News headlines in November 2010, page 3

More than 250,000 classified U.S. diplomatic cables released by online whistle- blower WikiLeaks include statements made behind closed doors that could prove embarrassing for Egypt’s government, say analysts.

It recently handed down two death sentences just a few days apart, leaving many of those against capital punishment upset. But legal experts say Japan’s lay-judge system is changing this country’s criminal justice process for the better, largely because it is making this process closer to the public.

The private central bank of the United States, the Federal Reserve, has begun purchasing $600 billion of long-term U.S. Treasury Bonds, essentially subsidising the federal deficit for the year.

While the massive dump of some 250,000 internal U.S. diplomatic communications by Wikileaks includes none marked 'top secret', their dissemination is already causing considerable embarrassment and may well inflict longer-term damage on Washington's foreign relations.

The leaked reports sent by U.S. officials abroad to Washington reveal a treacherous playing field for the United States in the Middle East.

The Chilean government's commitment to the protection and promotion of human rights has been called into question by a new report by a university human rights centre.

Wikileaks' spectacular paper dump of U.S. diplomatic cables may not yet have produced any blockbusters, but many of the restricted or secret documents released to the world on Sunday have served to peel back the scabs of serious injuries inflicted by the administration of George W. Bush.

Democratic lawmakers will attempt to summon up their waning power by using the so-called 'lame duck' session of Congress to pass what will likely be the closest they will get to comprehensive immigration reform.

Waste recycling as a way to save money, create jobs and take care of the environment is finding footing in Central America, where hundreds of tonnes of paper, plastic, tyres and other products are now being marketed through innovative initiatives.

This year will likely be the warmest ever recorded, with soaring ocean temperatures resulting in a near record die-off of tropical corals, extreme heat and drought in Russia and massive flooding in Pakistan - all signs that climate change has taken hold.