In The News

Migrants' Bodies Pulled From Mediterranean

Ahmed Elumami and Marton Dunai August 31, 2015
Europe lacks coherent policies on the refugee crisis as thousands flee conflict in the Middle East and poverty in Africa. The desperate pay smugglers for transportation. The report from Reuters suggests that at least 2,500 died since January, but the numbers are likely much higher with more than 10 million displaced people in Syria and Iraq alone. “As bodies pile up, so does criticism of Europe...

Hacker Killed by Drone Was Islamic State’s “Secret Weapon”

Margaret Coker, Danny Yadron and Damian Paletta August 28, 2015
US and British military officials targeted a British citizen working as a hacker for the Islamic State, killing him with a drone: “That he was targeted directly shows the extent to which digital warfare has upset the balance of power on the modern battlefield,” reports the Wall Street Journal. “Islamic State didn’t build a large cyber force like the U.S.’s National Security Agency or China’s...

Inside the Migrant "Jungle" in Northern France

Peter Wieben August 26, 2015
An unprecedented mass migration is underway with millions displaced, fleeing poverty, conflict and unsustainable conditions in the Middle East and North Africa. The most resourceful leave all possessions behind to live in the squalor and relative security of European camps rife with ethnic, religious and racial tensions. Peter Wieben describes a crowded camp in Calais, near the entry to the...

Islamic State: The Dutch Teen Who Maps the Jihadists

Katrin Kuntz August 25, 2015
Thomas van Linge, 19, monitors the movements of jihadist groups in the Middle East and northern Africa, including the Islamic State, from his home in Amsterdam and creates maps used by news media around the globe: “he already knows better than most people where the Jihadists are heading, which areas they are occupying and where they've been beaten back,” reports Katrin Kuntz for Spiegel...

Denmark: First EU Country Planning to Run Anti-Refugee Adverts in Foreign Papers

Emmanuel Akinwotu August 20, 2015
Europe struggles to manage a refugee crisis. Tens of thousands of people are fleeing conflict in the Middle East and poverty in Africa; 2,000 have died trying to cross the Mediterranean this year to reach Italy or Greece, which have their challenges with tight budgets. The wait for asylum applications is long, and conditions of camps holding asylum seekers are grim. Smugglers pass out brochures...

Beheaded Scholar Refused to Lead ISIS to Hidden Antiquities

Kareem Shaheen and Ian Black August 19, 2015
An antiquities scholar renowned for leading excavations and restorations in the ancient city of Palmyra defied the Islamic State terrorists by refusing to divulge the location of hidden artifacts, according to a report in the Guardian. “The brutal murder of Khaled al-Asaad, 82, is the latest atrocity perpetrated by the jihadi group, which has captured a third of Syria and neighbouring Iraq and...

War Actually Is an Alternative to Iran Deal

Philip Gordon August 14, 2015
The Obama administration, along with other nations, negotiated an agreement with Iran on halting its nuclear research program for a limited time and allowing inspections. Opponents urge rejection, suggesting a better agreement can be reached, with Iran capitulating to broader US demands. The opponents scoff at US President Barack Obama’s conclusion that the alternative is more war in the Middle...