Christian Science Monitor | Global News Blog

It's scrap, not trash, and it's also one of America's top exports

International scrap dealers educate our reporter on the language of our leftovers.

New poll shows growing Arab trust in regional press

A poll by Northwestern in Qatar, due out tomorrow, shows growing trust in regional news outlets across the Arab world.

Will new British surveillance revelations fuel another hacking backlash?

British agency GCHQ's involvement in the NSA's global surveillance have some drawing parallels with the phone-hacking scandal that rocked the British media.

Poll: Hong Kongers would not back extradition of Edward Snowden

About 50 percent say the NSA whistle-blower should not be surrendered, 17.6 percent said he should be turned over, and a third aren't sure yet, according to poll published today.

Erdogan quiets Istanbul with softer tone, but calm is likely to be brief

Prime Minister Erdogan temporarily placated Turkish protesters by pausing development of Gezi Park, but their grievances run deeper. It will take more to stop demonstrations for good.

Is a two-track Europe already here?

European leaders have long rejected the idea that the EU is developing into a region of haves and have-nots. But a look at the news today suggests it's happening just the same.

Turkish street vendors turn on a dime to make a lira off Taksim protests

Swimming goggles and 'V for Vendetta' masks cropped up in street vendors' hands within days of the first demonstrations in Taksim Square.

US-bashing TV station gives interview to its benefactor, Vladimir Putin

The Kremlin reportedly gives Russia Today about $300 million annually. The satellite channel finds the decline of the West lurking in almost every daily headline.

Good Reads: From teens and Facebook to the culinary tastes of ‘Dear Leader’ to a new 5G cellphone

This week's round-up of Good Reads includes Facebook losing favor among teens, the first menial jobs of the rich and famous, reminiscences by Kim Jong-il's sushi chef, new campuses for the headquarters of tech giants, and the world's fastest cellphone.

French anti-immigrant pol says Edward Snowden should immigrate to France

Marine Le Pen of the National Front is vocally opposed to letting foreigners into France. But she says her country should welcome 'courageous' American whistleblower Edward Snowden.

Four teens arrested for Islamic school fire in apparent Woolwich murder fallout

The fire, which caused only minor damage and injuries, is just the latest in a spate of anti-Muslim incidents in Britain that have followed the May 22 killing of soldier Lee Rigby.

Is it jail time for genocide deniers in Cambodia?

Prime Minister Hun Sen's new law criminalizing denial of the Khmer Rouge genocide is a barely disguised political move, not a gesture of goodwill, say analysts.

French lessons, and lessons about the French

An impromptu offer from an officer manager to practice French helped reshape the Monitor bureau chief's initial notions about life in France.

China's Xi Jinping meets with Obama: Will it be a 'Nixon goes to China' moment?

Some hope that it could be.

Other than that, Mrs. Putin, how did you enjoy the ballet?

Within hours of Vladimir and Lyudmila Putin's surprise divorce announcement after a night at the ballet, Russian wags and satirists were flooding the Web with jokes.

Why Jordan orders ban on 263 news sites

The Jordanian government ordered that a controversial media law go into effect on Sunday, in a sudden erosion of online press freedom just days after King Abdullah promised human rights reforms.

Good Reads: From Google’s secret lab, to Japan’s economy, to the end of alimony

This week's round-up of Good Reads includes Google's lab, a reporter's tale of kidnapping, Japan's plan for revitalization, an undercover meat inspector, and a challenge to alimony.

Putin: Russian hasn't sent S-300 missiles to Syria, won't to preserve 'stability'

President Putin's statement to EU leaders seems to put an end to often contradictory Russian and Syrian stories about whether the Assad regime would get the weapons.

'Blade Runner' Pistorius, media darling and party-goer, has murder trial postponed

The Pistorius trial was delayed until August 19 to allow the prosecution more time to sort evidence. Leading judge calls news coverage 'scandalous.'

Tiananmen still taboo in China after all these years (+video)

More than two decades on, some young people don't even know the significance of the day the Chinese police ended a massive student protest, killing hundreds, perhaps thousands of young people.