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Daily News Briefing

October 2013

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The Christian Science Monitor Daily News Briefing provides an editorially curated perspective on important news of the day. Each issue provides a daily commentary from the editors, abridged versions of five key stories, an Editorial, the Christian Science perspective article, and a Top Headlines column. Insights gained from the Monitor can support and strengthen your prayers for the world. For the latest news and 24/7 access to Monitor content, you can also visit CSMonitor.com.

Freedom fizzles in Egypt

The danger to Egyptian freedom from fundamentalists was evident in Morsi’s power grab before the coup. The danger to Egyptian freedom today is from the general who was meant to remove that danger.

Syria needs peace power

More than 100,000 people have died and 2.5 million have been displaced in the conflict. With no faction likely to prevail and the conflict spreading, a peace process – distant as it may seem right now – is the only way out.

Children and safety

Although fewer than a quarter of Americans own guns, there are more than 300 million guns in private hands in the United States.

Security and common sense

With each new revelation about spying by the National Security Agency (NSA), the picture that emerges is of a US intelligence community that considers friend and foe alike a potential threat.

Should allies be worried?

Since the 1979 Iranian revolution, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the United States have shared a common concern about Iran.

A bug in the system

Last week’s Washington kerfuffle was over the debt ceiling and government shutdown. This week, it’s been about Healthcare.gov, the malfunctioning website that is supposed to enroll millions of Americans in health insurance for the first time.

A CO₂ improvement

More people plus more activity equals more carbon dioxide emissions.

Watching the watchers

The latest exposé of National Security Agency (NSA) spying – this time in France’s Le Monde newspaper – alleges that during a 30-day period beginning late last year the agency gathered data on 70.3 million phone calls in France and captured millions of text messages.

Of all the countries that worry Western diplomats, Pakistan heads the list. Violent Islamic groups operate openly in the country’s tribal areas, threatening Pakistan’s neighbors as well as moderates within the country. 

A test is under way

The October drama over US government funding and debt-ceiling extension overshadowed a more far-reaching event – one that promises to reshape the size of government and its role in Americans’ lives more than any legislation since the Social Security Act of 1935.