Ahead of tentative international talks in Geneva to resolve the Syrian conflict, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has announced that his troops will remain in Syria indefinitely. Giving a rare in-person speech to supporters in Beirut, the Iranian client and Assad confederate promised that Hezbollah will fight in Syria until the Alawite regime is restored to […]

We’re so focused on bad health care reform at the moment that we may be overlooking the positive possibilities right in front of us. At the American Prospect, Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux rehearses many of the benefits of giving nurse practitioners greater independence: they can provide the same level of primary care as a physician but at a […]

Misinformation can be deadly. We have the technology to genetically modify crops to be resistant to pestilence and drought, but atavistic fears over the safety of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and the emotional rejection of “frankenfoods” are starving the world’s poor. Nowhere is this sad drama—pitting ignorance about the technology against the need to feed […]

In case the highest-in-the-nation rents and exorbitant taxes weren’t enough, New York residents are also paying more for utilities than anyone in the country. Consolidated Edison (Con Ed) which supplies electricity to New York City, charges 25.65 cents per kilowatt hour for electricity, which is more than double the national average, the Wall Street Journal reports. Yet […]

President Obama is facing some stiff opposition from members of his own party over the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement currently being negotiated. Reuters: In a letter to President Barack Obama, 151 House Democrats said there had not been enough consultation between the administration and Congress over the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP pact.“Given our concerns, we will […]

It’s not just Japan that’s investing in its military. With the delivery of a Russian-made aircraft carrier only days away, the Indian navy gave an ambitious account of its future, promising the addition of 200 warships, including three more aircraft carriers, within the next 10 years. The Times of India reports: Right now, we have 136 ships […]

Japanese policy-makers are finalizing the budget for a futuristic military technology research center, modeled on the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, a target of conspiracy theorists and wacky sci-fi aficionados for decades. Reuters reports: Japan’s Cabinet Office, which will oversee the program, is negotiating with the Finance Ministry on the scale of the funding, […]

Last Friday, Ukraine halted all imports of Russian natural gas. Kiev is preparing itself for a groundbreaking vote later this month to enter a free trade and association agreement with the EU, marking an historic shift away from its former Soviet master. In that context, the decision to cut ties with Russia’s Gazprom seemed especially […]

“Promises are the uniquely human way of ordering the future,” said Hannah Arendt, “making it predictable and reliable to the extent that this is humanly possible.” It seems everywhere you look in California, cities are finding out just how impossible that has become. Desert Hot Springs, a resort town of 26,000 residents, is set to […]

The media love affair with Pope Francis is apparently only part of a broader phenomenon: a new survey has found that he is the “most talked about person on the planet.” CNN: More folks have been chatting about the popular new pontiff online this year than Edward Snowden, Kate Middleton or even the Internet’s favorite bad […]