World

Physical and Sexual Abuse Finally Illegal in Saudi Arabia

Staff / Truthdig Aug 29, 2013 A law passed by the Saudi Arabian cabinet this week bans violence against women and children in the home as well as in the workplace. Such behavior, which up until now had been considered a “private matter” in the country, will be punishable with penalties of $1,300 to $13,000 and as much as a year in prison. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

U.S. Helped Hussein Gas Iran

Staff / Truthdig Aug 28, 2013 Files from the CIA show the American government was aware Saddam Hussein was using chemical weapons against Iran but officials did not intervene; right wingers aren't upset Fox News' co-owner is Saudi, but they are in an uproar over Al-Jazeera America; meanwhile, Justices Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg are disgruntled with the Supreme Court. These discoveries and more after the jump. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Syrian Government Won’t Be Able to Conceal Chemical Use

Staff / Truthdig Aug 28, 2013 According to scientists, evidence of the use of sarin, a nerve agent that originated as an insecticide but is now deployed in chemical warfare, can be detected years after an attack. Thus, no matter how much Syrian President Bashar al-Assad denied his use of chemical weapons, experts would be able to find proof if he had launched such an assault. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Austerity Making It Harder to Cheat on Your Wife

Staff / Truthdig Aug 27, 2013 Summer used to be the season of infidelity in Italy. Now, with the European Union enforcing strict measures as a result of the economic crisis, affairs are no longer so simple to maintain. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

The Prince: Meet the Man Who Co-Opted Democracy in the Middle East

Robert Scheer / Truthdig Aug 27, 2013 Now that the Arab Spring has been turned into a totally owned subsidiary of the Saudi royal family, it is time to honor Prince Bandar bin Sultan as the most effective Machiavellian politician of the modern era.The Arab Spring has been turned into a totally owned subsidiary of the Saudi royal family. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Assad Must Be Punished

Eugene Robinson / Truthdig Aug 27, 2013 History says don't do it. Most Americans say don't do it. But President Obama has to punish Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad's homicidal regime with a military strike -- and hope that history and the people are wrong. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

U.S. Promises ‘Consequences’ in Syria, Whatever U.N. Inspectors Find

Peter Z. Scheer / Truthdig Aug 27, 2013 Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday promised action against Syria while a U.N. team scrambled to gather evidence amid sniper fire. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Britain Produces Generations of Impoverished Children

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Aug 27, 2013 Britain risks "sleepwalking into a world where inequality becomes so entrenched that our children grow up in a state of social apartheid," a leading charity is expected to show in a report set to be published next week. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Manning Wronged and Miranda’s Right

Amy Goodman / Truthdig Aug 26, 2013 The violation of Miranda's rights has created a political firestorm in Britain, whose equivalent to the National Security Agency, the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), has come under equal scrutiny for widespread surveillance. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Obama Said to Be Contemplating Military Response to Syrian Chemical Weapons

BLANK Aug 25, 2013 The U.S. asserts that the Syrian government used chemical weapons against civilians last week, ratcheting up talk of possible American military intervention even as President Obama warns of limited options and international legal repercussions. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Climate ‘Toppled Late Bronze Age Rulers’

By Tim Radford, Climate News Network Aug 25, 2013 A changing climate may have been a cause of the rise and fall of many of Bronze Age Europe's civilizations. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Steer Clear of Manning Protests in Iceland

Staff / Truthdig Aug 24, 2013 As though there weren’t already enough paranoid and unfounded warnings coming from American officials, the U.S. Embassy in Reykjavik sent out a cautionary message Thursday regarding Chelsea (formerly Bradley) Manning supporters. The emergency notice advised Americans to be wary of traveling to Iceland, or worse, walking by the embassy downtown, for fear of the protesters. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )