With director Oliver Stone’s penchant for unhinged narco-mayhem, Savages, based on Don Winslow’s 2010 novel, is likely to illustrate why keeping weed illegal no longer makes legal, fiscal or even moral sense.
Taliban Terror or Mass Hysteria: Who Is Poisoning Afghanistan’s Girls?
A recent spate of incidents in which dozens of girls have been forced from school, feeling sick, has set Afghanistan in a tizzy over what the source of the mysterious maladies may be.
Must-Reads from Around the World, July 6, 2012
Among today’s stories: a rumored Syrian defection, hardline rhetoric in China’s Xinjiang province and Mumbai slum dwellers use film to fight evictions.
French Tax Hikes Target Business and Wealthy Amid Stiffening Crisis
The government of French Socialist President François Hollande reveals nearly $10 billion in new tax hikes largely affecting the rich and companies as part of a emphatically leftist agenda revealed July 4.
Arafat Poisoned? A Locked-Door Mystery Goes Forensic
The Palestinians believe the Israelis did it; the Israelis say they didn’t. Even if more evidence of polonium is found, the mystery is likely to last a very long time.
The Challenge of Mexico’s Next President: The Corruption at the Heart of Crime
Enrique Peña Nieto has issued several proposals about battling the plague of narcoterrorism. But he hasn’t yet said how he will deal with the a key element of the crisis: the corrupting influence of money
Beyond Soccer: The Poignance (and Royalty) of Spain’s Soft Power
The Spanish Bourbons have their fair share of controversy, but Crown Prince Felipe and his wife show that the Spanish brand isn’t limited to the football pitch
Report: Fukushima Nuclear Disaster Was Man-Made
A scathing Japanese parliamentary report investigating the circumstances of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear-plant disaster blamed the dangerous incident on collusion between government agencies and Japan’s leading energy company
Must-Reads from Around the World, July 5, 2012
In today’s news: How did Yasser Arafat die? And why Marxism is on the rise.
50 Years of Algerian Independence: Scenes from a 20th Century War
July 5 marks the 50th anniversary of Algeria’s independence from France — the latter had ruled the former as a colony since 1830. The bitter, eight-year-long war that paved the way for Algerian freedom is immortalized in …
Ex-Barclays Chief Bob Diamond Grilled Over Rate-Fixing Scandal
Do sparks fly when you drill a Diamond? It’s a question bankers and politicians were keen to answer as Bob Diamond, Barclays’ former chief executive, appeared before Parliament’s Treasury Select Committee on July 4.
Exclusive: French Officials Detail “Big Coup” Bust of Key Al-Qaeda Enabler
French counter-terror authorities tell TIME about a Tunisian arrested on suspicion of being a central figure in al-Qaeda’s activity on the internet and in the terrorist network’s recruitment, and fund-raising.
Must-Reads from Around the World, July 4, 2012
Required reading today: the rise of freak weather, Chinese protests pay off and leading Malaysian opposition politician Anwar Ibrahim speaks his mind.