The United States is meddling in the region again in line with big-money interests and the imperialist tradition set off in the late 19th century.
Month: January 2019
Three years after the end of the one-child policy, China’s fertility rates are now falling. To have, or not have, children ought to be built on personal and family wishes, something the government still hasn’t understood.
MUMBAI — On December 14, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) abruptly terminated its contract with the Indo-Malaysian consortium L&T-Scomi Engineering Bhd to manage the city’s monorail. The authority said that there had been issues such as poor maintenance of the monorail fleet, as many rakes were found unfit for use. This ended another chapter in the sorry saga of a transportation experiment that was doomed from its very inception. India’s first monorail was flagged off on February 1, 2014, with the hope that it would resolve Mumbai’s transport woes — or some of them, at least. The MMRDA […]
The digital behemoths Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon have long sold dreamy ideals. In reality, their business models are very conventional. Their extraordinary power is founded solely on their digital leverage.
While many displaced Venezuelans are crossing over into Colombia or Brazil, others head offshore, to nearby Caribbean island nations, which have been less than welcoming.
Many women in Munich were active in the resistance against the Nazis, but hardly anyone knows their names today. Traditional gender roles are partly to blame.
As evidenced by this year’s elections in Mexico and Brazil, people across the region are increasingly disenchanted with traditional parties and the democratic status quo.
-Analysis- PARIS — So what has become of this France, champion of maintaining order, exporter of its savoir-faire and its materials to other democracies — and to totalitarian regimes anxious to quell burgeoning opposition movements? Just a few years ago, a spokesman for French tear gas manufacturer Alsetex, which supplies to the French police, told […]
The full plunge of Priyanka Gandhi into Indian politics, alongside brother Rahul, is a whole new challenge for President Narendra Modi ahead of this spring’s general elections.
The sudden political crisis in Venezuela has major reverberations across Latin America and the world. Both old and new dividing lines in the region have emerged since Juan Guaidó, the leader of Venezuela’s National Assembly, declared himself the country’s acting president in defiance of Nicolás Maduro, who has been ruling the country since 2013. In […]
Jonatan Matamoros, 36, climbs the border fence at La Playas de Tijuana, Mexico on December 8, 2018. He was part of a migrant caravan with his wife and son from Central America, and was scouting for possible places to cross to the U.S. eventually. He was just having fun at Playas de Tijuana border, looking […]
-Essay- The Moon’s cultural history is one of disenchantment. Thousands of years ago, people still believed that it was a deity, there were legends about beautiful Moon girls and a man in the Moon. But its proximity to Earth made the myths around it one of the first victims of the scientific worldview. Already in […]
-OpEd- PARIS — When Amazon realized that its AI recruiting tool favored men, the company quickly shelved it. Back in 2016, a chatbot released by Microsoft turned into a sex-obsessed neo-Nazi machine in only 24 hours. These incidents, along with others, played right into the hands of all those who say there is too much […]
Last week’s bomb attack in Bogota is symptomatic of the state’s continued inability to monopolize the use of force.
A recent survey of Italian political views shows a seeming contradiction: a willingness to forego democracy but submit to EU economic and military directives.
“Why do we want to fit everyone in our narrative of what is civilized?…’
-Analysis- Two years ago Chinese President Xi Jinping — in the wake of the twin election victories of Brexit and Donald Trump — arrived at the Davos World Economic Forum as the would-be savior of international free trade. “We should adapt to and guide globalization, cushion its negative impact, and deliver its benefits to all […]
Bioplastic sounds like a welcome eco-alternative to the many plastic products we use daily. But the reality isn’t so simple.
The South American country’s economic and political crises have helped usher in the return of a once eradicated illness, researchers report.
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Thou Shalt Never Be Polite To Robots
Google and Amazon are trying to force us to speak politely to their AI-driven personal assistants. But giving souls to our technology is a dangerous return to the past.
Facing severe social competition, China’s youngsters are under increasing academic pressure. Can a new government policy help ease their load?
The growing alarm after UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal suffered a defeat in Parliament isn’t just unsettling for British politics. Global businesses are on edge as well. Asian companies, whose operations and investments stretch far into Britain and the European continent, have a lot at stake as they face higher tariffs and costs. Tuesday’s setback will do little to cure the anxiety. Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond has sought to assure business leaders that their no-deal nightmare scenario could still be avoided, but with only 10 weeks left before the UK is due to leave the European […]
WASHINGTON — If you ever want to fly to America from Charles de Gaulle Airport, be sure that you are not landing in terminal 2F, as you might miss your flight, or even get arrested before reaching your point of departure, Terminal 1. But if you are starting your journey towards the U.S. from Charles […]
There’s nothing (and everything) left to chance in the world-famous image Life magazine photographer Philippe Halsman, shot in 1948, of the legendary surrealist painter Salvador Dalí.
Architects plan to restore one of the Argentine capital’s architectural gems, but with new co-working and co-living spaces that reflect the latest trends.
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Ninja Fruit On Brazilian Roadside
Fruit vendors were a common sight when we drove through Brazil“s Minas Gerais state. My wife Claudine didn’t have to wait long: It took this woman no longer than three minutes to expertly slice this fresh pineapple.
-Essay- MUMBAI — In my memories of my grandmother, one image of her comes to my mind: that of a widow with a tonsured head, wrapped in a dull brown cotton sari worn in traditional style, a blank forehead without the usual vermilion powder or kumkum, bare neck, empty ears and hands unadorned and shorn off all jewelry. Her ankles and feet were bare too — without the traditional anklets or silver rings worn on the toes of both feet — the symbol of married women. I also have a very vivid story of my grandmother etched in my memory. […]
Going all out on the autobahn may be part of the German way of life, but speed limits are necessary to limit road accidents and lower CO2 emissions.
As Turkey takes sole responsibility from UNHCR for processing the asylum claims of Afghans and other non-Syrians, it must register them and allow them to access their basic rights.
Outside of Naples, researchers have turned land polluted by illegally-dumped chemicals into a living laboratory.
-OpEd- TOKYO — The United States has turned to inward-looking politics, while the unifying force of Europe has waned due to rampant populism and confusion in Britain, Germany and France. The pillars that have sustained global stability are seemingly fading away. Given the situation, we cannot but be wary of confusion stemming from the intense […]
It’s high-time for an economic model that curbs waste while boosting productivity. But don’t expect market forces alone to bring about the necessary shift.
UNICEF France is ringing in 2019 with their greatest mission of all: ensuring every child grows up in the best conditions and has all the tools needed to build a future. And first on the list is “Hope.” Discover their animated Greeting Card — and New Year’s resolution — with this OneShot: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/embed/0WYMdqgKiJQ expand=1] UNICEF France Welcomes 2019 — Jiro Ose/UNICEF/OneShot OneShot is a new digital format to tell the story of a single photograph in an immersive one-minute video. Follow OneShot:
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Is Modernity Destined To Destroy Beauty?
-OpEd- PARIS — Between all the brutal Brexit fireworks, the British government took an initiative of rare poetic dimension by establishing a “Building Better, Building Beautiful” commission. According to its official terms of reference, the commission’s task is to “develop practical policy solutions to ensure the design and style of new developments, including new settlements […]
The digital relationship between the Asian neighbors has rapidly evolved over the past decade, and India must now think strategically about China’s ambitions in the way Western countries have been forced to do.
South American poets Silvina Giaganti to Pedro Mairal are among those who have successfully used social media and other digital spaces to drive interest in their work.
Dubbed ‘the International,’ a young Egyptian computer programmer had built a program to scrape user data from Facebook. But the same practice is routinely done by the government and large corporations.
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Miles And Miles Across Canada
In the westernmost point of British Columbia, we found the “Mile 0” marker of the Trans-Canada Highway. Though we covered a lot of Canadian ground, we never made it the 4,860 miles across to the “Mile 1” marker in St. John’s, Newfoundland Labrador. I’m not sure whether it makes more sense to call the starting […]
It’s the silent (and sullied) face of an unprecedented presidency. The partial government shutdown that Donald Trump has brought on in his battle with congressional Democrats over funding for the president’s proposed border wall with Mexico has become the longest in U.S. history.
-Analysis- BOGOTÁ — The Lima Group, a multilateral body of 14 American countries focused on resolving the institutional and democratic standoff in Venezuela, has declared Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s new term in office illegitimate, taking the firmest position so far on his conduct as ruler of Venezuela. But the group needs the support of more […]