Shhh Parrot sleeping!

The Daily Parrot is resting over Christmas and will resume squawking next year

Friends Again

Turkey and the United States have expressed their new found friendship with the USA looking the other way as Turkey pounds its old enemies the Kurds. But, NEwsweek asks, will it last?

Friends again

The Race to build the 1gallon/100miles supercar

Wired looks at the race to build the ultimate green machine.

Green Machine

Lull in Violence: People Pack Parks in Baghdad

The Islamic feast of Eid-al-Adha brought Bagdadi's out of their homes in droves enjoying a lull in violence, according to this report from the Pakistan Times.

Lull in Violence: People Pack Parks in Baghdad

Voters pick PPP (Thailand)

Bangkok Post reports the election victory of Samak Sundaravej's People Power Party - a slap in the face for the leaders of Thailand's coup d'etat.

Voters pick PPP

Border Controls Vanish in Eastern Europe

Der Spiegel reports on the day the border of the European Union expanded.

Border controls vanish in Eastern Europe

Operation Stop Talking

Mother Jones reports on efforts by the CIA and US Justice Department to silence a whistleblower

Operation Stop Talking

On Rio's mean streets, a rare credibility

The Christian Science Monitor looks at how Pentacostal missionairies in South America are achieving social justice in a way that these deeply Catholic nations have never seen.

On Rio's mean streets, a rare credibility

Cuban Revolution

The Wall St Journal talks to a rebel blogger deep in the heart of Havana about changes there.

Cuban Revolution

Cold wave hits northern India

Northern India is experiencing temperatures as low as 4.6 degrees.

Cold wave hits northern India

Four-fold increase in UK Soldiers Testing Positive for Drugs in Afghanistan

The British Army is losing the equivalent of a Battalion a year to drugs in Afghanistan according to this report from Medical News Today

UK losing Soldiers in Afghanistan to Drugs

The Dangers of Kosovo

The ethnic Albanians of Kosovo want "out" from Serbia. Der Spiegel reports "Negotiations" continue but every participant knows they must fail.

The Dangers of Kosovo

[Israeli] Cabinet okays renewing controversial Temple Mount Mugrabi excavation

This short story from Israel notes the Cabinet has approved further archaeological excavations on the Temple Mount despite a Turkish report calling on Israel to stop.

Cabinet okays renewing controversial Temple Mount Mugrabi excavation

What has the junta achieved?

The Bangkok Post asks whether the military coup in Thailand was really worth the effort.

What has the junta achieved?

The Battle of Iowa

Rolling Stone Magazine takes a look at the Democratic Primary battle shaping up in Iowa

The Battle of Iowa

Screening Dreams

The inconvenient and unfriendly security at American airports is ineffective and just for show according to this New York Times columnist

Screening dreams

The end of cheap food

The Economist looks at the source of the pain in supermarkets world wide, and the potential for problems to come.

The end of cheap food

Keeping Medvedev on a Short Leash

Moscow Times columnist Yulia Latynina examines the mutual backscratching of Dmitri Medvedev and Vladmir Putin and what it means for Russia.

Keeping Medvedev on a short leash

American bummer in Bali

The Bush Administration's point men in Bali are making no concessions on climate change but that no longer represents the public mood of Americans according to this article from Salon.

American Bummer in Bali

Civil Rights Group: Israel has reached new heights of racism

Ha'aretz reports a civil rights group's survey findings that Jewish Israeli attitudes to Arab Israelis are worse now than previously.

Civil rights group: Israel has reached new heights of racism

Iran drops dollar from oil deals

The Tehran Times reports the Islamic Republic of Iran has abandoned the "greenback" as "unreliable". Latest oil deals with Japan have been denominated in yen.

Iran drops dollar from oil deals

Give the Donkey a sporting chance

This Moscow Times opinion piece argues that the Government infrastructure "Donkey" needs to catch up with the Oil and Gas "racehorse" of the Russian economy.

Give the Donkey a sporting chance

Genocide's Victory

The Boston Globe reports that Khartoum's genocidal objectives in Darfur seem all but assured given the failure of the UN to provide a modicum of protection.

Genocide's Victory

Top of the (Dung) Heap

The (Philippines) Inquirer responds to the international bribery and corruption survey results placing that nation 10th (worst) in the world for corruption. If nothing else the healthy skepticism of the Inquirer itself offers hope.

Top of the (Dung) Heap

Constitutional Chameleons

[Pakistan] Daily Times columnist Ijaz Hussain points out that none of the Pakistani opposition leaders has a good record on judicial independence.

Constitutional Chameleons

Innovating Our Way to Financial Crisis

Paul Krugman of the New York Times says about the "sub-prime" crisis:
"I’ve never seen financial insiders this spooked — not even during the Asian crisis of 1997-98".

Innovating Our Way to Financial Crisis

How America Lost the War on Drugs

Rolling Stone takes us back to the days before the "War on Terror" to the previous administrations "War on Drugs" and why it was lost.

How America Lost the War on Drugs