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Honduran Congress considers accord

An agreement to end the monthlong political turmoil in Honduras went before Congress, with political amnesty and national elections on the table. The 128 deputies of the country’s unicameral legislature will decide whether to grant a period of political amnesty for both sides in the conflict, and whether to move forward the national elections scheduled for November. The two issues are among the points included in the so-called San Jose Accord — a proposed agreement to bring an end to the political standoff that escalated after the ouster of President Jose Manuel Zelaya on June 28

‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ to get Senate committee review

A key U.S. Senate committee will hold a hearing on the military’s controversial "don’t ask, don’t tell" policy on gays and lesbians, according to Sen.

The Five Biggest Hurdles to Health-Care Reform

Since he took office in January, President Barack Obama has made clear that he views this year as the best opportunity in decades to overhaul the nation’s ailing health-care system; more recently he has stressed that he wants the House and Senate to pass their respective bills before their month-long August recess.

Hackers target Australian festival showing Uyghur film

Hackers repeatedly attacked the Web site of Australia’s largest film festival Saturday, asking organizers to apologize to the Chinese people for planning to screen a documentary on an exiled Uyghur leader. The attacks were carried out on the opening day of the Melbourne International Film Festival — in what organizers are calling the third phase of a “concerted campaign” to withdraw the film “The 10 Conditions of Love.” The documentary examines the impact on the family of activist Rebiya Kadeer as she fights for greater autonomy of the ethnic minority group, the Uyghurs, in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China’s northwest. Kadeer is the president of the World Uyghur Congress, made up of exiled Uyghurs.

Guantanamo detainee may face trial in U.S.

Administration officials Friday indicated a second Guantanamo Bay detainee may be brought to the United States for a criminal trial, but cautioned no final decision has been made. Justice Department officials said they continue to review the case of Afghan detainee Mohammed Jawad, who has been held at the Guantanamo facility for more than six years. “The attorney general has now directed that (Justice) Department prosecutors expedite their review of his case so the department can decide whether evidence exists to support a criminal case in federal court

Big Tobacco Sets Its Sights on Africa

It’s easy enough to buy a smoke at Isa Yakubu’s grocery store on a busy street in Lagos, Nigeria. Never mind if you don’t have much money

The State of Play for Health-Care Reform

President Barack Obama did his best to keep health-care reform on track with his Wednesday evening press conference, but after months of choosing to let Congress manage the day to day details, there is only so much he can do to speed along the process. He continued that effort on Thursday, dispatching chief of staff and former House Democratic Conference Chairman Rahm Emanuel to Capitol Hill to try to ease the concerns of the group of key, fiscally-conservative Democrats known as the Blue Dogs, who are balking at what they view as the high long-term costs of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s health-care proposal. Pelosi is racing to deliver at least one completed health care bill to President Obama ahead of the scheduled August recess.

Congress’s Blue Dog Democrats Slow Health-Care Reform

“Got a lot of farms in your district?” In Washington, Representative Dennis Moore, a six-term Democrat, fields that question all the time. People see that he’s from Kansas and they jump to certain conclusions.

The Outrage of South Africa’s Poor Threatens Their President, Jacob Zuma

South African President Jacob Zuma has a problem: the very underclass that swept him into office last April on his promise to deliver them a better life have run out of patience, and they’re venting their outrage on the streets. Little more than a year after the country’s impoverished black townships erupted in a wave of violence directed at migrants from neighboring African countries, tires are once again burning on the streets as crowds protesting the lack of resources in their communities clash with police in images sometimes reminiscent of the apartheid era. Recent weeks have seen a wave of angry and at times violent protests and strikes break out across the country.

Ousted President Zelaya begins caravan back to Honduras

Behind the wheel of a sport utility vehicle, deposed Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya on Thursday started his journey from Managua, Nicaragua, to the country’s border with Honduras. A caravan of Zelaya supporters and reporters headed north to the city of Esteli, close to the Honduran border.