Free Republic

Last month the country’s leadership produced its first report on the issue in 23 years as the trade war with the US and other issues prompted a fresh look at how it can continue to feed its population

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice initially said 45 prisoners in administrative segregation had begun a hunger strike but TDCJ spokesman Robert Hurst said Tuesday the number stood at 37... The inmates participating in the hunger strike are housed at the Allred Unit in Iowa Park, outside Wichita Falls. Hurst says they began refusing meals on Christmas, but that some have food items in their cells that they purchased from the commissary. He says the inmates have complained about recreational time, food portions and the temperature.

Somalia is in danger of descending into famine while the world's attention is focused on the problem of piracy off its coast, the Red Cross has warned. BBC Africa analyst Martin Plaut says agencies like the International Committee of the Red Cross are very wary about using words like famine. The ICRC's Alexandre Liebeskind said the violence had made it almost impossible for aid agencies to operate. About half of Somalia's population is dependent on food aid. Drought, floods and nearly two decades of conflict have driven many into destitution. Alexandre Liebeskind, head of the ICRC in East Africa, says...

The Knesset will be convening a special session, despite the summer recess, to discuss ways to gain the release of Jonathan Pollard. A special mid-summer recess Knesset session next week will be highlighted by a discussion of ways in which the release of Jonathan Pollard might be attained. Jonathan Pollard is serving a life sentence without possibility of parole in a US prison for passing classified information to a US ally. The data in question included information about Iraq's offensive weapons capabilities. Pollard is the only person in the history of the United States to receive a life sentence for...