The UK has started charging non-citizens for births and antenatal care, so women who can't afford this give birth at home without aid.

The financial "savings" achieved this way will lead to bigger financial costs, as well as injuries and deaths. That's part of the goal: to accustom more people to poverty. Once this is the norm for immigrants, it will be applied to Britons.

Iraq's Sunnis have been protesting for a year against the Shi'ite-dominated Iraqi government. The state sent troops to arrest a protest leader, and his guards fought back.

I have no way of judging the claim that the protesters support al Qa'ida. It might be true. Al Qa'ida calls for wiping out the Shi'ites.

This unending sectarian war is Dubya's gift to Iraq. Ironically, Dubya found a way to wind it down: buying the support of the Sunni clans. But the money was cut off as the Bush forces left Iraq and the Shi'ites don't seem ready to employ it.

Chinese schools are designed for producing great test-takers, which makes them look good when their students are judged by a standardized test, but lousy in other respects.

However, US "school reformers" seem bent on pushing US schools in that direction.

Ukraine's government cites the UK as an example of violating human rights.

Some of the things that e-book stores have learned by tracking the suckers that use commercial e-books.

Don't be a sucker — reject these malicious products. Insist on using only e-books that respect your freedom as much as ordinary printed books.