Here is your R&D for March 21st:
US Army ‘kill team’ in Afghanistan posed for photos of murdered civilians from the Guardian
In what is being called President Obama’s Abu Ghraib moment, pictures have surfaced of a rogue U.S. army “kill team” in Afghanistan that murdered civilians and posed with the bodies. The U.S. has issued an immediate apology to the Afghan citizenry over the incident.
Key dates in U.S. presidential campaign from Reuters
Extempers should be aware of some key dates in the presidential calendar. This factbox article from Reuters should help.
In Yemen, top military commanders defect from Saleh regime from the Christian Science Monitor
In a blow to Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, his half-brother, who is one of Yemen’s top military commanders, defected today and pledged to protect demonstrators against the current government.
Libya: Where Are the BRICs? from Foreign Policy in Focus
The BRIC nations abstained from voting for the UN resolution that authorized the use of a no fly zone in Libya. In this article, Foreign Policy in Focus discusses what implications this has for the emerging global order regardless of whether Qaddafi falls or not.
Will the Loss of Fed Secrecy Cripple Emergency Lending? from the Atlantic
The Supreme Court has ruled that the Federal Reserve must disclose who was a beneficiary of emergency lending during the financial crisis of 2008. The ruling is likely to spark an uproar when records are disclosed.