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After agreeing to arms and oil deals, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev announced Sept. 13 that Russia would help the South American country develop nuclear energy. "We're not going to make an atomic bomb," said Chávez, "so don't be bothering us."
7 | Israel
NO GOOD GUYS IN GAZA WAR
A six-month inquiry into last December's conflict in Gaza has prompted a U.N. fact-finding team to accuse both sides of committing war crimes. The team's report charged that Israel deliberately "punished and terrorized" civilians--many of whom remain homeless--and condemned Palestinian militants for firing rockets into Israel. The investigation angered Israeli officials, who accused the U.N. Human Rights Council of having a one-sided anti-Israel agenda.
8 | New York
Holding Wall Street Accountable
In a rare move, a federal judge threw out a proposed $33 million settlement between the Securities and Exchange Commission and Bank of America stemming from the company's January takeover of Merrill Lynch. The SEC had sued the bank over $3.6 billion in undisclosed bonuses paid to Merrill staff before the deal. Judge Jed Rakoff accused bankers and regulators of having a "cynical relationship" that penalizes shareholders rather than bank executives.
9 | China
Not-So-Free Trade
Beijing has cried foul to the World Trade Organization (WTO) after being whacked with a 35% U.S. tariff on Chinese tires in what some fear could lead to an escalating trade war. The U.S. argues that cheap imports were harming its tire industry; China has said it might limit U.S. auto and chicken imports in response.
U.S. Trade Barriers: Shots Heard Round the World
1983
Ronald Reagan imposes a 49% tariff on Japanese motorcycles at the request of Harley-Davidson. Three years later, Harley says it is no longer needed, and Reagan repeals it
1989
George H.W. Bush extends Reagan-era steel-import quotas--limiting them to 20% of the U.S. market--for an additional 2½ years
1995
Bill Clinton threatens Japan with a 100% tariff on luxury cars unless Tokyo eases its regulations against U.S. automakers. An 11th-hour deal scuppers the tariff
2002
George W. Bush imposes tariffs of up to 30% on imported steel in an effort to bolster the struggling U.S. industry. Facing a possible trade war with Europe and an official WTO rebuke, he repeals them in 2003
10 | Washington
Crime Falls; Inequality Persists
Despite predictions that the Great Recession would foment a wave of lawlessness, U.S. crime dropped 1.9% from 2007 to 2008, according to statistics compiled by the FBI. Violent crimes were down across the board, and rapes fell to their lowest level in 20 years. But the news is not all good: burglary spiked, and black men remained about six times as likely as white men to be murdered.
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Overall, U.S. crime dropped in 2008
Murder -3.9%
Forcible rape -1.6%
Robbery -0.7%
Aggravated assault -2.5%
Burglary 20%
Larceny-theft 0.3%
Motor-vehicle theft -12.7%
Arson -2.6%
SOURCE: FBI