Topic: U.S. Department of State
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Cuban Missile Crisis: the 3 most surprising things you didn't know
Fifty years ago, the Cuban Missile Crisis brought the United States and the Soviet Union within a hair’s breadth of nuclear war. Here are three things that many Americans don’t know about what historians routinely call “the most dangerous moment in human history.”
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5 top childcare options: costs and value, from day care to nanny
Which childcare option is right for you?
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In Pictures: Julian Assange and the WikiLeaks Scandal
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Four gambits Obama could try to boost election prospects
President Obama got big headlines – and a political bounce – from his new policy protecting some young illegal immigrants from deportation and offering them temporary work permits. By a 2-to-1 margin, likely American voters support the move, according to a Bloomberg poll. So what other potential gambits does Mr. Obama have in his hip pocket, especially if he needs another jolt before Election Day? Here are four.
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Where gas prices are highest
Gasoline is a very visible price, and closely watched by many drivers. Petroleum prices impact many products, from food to industrial production. While the cost of crude is the major factor in gasoline price volatility, some countries levy taxes on fossil fuels. Here are ten countries where high gas prices are the norm, according to British insurance firm Staveley Head.
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Hillary Clinton recovering from fall, working from home
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has canceled work-related trips as well as a planned appearance before Congress to testify on the Benghazi attack. Clinton is working from home after she fainted last week.
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Global News Blog
Good Reads: Mexico’s rise, Lincoln’s precedence, and tomorrow’s truthA round-up of this week's long-form good reads include a look at Mexico's competitive growth, the virtues of compromise in multiple administrations, and how facts 'decay.'
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Terrorism & Security
Russia insists it stands by Syria's Assad, despite earlier comments (+video)The Russian deputy foreign minister said yesterday that the Syrian regime might fall – a bold declaration because Russia has been a key ally of President Bashar al-Assad.
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Syria's rebels, US urge Moscow to help push Assad into ceding power
Both rebel leadership and the United States urged the Russian government to help push Syria's President Bashar al-Assad into ceding power and end the battles closing in around his capital.
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North Korea rocket test shows long road to credible missiles
Experts say Pyongyang is years from even having a shot at developing reliable missiles that could bombard distant targets, though it did gain attention and the outrage of world leaders with its first successful launch of a three-stage, long-range rocket.
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The Monitor's View: Why a US-EU trade pact would be historic
China's model of state-run capitalism needs a massive challenge from the two giant market economies. Obama must win a US-EU trade pact in his second term.
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Family of journalist Austin Tice struggles with silence on kidnapping
Austin Tice was kidnapped near Damascus in August. His family went to Beirut recently in hopes of extending their reach into Syria and finding out more about who might be holding him.
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US draws line in Syria: aligns with moderate rebels, labels others terrorists
On the verge of formally recognizing a rebel coalition as representing the Syrian people, the US designated the al-Nusra Front as a terrorist organization that is an arm of Al Qaeda in Iraq.
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Change Agent
Mom in Argentina rescues hundreds of sex slavesWhat began as a one-woman campaign a decade ago has become a movement, and today Susana Trimarco is a hero to hundreds of women she's rescued from prostitution rings in Argentina.
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Hillary Clinton's Middle East trip canceled due to ill health
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will not be visiting Morocco and the Middle East as planned. The State Department said a stomach bug has Clinton temporarily out of commission.
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North Korea extends window, plans for rocket launch (+video)
Faced with technical problems, North Korea extended the window during which they plan to launch a long-ranch rocket. It will be the country's second attempt to launch a rocket this year.
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Backchannels
US designates Syria's Jabhat al-Nusra front a 'terrorist' group at lightning speedThe US State Department designated Syria's Jabhat al-Nusra, one of the militias fighting Bashar al-Assad, a foreign terrorist organization.
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As Syria's rebels close in, Assad has three options
The most likely is a retreat into the mountains controlled by his minority Alawite community.
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Latin America Monitor
Would the US free the 'Cuban Five' in exchange for Alan Gross?Three years ago, Alan Gross was arrested and found guilty of crimes against the 'sovereignty and territorial integrity' of Cuba. Now, he wants the US and Cuba to sit down together and negotiate his release.
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Russia, China warn North Korea about potential rocket launch
The two Asian superpowers are trying to convince their small Communist neighbor that launching another rocket is not in its best interest.
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House vote to boost sci-tech visas lays bare political rifts on immigration
The House approved a bill Friday to redirect 55,000 available visas to foreign students studying science, engineering, and math in the US. Some Democrats backed the GOP bill, but the vote shows why immigration is such a thorny issue for Congress.
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'Stand your ground' laws: Do they put teens in greater danger?
Three shooting deaths in the past week raise questions about whether prank-prone and reckless teens are particularly vulnerable under states' 'castle doctrine' and 'stand your ground' laws.
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Susan Rice fails to charm GOP senators (+video)
U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice met with Republican senators Wednesday, in an effort to diffuse criticisms surrounding her possible nomination for secretary of state. But even moderate senators walked away vowing to block the nomination.
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Backchannels
Who backs Palestine UN bid? Ehud Olmert, among others (+video)Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert came out strongly in support of Palestine being given "observer state" status at the UN tomorrow.
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Palestinians push for elevated UN status: Did Gaza conflict help?
Some nations are warming to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's bid for enhanced UN status. After the Gaza conflict, they see the moderate Abbas as a counterweight to Hamas.
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'Death evictions'? Guatemala's violence takes an unusual toll
Guatemala has one of the world's highest murder rates. The two largest public cemeteries in Guatemala City are so cramped that relatives must pay rent on tombs – or risk family members' 'eviction.'
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China on passports: Nothing here to see, folks
'The aim of China's new electronic passports is to strengthen its technological abilities and make it convenient for Chinese citizens to enter or leave the country,' said China's Foreign Ministry spokesman.
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Why Obama is standing with Egypt's President Morsi
The Obama administration – as the US did for years with Hozni Mubarak — wants to separate President Mohammed Morsi's domestic political maneuvers from his role as a Middle East mediator. The US needs Morsi as a peace broker between Hamas and Israel.
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China's passport propaganda baffles experts
China is issuing passports with a map of the disputed South China Sea labeled as part of China.
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New protests in Tahrir Square as Egypt's Morsi grants himself broad powers
The Egyptian president's move brought opponents into the streets all across the country amidst fears that he may be seizing power through emergency orders similar to those of the previous regime.
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