* South Africa's ANC, long cozy with Gadhafi, says West showed Africa disrespect in Libya. * Photos from inside Libya's Internal Security (aka domestic spying) Unit center in Tripoli. * South African politics summary: Disciplining Malema is Zuma's greatest challenge so far. * World's biggest khat
* New York, Arizona investigate charities that may have spent millions intended for Sept. 11 causes. * Alex Ross fills in the background on his piece on an opera about an Auschwitz guard that took 40 years to stage. * Opera group refuses to perform The Mute Girl of Portici in Belgium for
* Ten events since 9/11 that have been more significant—e.g., America's response. * If the U.S. continues to "lead from behind," NATO will become more regional, less global. * Jerusalem Post fires columnist for saying Palestinians "justified" in attacking Israelis, their occupiers. * Bonn,
* Citing burden on doctors, judge blocks Texas abortion law requiring women to view sonograms. * Former 9/11 Commission heads report airports are still unlikely to detect explosives on passengers. * Hunters do their part to stop the spread of wild pigs by releasing pigs into the wild to later hunt. * Zabar&
* Comparing violence in Iraq and Chicago, Kanye forgets civilian casualties (though Chicago's still dangerous). * BBC News debunks five Sept. 11 conspiracy theories. * California mulls banning Styrofoam containers starting in 2016. * Windows's iconic "bliss" wallpaper is a real photo, taken by Charles O’Rear in
* Chinese parents incensed at demolition of unsanctioned schools—and the high-rises that replaced them. * Ai Weiwei blasts Beijing, where one of the only positives is that people still give birth to babies. * If terrorist methods are as widely available as automobiles, why are there so few Islamist terrorists? * Chronic
* Irene can't be pinned on global warming, but more events like Irene should be expected in a warming world. * Hotels preserve chairs and tables during hurricanes by tossing them in the pool. * Rivka Galchen's fabulous 2009 Harper's essay on the quest to control hurricanes.
* Flooding from Irene devastates portions of upstate New York, Vermont, submerging several small towns. * Waiting out the storm in a school gym. * Libyan rebels resist Western pressure, say they won't extradite Lockerbie bomber. * Top Gun proves we vote at the box office—Bigelow's upcoming bin Laden
* Latest updates on Hurricane Irene. * Extraordinary chronicle of an "ordinary" day in Mexico's drug wars—cause of 43,000 homicides since 2006. * Former Mexican President Fox suggests truce, amnesty, legalization. * If one of my employees started smoking crack I'd confiscate his gun and kick
* Attractive Irene tracker from the Times. * South Africa's police vow to stop high rate of cops being killed; population terrified of killer cops. * Men torch casino in Mexico, killing 53; worst attack in five years of anti-gang policing. * Recent history of MI6 and Gadhafi's relationship,
