Julia Davis

On November 17, 2014, the Walk Free Foundation, an Australian-based human rights group, released its latest slavery index . Estimated number of people in modern slavery globally is 35.8 million, with 61% of them living in India, China, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Russia. For the second year in a row, India was found to have the greatest number of slaves in the world , at 14.3 million people. Top five countries with the biggest numbers of people living in conditions tantamount to slavery: India (an estimated 14.29 million enslaved people) China (3.24 million enslaved people) Pakistan (2.06 million enslaved people) Uzbekistan (1.2 million enslaved people) Russia (1.05 million enslaved people) The criteria used by the Walk Free Foundation takes into account the number of people born into servitude, trafficked for sex work, trapped in debt bondage or exploited for forced labor. The index defines slavery as the control or possession of people in such a way as to deprive them of their ...

Telling the truth can be a dangerous proposition for government workers and members of the military. On November 10, 2014, Navy Times reported that a senior Navy intelligence official Captain James Fanell, the director of intelligence and information operations at the U.S. Pacific Fleet (PACFLT), has been removed from that position by his boss, Admiral Harry Harris. Capt. Fanell was subsequently reassigned within the command. He is a California native and a career intelligence officer for nearly 29 years. Capt. Fanell was responsible for providing damage assessments for Pacific Fleet during operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield. Capt. Fanell was abruptly removed, after making comments that were considered to be too provocative and perhaps too honest. His insights about Chinese military hostility stirred up an international controversy. During his public appearance in February 2014, Capt. Fanell warned about recent Chinese amphibious exercises, which led to naval intelligence asse...