A South Park show that mocked Tom Cruise got yanked from the Comedy Central line-up Wednesday, with some suggestions that it was pressure by Cruise, a noted Scientologist, that led to the move. South Park's creators are not happy.

Here's a link to a Youtube.com search results page where you can see some of the offending videos.

Akbar Ganji, jailed in 2001 after writing articles linking senior Iranian officials to the murder of dissidents, has been released.

Kevin Phillips, one of the better minds writing on American politics, has just released American Theocracy, which looks at not just the influence of the U.S. religious right on the Bush administration, but a whole range of factors that point to looming American decline.

At least part of the case has been withdrawn against Zhao Yan, who works for the NYT in China as a researcher. Zhao has been imprisoned for the past 18 months on charges of fraud ...   more »

Ali Shalal Qaissi -- who has the image of a wired, hooded man on his business cards -- now admits he isn't the guy in the photo (score one for Salon).

Belarus has an "election" looming, and neo-Stalinist President Alexander Lukashenko is putting the screws on what little independent media exists.