John Burns

John Burns appears in the following:

UK to Compensate Former Guantanamo Detainees

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Can your home country be sued for letting you be taken and harshly detained in another? In the case of the U.K. and former Guantanamo Bay detainees, maybe so. 16 former prisoners from the facility are suing Britain for alleged complicity in their treatment during imprisonment, and in turn the U.K. has agreed to pay nearly $80 million to settle with them out of court. 

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Torture and Abuse Revealed in WikiLeaks Documents

Monday, October 25, 2010

WikiLeaks released 400,000 documents on Friday that reveal cases of torture and abuse of detainees by Iraqi security forces. The reports also increase the number of civilian casualites in the war. WikiLeaks editor-in-chief, Julian Assange is the man at the center of this controversy, as he faces accusations that he has put U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians in danger. Also being heavily criticized is The New York Times, which published the reports.

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Taliban Stones Young Couple to Death in Afghanistan

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

For the first time in nearly a decade of war in Afghanistan, the Taliban has executed a young couple by stoning for having a relationship out of wedlock.

Carried out on Sunday by townspeople and even family members of the couple who tricked them into returning after trying to elope, the execution was the latest in a string of harsh punishments by the former regime, which include lashing and amputation. Already some in the country are calling the execution appropriate. Just a week ago a group of 350 religious scholars meeting with government officials called for more punishment under Sharia law.

Are we seeing a resurgence of the Taliban’s extreme punishment, in a long and painful war that was meant to eradicate it? What does the recent violence say about our efforts, and about the Taliban in Afghanistan?

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As He Meets Obama, British PM Cameron Faces Criticism Over Lockerbie Bomber

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Yesterday, British Prime Minister David Cameron met with President Obama in the White House for the first time since taking office in May. The leaders discussed the war in Afghanistan and the global economy. But in the news conference after the meeting, the issue of BP and its role in the release of the Lockerbie bomber last year dominated the discussion.

Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was sentenced to life in prison for planning the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988, which killed 270 people. The Scottish government released Megrahi last August on compassionate terms after a doctor diagnosed him with terminal prostate cancer, saying he had only three months to live.

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BP Connection to the Lockerbie Bomber Release

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

John Burns, London bureau chief for the New York Times, discusses his reporting on the BP connection to the deal that resulted in the release of the Lockerbie bomber.

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Pentagon Tightens Rules on Military Interaction with Media

Friday, July 09, 2010

The Pentagon has created new rules governing the military's interaction with the media, following Gen. Stanley McChrystal's loose-lipped appearance in Rolling Stone. Yesterday, for the first time since the controversial new rules were announced, Defense Secretary Robert Gates faced the press. 

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Backstory: The UK Elections

Thursday, April 29, 2010

British voters will head to polls next week to decide whether Prime Minister Gordon Brown will be replaced. On this edition of Backstory, Alex Barker, political correspondent for the Financial Times, and John Burns, London bureau chief for the New York Times, explains what the major issues have been in ...

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Word from Abroad

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

John Burns, London bureau chief for the New York Times, reflects on his work in China, Afghanistan, Yugoslavia, and Iraq.

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