Topic: Focus

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Focus Petrocaribe: Paying beans for Venezuelan oil

Some 17 countries receive shipments of crude or refined oil products with preferential repayment terms under the Petrocaribe energy pact. But some nations fear oil shipments could stop post-Chávez.
Focus Michael Bloomberg as counterweight to NRA: What are his chances?

Billionaire and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg taps his money, and political zeal, to counter the political clout of the NRA. The gun rights group sees 'billions of reasons to take him seriously.'
Focus Gun-control debate: How does Bloomberg stack up against the NRA?

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is on a mission to challenge the NRA's longtime sway over gun policies. Here are the strengths each side brings to the gun-control debate.
Focus Obama arrives in a Middle East upended since his 2009 visit

President Obama arrived in Israel today for a regional visit in which he will have to juggle three rapidly ticking time bombs: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Syria's war, and Iran's nuclear program.
Focus What would 501-day mission to Mars feel like? 'Survivor' in space.

Scientists and space enthusiasts are trying to discover how humans would manage missions beyond the moon. A proposed 2018 mission to Mars is adding urgency.
Focus Drones over America: public safety benefit or 'creepy' privacy threat?

Drones are not just for tracking terrorists abroad. Some 327 are authorized to fly in US airspace – most for military training. But as their numbers grow, so is domestic scrutiny.
Focus Iraq war: The day the conflict changed

Ten years after the Iraq invasion, reporter Scott Peterson recalls the day a suicide attack threw him out of bed in a formerly quiet Baghdad neighborhood – and blew a hole in any sense that the war was keeping its distance.
Focus Iraq war: On the road to Baghdad for 17 days

Andy Nelson, who photographed the US invasion of Iraq, recalls the pulling down of Saddam's statue – and early signs of chaos.
Focus Ten years after invasion, Iraq remains dangerously divided

In the new Iraq, old sectarian fears remain. Around Baghdad's Green Zone, the fortified seat of government, concrete walls pulled down a year ago are going back up.
Focus Is US-Mexico border secure enough? Immigration reform could hinge on answer.

What did the post-9/11 border patrol surge of manpower and equipment achieve? Understanding its successes and failures could be crucial to the new immigration reform effort.
Focus China-Japan island dispute opens door to misunderstandings

Stubbornness over conflicting claims to the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands in the East China Sea holds out the prospect of competing maritime patrols and continued tensions, raising the risk of an incident.
Focus Will China's new leaders really take on North Korea?

Making real sanctions bite would threaten the North Korean regime's stability, and an imploding North Korea could mean refugees flooding across the border, say Chinese scholars.
Focus Will China, Japan, and South Korea hit the 'reset' button for Asia?

In a historic moment of coincidence, new leaders are taking the helm in China, Japan, and South Korea, providing an unprecedented moment for the region to refresh relations.
Focus Can Kenya's March election avoid killings, catastrophe, of last national vote?

Kenya prized its strategic and symbolic importance as one of Africa's leading democracies. But bloody post-election riots in 2007 has the world now watching.
Focus Will Twitter make an impact in Kenya's elections next week?

Smart phones now affordable for the first time and can carry messages of reconciliation as well as hate.
Focus Dorner case legacy: rekindled distrust, resentment of police

When ex-cop Christopher Dorner pursued his fatal vendetta against Los Angeles Police Department, his cause resonated with some in the black community. Why has the old rift between police and minorities been so hard to heal?
Focus US 'pivot to Asia': Is John Kerry retooling it?

A focus of American resources on Asia was a major priority when Hillary Rodham Clinton was secretary of State. But it is unclear if John Kerry will follow her approach exactly, many regional analysts say.
Focus Going green: Forget the McNugget eaters, target McDonald's itself

Paper giant APP's move to go green in Indonesia has thrilled environmentalists. Many activist groups are now focusing on buying practices that could affect a firm's reputation – as well as its finances.
Focus Stunning reversal? Why 'big paper' just went green in Indonesia.

Asia Pulp & Paper Co. has promised to stop using wood from Indonesia's natural forests. Unprecedented market pressures, driven in part by Barbie and Mickey Mouse, helped.
Focus How US military plans to carry out Obama's 'pivot to Asia'

A US policy shift toward Asia means a greater role for the Navy. Even pre-'pivot to Asia,' it already stationed half its ships in the region, and it is developing a new 'afloat forward staging base' in the Pacific.
Focus Drugs in sports: Who is winning the doping war?

As scientists close the gap on doping detection, athletes bent on cheating can still game the system. Stricter enforcement from league authorities is critical to redeeming sports scandalized by doping – cycling, baseball, and potentially the NFL.
Focus Ben Johnson to Lance Armstrong: A chronology of doping scandal

Athletes accused of using banned substances threaten the integrity of sports ranging from track and field to baseball and cycling. Will the NFL be next? Here is a look at key moments in the evolution of sports doping.
Focus Brazil's affirmative action law offers a huge hand up

Public universities in Brazil will reserve half their seats to provide racial, income, and ethnic diversity – a law that goes the furthest in the Americas in attempting race-based equality. It will most greatly affect the large Afro-Brazilian population.
Focus African heritage in Latin America

Afro-descendants in Latin America have had a different experience from those in the US, experts say. Despite this, social, economic, and cultural discrimination has been historically very strong.
Focus State of the Union: Obama's ambitious second-term agenda (+video)

Prospects are mixed for President Obama's second-term agenda, from immigration to climate change to economic recovery. Both Obama and the Republicans are walking a tricky political line.