China Hands Over Info On Iranian Nuclear Program
In what may be a significant shift in policy, China has joined a growing list of countries previously opposed to harsh sanctions against Iran who are now turning over to the International Atomic Energy Agency key intelligence documents related to Tehran’s renegade nuclear program. The information involves Iran’s suspected efforts to develop nuclear arms, and seems to reflect new concerns by China, Russia and other once skeptical countries that the Islamist regime has not been forthcoming about its atomic program.

Can Foreign Aid Save Africa?
Ron Paul
Congress is poised to pass the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) authorizing up to $50 million in unconstitutional foreign aid. The bill passed out of the Foreign Affairs Committee with a bipartisan agreement to nearly double the President's requested amount. It is always distressing to see officials in our government reach across the aisle to disregard Constitutional limitations.

Six Companies to Build High-Speed Cable Under Pacific Ocean
A group of six international companies has announced plans to build an ultra-high speed, undersea, fiber-optic cable under the Pacific Ocean, between Japan and the United States. The project is meant to improve Internet and other telecommunication traffic between the U.S. and Asia, and comes as several other companies have begun similar ventures.

British Olympic Athletes Asked Not to Speak on Political Issues
British athletes competing at this year's Olympic Games in China are being asked to sign a contract that includes a pledge not to speak out on political or human rights issues. The British Olympic Association has confirmed the story reported by the London newspaper The Mail on Sunday.

Pakistan: Shari’a Courts Spark Fears Of "Taliban-Like State" On Afghan Border
Fearing the creation of a Taliban-like state near the Afghan border, Pakistani rights activists are up in arms over plans to set up a hard-line Islamist judicial system in Pashtun-populated parts of the country's Northwest Frontier Province. Authorities recently proposed greatly expanding the powers of already-existing Shari'a courts.

Afghanistan: Uncle Of Student Condemned To Death Says Court Biased
The uncle of an Afghan journalism student sentenced to death for blasphemy claims that the appellate judge is biased against his nephew. Sayed Yasin Peroz described the original trial of his nephew, Sayed Perwiz Kambakhsh, on January 22 as "unfair, unjust, and one-sided."

Advocacy Group Says Freedom On Decline
January 16, 2008 -- 2007 was a bad year for freedom, according to a prominent rights-advocacy organization that has registered a global decline in political rights and civil liberties for the second consecutive year. In its annual "Freedom Of The World" report released today, the New York-based group Freedom House found that one-fifth of the 193 countries it studied suffered setbacks last year.

Pakistan Postpones National Elections
The head of Pakistan's Election Commission has announced the postponement of parliamentary elections until February 18, following last week's assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto. At a news conference in Islamabad, Qazi Mohammad Farooq promised that the poll would be "fair, free, and transparent." He appealed to all parties to accept the delay and participate in the ballot.