Blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng, who escaped from house arrest in a village last week and was given refuge at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing for six days, is now worried about his family's future. He has told reporters that American diplomatic officials have essentially abandoned him and is now desperate, "My fervent hope is that it would be possible for me and my family to leave for the U.S. on Hillary Clinton’s plane." more ›

CNN reports that 10 Yemeni police and civilians were killed when "suspected al Qaeda insurgents disguised as security forces launched an attack on the U.S. Embassy" in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen. According to the NY Times, one car drove up, and "several attackers got out...firing rocket-propelled grenades and automatic rifles" while a second car "drove into the compound’s gate and exploded in what appeared to be a suicide bombing." No U.S. Embassy employees were killed; earlier this year, the State Department ordered the non-emergency staff to depart the embassy but lifted the order last month. Back in 2000, Al Qaeda attacked the U.S.S. Cole, in the Yemeni port of Aden, killing 17 American soldiers. more ›

In yesterday’s NY Times, Nicolai Ouroussoff notes the onset of 21st-century medievalism, the siege-like architectural style that has surfaced since 9/11. more ›