobacco ban poses pot problem
After banning hallucinogenic-mushroom sales last year, the famously permissive Netherlands now prohibits tobacco smoking in bars and restaurants.
Owners and patrons of the country's "coffee shops" fear that the law will intensify policing of spliff puffers. (ED)
| Radio Netherlands | BBC |
China goes green (in a bad way)
In the Chinese city of Qingdao, foul-smelling algae has spread over almost a third of the Olympics' sailing route, hindering team practices. At least 10,000 people, including fishermen and students, are working to clear the water
before the games begin. (BH)
| BBC | International Herald Tribune |
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| Masthead |
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Editors
Anna Balkrishna
Eli Dvorkin
Benjamin Hart
Doug Levy
Catherine New
Contributors
Mark Mangan
Production
Morgan Croney
Andrew Steinmetz
Design
Nicholas Feldman
Jessica Bauer-Greene
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