Roxanne Saberi and How Journalism Works in Iran

Over the past four years, the media has come to see Iran once again in black and white, and almost exclusively through the antics of its bombastic President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. To some degree, Ahmadinejad has invited the oversimplification of Iran with blunt verbal strikes at the West calculated to dominate headlines

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GM expected to file for bankruptcy Monday

General Motors, the nation’s largest automaker and for decades an icon of American manufacturing, stood on the brink of a bankruptcy filing and a de facto government takeover on Monday. A bankruptcy petition will be filed at 8 a.m., according to a source with direct knowledge of the bankruptcy proceedings. President Barack Obama will address the nation shortly before noon on Monday to explain the rationale for the filing, and his hopes that this is the best route for a turnaround, two officials close to the situation told CNN.

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Myanmar junta justifies Suu Kyi detention

The trial of Aung San Suu Kyi has been postponed until Friday while the country’s military junta once again justified — albeit indirectly — its detention of the opposition leader. Without mentioning Suu Kyi by name, a full-page article in the New Light of Myanmar newspaper on Saturday laid out the penalty for someone running afoul of the state’s subversion laws — under which the pro-democracy advocate is being tried. “The restrictions can be extended up to a total of five years with the prior approval of the government in accordance with the law,” the article said

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Fiat pulls out of Opel takeover talks

The future of Opel remained uncertain Friday after Italian car giant Fiat withdrew from talks in Berlin due to concerns over emergency funding demanded by the German government for the ailing automaker. Fiat had been one of two potential bidders, along with Canadian-Austrian supplier Magna, still in the running to take over Opel, which is currently owned by General Motors. Fiat said in a statement Friday it remained interested in taking control of Opel but said the German government’s demand for the potential suitors to provide $417 million in short-term funding would expose Fiat to “unnecessary and unwarranted risks.” “Fiat remains open and committed to continue discussions with all parties involved with a view to find a stable and lasting solution for the industrial activities of Opel,” Fiat said

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Germany’s Battle Against Scientology

The interior ministers of Germany’s 16 states have launched an investigation into the activities of the Church of Scientology, hoping to assemble the evidence to support banning the U.S.-based organization from operating in Germany. But skeptics question whether such a move is politically and legally tenable — or wise

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