World leaders are attending a major conference on the future of Somalia in London to focus on finding peace and ending threats of terrorism and piracy.
Month: February 2012
Following the deaths Wednesday of two more journalists in Syria, veteran French war photographer Patrick Chauvel offers an inside look at the perils – and appeal – of covering the Arab Spring uprisings. In Syria, he says, the protesters “are like
A wave of bombings across Iraq has killed dozens of people, in a grim indication of the strength of the insurgency two months after the U.S. military completed its withdrawal.
The former head of Israel’s secretive Mossad, retired Gen. Meir Dagan, is surprisingly forthcoming when it comes to the subject of Iran. Dagan, now a consultant in Switzerland, thinks Israel would be stupid to attack.
Fidel Castro’s jungle headquarters are a highlight of a trekking tour in Cuba’s Sierra Maestra mountain range, in the southeastern corner of the island.
Op-Ed: In Egypt, development policy has long been driven by the dynamics of those who work in the field of international aid rather by than the needs and political will of the Egyptian people. The Jan. 25 revolution will change that, in spite of the devel
China’s latest source of national soul-searching centers around a public debate on the contrast between promotional videos for two of the world’s best-known universities: Peking and Yale universities. A window into two very different nat
Every year, thousands of tourists and pilgrims travel the world for a chance to stand – or kneel – in front of Jerusalem’s Wailing Wall. Now, thanks to the popular online auction site eBay, they can have the wall sent to them – or at least a piece of it.
Russian military helicopters are searching the mountains of Abkhazia, a break-away republic of Georgia, for suspects in a Wednesday ambush on Abkhazian President Alexander Ankvab. The leader survived the attack. Two of his bodyguards did not. Could Moscow
Russia won’t be joining the “Friends of Syria” group for its upcoming summit in Tunisia. Why? Because Moscow sees it as a repeat of the ‘Contact Group on Libya,’ which helped lay the groundwork for foreign military intervention.
American journalist Marie Colvin and award-winning French photographer Remi Ochlik have been killed in the besieged Syrian city of Homs amid heavy shelling from government forces.
Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd resigns amid speculation that he might mount a leadership challenge to Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
At least four people in Afghanistan have been killed and 20 injured as protests spread over the burning of copies of the Koran at a US airbase near Kabul.
Analysis: A new “blue book” on the deepening problem of corruption delves into the unusual ability for the unethical to find new techniques for abusing their power. The cure must be more just as deep as the illness.
Political satirist Bassem Youssef is a rising star in Egypt. His hit show, “El Bernameg,” began as a YouTube sensation but soon found its way onto television. But is Youssef’s scathing commentary making any kind of difference?
In 2011, Europe replaced the United States as China’s biggest overseas investment for the first time ever. European companies have caught the eye of a Chinese economy that is rapidly moving into more advanced sectors.
Eurozone finance ministers from 17 nations have sealed a deal for a second bailout for Greece, giving the country funding it needs to avoid a potential default.
Former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn is being questioned by French police investigating a suspected hotel prostitution ring in the northern city of Lille.
Hundreds of demonstrators have gathered outside the Baghram Airfield in Afghanistan, spurred by reports that U.S. soldiers had burned a copy of the Quran at the base.
The Internet has made it easier for Indian families to arrange marriages. But there’s a downside. Future in-laws don’t always know who they’re dealing with. That’s where private detectives come in. For outfits like the
Overly reliant on commodities and energy exports, and grossly out of balance on the agricultural front, Russia’s Soviet-era economy was doomed to collapse, argues Hungarian historian György Dalos. It didn’t help that the USSR kept boosting alcoho
‘Coercion’ is already a crime under Swiss law. But a new bill coming up before parliament would single out coercion in the form of forced marriages. Not surprisingly, debate over the issue is bound to be highly charged — and about much
As Libya marks the first anniversary of the Benghazi uprising, revelers in Tripoli find themselves in a state of limbo – happy to be free from Muammar Gaddafi, confused by the sudden changes and uncertain about how reconciliation will play out.
Amsterdam-based parcel delivery company TNT Express is struggling and looks ripe for a takeover. American giant UPS has already made a bid. TNT has refused the offer, but it may just be a matter of time before UPS – or its arch rival, FedEx – scoops it up
Oil prices have jumped to nearly 105 dollars a barrel – a nine-month high – in Asia, after Iran said it halted crude exports to Britain and France in a dispute over its nuclear program.
Categories
U.N. Nuclear Inspectors Return to Tehran
A team of United Nations inspectors have arrived in Tehran, saying its highest priority remained “the possible military dimensions” that Tehran denies are part of its disputed nuclear program.
South Korea has fired live artillery in a military drill near the country’s heavily armed border with North Korea, which has described the exercise as a provocation.
As the Russian presidential elections approach, there is still little doubt Vladimir Putin will win. Billionaire and basketball team owner Mikhail Prokhorov, however, continues to keep his hat in the ring. Why? Russia’s Kommersant offers a few explanation
While mobsters and terrorists have walked on probation, Antonio Marano – first jailed for theft of a motorcycle – has spent virtually every hour behind bars since 1971. Indeed, the man who has served more time than anyone in post-War Italy became a true c
Carnival season has just kicked off in Germany. In Cologne and Düsseldorf, hotel and restaurant owners are raking in millions from the beer-fueled festivities, which seems to be getting bigger – though maybe a tad more commercial – with each passing year.
Essay: After a series of bans on game shows and dance contests, Chinese television now faces new restrictions on foreign programming. But even beyond its wariness of the outside world, Beijing doesn’t understand that stifling popular culture can
Latvians will decide this weekend whether to make Russian the country’s official second language. Demographically, doing so makes sense. A third of the population is Russian. Many Latvians, however, still associate the language with their years u
Âlâ is the first Turkish women’s fashion magazine with ‘conservative chic’ sensibility. Founded last year, it’s a hit in a country that is both increasingly Islamic and worldly.
New York Times correspondent Anthony Shadid, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner who covered nearly two decades of Middle East conflict and turmoil, has died of an apparent asthma attack.
Categories
German president quits in scandal
German President Christian Wulff announces his resignation, after prosecutors called for his immunity to be lifted amid a home loan scandal. Angela Merkel says she received news of President Wulff’s resignation “with regret”.
Armed robbers have stolen several dozen artefacts from Greece’s Ancient Olympia Museum, which houses one of the most important collections of ancient Greek antiquities.
Maria das Graças Foster, 56, has recently taken over as president of Latin America’s largest company, Brazilian oil giant Petrobras. Trained as a mechanical engineer, the new CEO was nominated for the post by another powerful Brazilian woman, President Di
A mix of rapid reform, incalculable wealth and a pious Islamic tradition leaves the Gulf emirate sorting out an uncertain future.
Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) was only recently legalized in Germany. The first German child to have been screened was born on Jan. 27 in Lübeck. Her parents and doctors explain why – and how – they reached their decision.
Analysis: Trailing in the polls, French President Sarkozy is struggling to connect with voters the way he did on his way to victory five years ago. Can he tap into his core attributes, or will they wind up driving him to defeat?