Time Magazine Cover Links War to Afghan Women's Struggle
Aisha's maimed face is a symbol of Taliban violence
2010-08-07
By JENNIFER PELTZ, Associated Press Writer, for The Skanner News
The face on the cover of Time magazine is graceful, composed and unthinkably maimed. The heart-shaped hole where 18-year-old Aisha's nose should be is a mark of Taliban justice — a visceral illustration, the headline suggests, of “what happens if we leave Afghanistan.”
The portrait has quickly become a symbol of the stakes of a nearly decade-old war. Read the complete article
VIDEO: Obama Says Iraq War Nears End
50,000 troops will remain to train Iraqis and counter terrorism
2010-08-02
The Skanner News
President Barack Obama declared Monday that the Iraq war was nearing an end "as promised and on schedule," touting what he called a success of his administration though it comes amid persistent instability and uncertainty in Iraq. Read the complete article
Dutch Troops Leave Afghanistan
First NATO member withdraws troops from unpopular war
2010-08-02
ROBERT H. REID Associated Press Writer for The Skanner News
The Netherlands became the first NATO country to end its combat mission in Afghanistan, withdrawing nearly 1,900 Dutch troops Sunday. Canada has announced it will withdraw its 2,700 troops in 2011 and Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski has promised to pull out his country's 2,600 soldiers the year after. The move is politically significant because it comes at a time of rising casualties and growing doubts about the war in NATO capitals, even as allied troops are beginning what could be the decisive campaign of the war. Read the complete article
VIDEO: Floods Devastate Pakistan, 2 Million People Need Help
Protesters say aid efforts are too slow
2010-08-02
By CHRIS BRUMMITT of the Associated Press for The Skanner News
Relief efforts in Pakistan's flood-ravaged northwest picked up pace Monday, but survivors complained about government inaction — a worrying sign for authorities seeking public support for the fight against militants in the region. Read the complete article
Obama Says Afghanistan Goal is Preventing Terrorist Attacks
President defends the war, Gates condemns Wikileaks
2010-08-02
By ANNE GEARAN Associated Press security writer for The Skanner News
July was the deadliest month for troops in Afghanistan, but President Obama says military action is necessary to prevent terrorist attacks. Read the complete article
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe Attacks West at Sister's Funeral
President Mugabe blames the west for Zimbabwe's economic collapse
2010-08-02
By CHENGETAI ZVAUYA of The Associated Press for The Skanner News
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe gave an emotional and angry address at the state funeral of his sister Sunday. “To hell” with Europeans and Americans opposed to his rule, he said. “We say to hell, hell, hell with them. They will not decide who is going to lead the people of Zimbabwe.”
U.S. Ambassador Charles Ray left the funeral during Mugabe's address, but later refused to comment on his action.
Read the complete article
Ugandan Children Experiencing Lead Poisoning
2010-07-27
Some school-age children in Uganda are experiencing high levels of lead poisoning, according to researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Children living near the Kiteezi landfill in Kampala, Uganda, have blood lead levels nearly 20 times as high as the typical lead level found in U.S. children. The data are published in the current issue of Environmental Health Perspectives. Read the complete article
Vatican Issues New Rules For Sexual Abuse Cases
Victims express anger at failure to require bishops to report abuse to police
2010-07-17
The Associate Press for The Skanner News
The Vatican issued a revised set of in-house rules Thursday to respond to clerical sex abuse, targeting priests who molest the mentally disabled as well as children and priests who use child pornography, but making few substantive changes to existing practice.
The new rules make no mention of the need for bishops to report clerical sex abuse to police, provide no canonical sanctions for bishops who cover up for abusers and do not include any “one-strike and you're out” policy for pedophile priests as demanded by some victims.
Read the complete article
AIDS Rate Falls in Africa Among Young
2010-07-13
LONDON (AP) — The number of young people infected with HIV in Africa is falling in 16 of the 25 countries hardest hit by the virus, according to a new report by a U.N. agency. Read the complete article
After 50 Years, Congo Still Mired in Conflict
2010-06-30
KINSHASA, Congo (AP) -- Fabulous minerals. Magnificent music. Great cuisine. A landscape that stretches from lush rain forest to Swiss-looking mountains. And a people still mired in violence and misery a half century after independence from Belgium. Read the complete article
