Japanese Reconstruction Minister Creates PR Disaster, Quits

Staff / Truthdig Jul 5, 2011 After spring's catastrophic earthquake and tsunami, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan's administration created the position of minister for reconstruction and looked to appointee Ryu Matsumoto to help the recovery effort on several levels. That didn't turn out so well. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Building Egypt’s Cabinet

Staff / Truthdig Mar 7, 2011 Post-revolution Egypt's government is beginning to take form, with Prime Minister-designate Essam Sharaf selecting two men not affiliated with Hosni Mubarak to head the interior and foreign ministries. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Mubarak’s Enforcer Goes on Trial

Staff / Truthdig Mar 6, 2011 Just days after President Hosni Mubarak resigned his seat of power in Egypt, former Interior Minister Habib el-Adly was arrested on charges of corruption. His trial began Saturday in Cairo. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

And Now, a Giggly Swiss Minister’s Take on Cured Meats (Update: Explained)

Staff / Truthdig Sep 28, 2010 Here we see the now-viral footage of Swiss finance minister Hans-Rudolf Merz, 67, who is on the brink of retirement and quite able to appreciate the lighter side of some of his bureaucratic duties, such as discussing the apparently amusing matter of cured meat imports. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Don’t Count on Us

Staff / Truthdig Jun 5, 2010 In the face of the stereotypical image of Americans as free-spending consumers, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has told his international finance colleagues that G20 countries should not rely on American buyers for their products as they travel the road to economy recovery. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Dozens of Pakistani Politicians Called to Corruption Courts

Staff / Truthdig Dec 19, 2009 Pakistan's Supreme Court dealt a blow to many in the country's ruling elite Friday by reopening corruption cases against "thousands of politicians," according to The New York Times, and calling for dozens of those officials to appear before the courts. Included on the list was President Asif Ali Zardari, but his position grants him immunity against prosecution. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The Making of Iran’s New Cabinet

Staff / Truthdig Sep 3, 2009 The Iranian parliament has approved the first woman Cabinet minister, Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi, in the 30-year history of the Islamic republic. Parliament also gave its blessing as defense minister to a man wanted in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Argentina that killed 85 people. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The Gospel According to … the Boss?

Staff / Truthdig Jul 1, 2008 Unitarian Universalist minister Jeffrey Symynkywicz is quite the Bruce Springsteen enthusiast, apparently. The Boston fan has studied Bruce Springsteen's lyrics as though they were Scripture, and the end result is Symynkywicz's new book -- wait for it -- "The Gospel According to Bruce Springsteen." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Israeli Official Sees Attacking Iran Unavoidable

Staff / Truthdig Jun 6, 2008 An Israeli official was quoted Friday as saying that "attacking Iran in order to stop its nuclear plans will be unavoidable," a remark that may further escalate tensions between the two countries as leaders continue to lob rhetorical digs at each other. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

A Lesson in Courage From Beirut

Robert Fisk / Truthdig Oct 2, 2007 Not only is The Independent reporter Fisk, like many others in Beirut, no longer shocked by a murder of yet another member of parliament, but he also is no longer affected by viewing the remains of the dead. Such is life in Lebanon today. Here, Fisk relates how Lebanese officials are learning to exist in a perpetual fog of fear. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Iran Blasts France for Beating War Drums

Staff / Truthdig Sep 18, 2007 Not surprisingly, Iranian officials are none too pleased with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner after he warned on Sunday that Iran's developing nuclear program constitutes cause for alarm -- and potentially for war. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Sir Salman’s Knighthood Triggers Backlash

Staff / Truthdig Jun 18, 2007 Author Salman Rushdie is once again the subject of controversy -- a position the "Satanic Verses" scribe is familiar with, to say the least. The decision by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II to knight Rushdie last weekend drew criticism from Muslims who disagreed with the message of his most notorious novel, including members of Pakistan's parliament. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )