Worldcrunch
Since its independence nearly 50 years ago, Kenya has steered clear of war. That long peace came to an end this past weekend, when Kenyan soldiers crossed into Somalia in pursuit of al-Shabab militia. Somalia’s transitional government has apparently endor
Analysis: Cristina Fernández de Kirchner is heavily favored to win a second term in this Sunday’s presidential election in Argentina. But even though she’ll have a mandate to govern from the left, the recently-widowed president could end up shifting to th
Though the global momentum of the “Occupy” and “Indignados” movement has not hit Russia, a group of self-styled anarchists in St. Petersburg are trying to undermine the establishment in other ways.
High waters in the country’s central plains used to protect the Thai people from their attackers. But today, the natural ally has become a scourge, killing more than 330, though poor leadership from new Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra may also be to bl
Op-Ed: The “Occupy” protests that took this past weekend across Europe could very well be here to stay – in large part because the David vs. Goliath standoff that is brewing on both sides of the Atlantic is neither typically right-wing nor typically left-
A R A B I C A ارابيكا By Kristen Gillespie REGIME AND REFORMJordan’s Muslim Brotherhood, the country’s leading opposition movement, cautiously welcomed the appointment of a new prime minister on Monday, Awn al-Khasawneh, a former judge at the International Court of Justice. “The appointment of al-Khasawneh is a positive sign as he is a […]
The winner of the Socialist party primary Sunday will face Nicolas Sarkozy for the French presidency in the 2012 election. Hollande is not only a DSK rival, but also the former companion of Ségolène Royal, who lost to Sarkozy in 2007.
Exiled for the past 11 years in Germany, Syrian-born Sondos Sulaiman is an open critic of the repressive Bashir al-Assad regime. But her activism comes at a price. Sulaiman receives regular threats, and fears constantly – with good reason – for the safet
Its alumni include Manuel Noriega and a long list of other dictators and strongmen turned drug traffickers. The School Of Americas (SOA) has tried to change its image, but leaders in both North and South America are calling for its demise.
Protests linked to America’s “Occupy Wall Street” movement are scheduled to take place this weekend in several German cities. Are the bank-bashing demonstrations about to go global?
Plans to build what would be South Korea’s largest naval base have divided public opinion and put Gangjeong, a small fishing town, at the very center of the conflict. A recent peace festival held alongside the town’s port drew 1,500 protesters – and 1,000
Oil continues to wash ashore along New Zealand’s North Island following last week’s grounding of a Liberian-flagged cargo ship. The prime minister promises to clean the area’s pristine beaches “no matter what the cost,” but among locals, frustration is mo
A R A B I C A ارابيكا FAIR ELECTIONSA coalition of Bahraini opposition groups issued what it called the “Manama Document” on Wednesday demanding the ruling Al Khalifa family implement reforms to allow for elected government and fair elections. The coalition of five associations (political parties are banned) includes Islamists and secular movements. The […]
Analysis: This year’s revolutionary wave in the Arab World has already toppled several dictators. But as the “Arab Spring” turns to Autumn, incidents like last weekend’s attack on Coptic Christians in Cairo offer a grim reminder that the region’s troubles
The head of the French Immigration service recently concluded a visit to Bucharest, where he made a first-hand inspection of Ferentari, the city’s principal Roma neighborhood. France’s goal this year is to send up to 30,000 Roma back to their countries of
Liang Wengen, founder of industrial giant Sany, will stand as a candidate for the Communist Party Central Committee. It is a sign that the status of the entire group of Chinese private entrepreneurs is rapidly changing.
A new study shows ever more devout Jews are joining the Israeli military, and some wonder if the situation has reached a tipping point that could further push an already edgy region toward a religion-fueled showdown.
A R A B I C A ارابيكا By Kristen Gillespie DEATH TOLLThe London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says 31 people were killed in Syria on Sunday, 17 of whom were soldiers said to have been killed by the Syrian Free Army comprised of military defectors in Homs, Hama, Daraa and Idlib. A video […]
Analysis: the first-ever open Socialist party primary has injected new life into France’s center-left opposition. But of the two candidates who survived for next Sunday’s runoff, François Hollande and Martine Aubry, whoever emerges faces
Essay: Reaching yet another new low, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi suggests a vulgar, sexist new name for his political party. No less disturbing is how the economic crisis has revealed the fact that he’s been selling Italy an empty ba
A R A B I C A ارابيكا By Kristen Gillespie LIBYA, AL QAEDA LINKS?Tripoli military commander Abdelhakim Belhadj denies al-Qaeda fighters are among ranks of rebel forces, quoted in Al-Quds al-Arabi, a London-based daily. LIBYA, CIA LINKS?A Facebook group calling itself “Wikileaks Libya” posted documents exposing efforts by a number of former American intelligence […]
Op-Ed: There will be a heavy price to pay for the recent detention of more than 150 accused of being part of a banned separatist Kurdish group. Those sure to benefit are hardliners on all sides as hopes grow dimmer for a democratic solution to the Kurdish
Bashar Al-Assad’s crackdown on pro-democracy forces has killed thousands in cities like Rastan and Daraa. But the regime is also pursuing opponents abroad. In Paris, several activists have been beaten by shadowy characters presumed to be Syrian secret ser
A R A B I C A ارابيكا By Kristen Gillespie FAISAL AL-QASSEM V. SYRIAN REGIME One of Al Jazeera’s most famous talk-show hosts, the combatative Faisal al-Qassem conducted an interview with a Syrian official that has gone viral in the Arab world. The highest-rated host on the highest-rated network presided over what can only […]
Vasily Aleksanyan is dead at 38. He used to be a lawyer and top executive of oil company Yukos, whose chief Mikhail Khodorkovsky is in jail since 2003. Aleksanyan had long battled with Russian authorities to be released from jail to be treated for AIDS.
Poverty is getting worse in Egypt, particularly in rural areas, according to a study released by the government statistics agency. Analysts blame the worsening situation in rural regions on the government’s bias in recent years towards funding urban devel
A R A B I C A ارابيكا By Kristen Gillespie KILLERS IN SYRIAThe situation in Syria appears to be worsening further as intellectuals and doctors are being assassinated. Opposition activists blame the government for the deaths they say are an attempt to stoke sectarian tensions while the government continues to blame unnamed “armed terrorist […]
Op-Ed: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is growing more strident in his rhetoric across the Muslim world, even as he cynically pursues Turkey’s self interest.
Burma’s new ‘civilian’ government – staffed mostly by former generals – is ushering in a wave of reforms that even some of the country’s most hardened dissidents are welcoming with cautious optimism.
Drug lords in Puerto Rico seem to be taking cues from their murderous counterparts in Mexico, beheading rivals and dumping bodies in public places.
A crash on Shanghai’s metro system injures 260 just two months after a deadly high-speed rail line collision and subsequent cover-up sparked national outrage. And scant TV coverage again.
Op-Ed: Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi has built an empire and survived repeated scandal. But this birthday, one message is clear: as the economy tanks, Italy has finally grown tired of his antics.
A R A B I C A ارابيكا By Kristen Gillespie BAHRAIN & SAUDI ARABIAElfagr.org reports that Bahraini political activist Mohammed al-Shihabi is warning of a Saudi-American scheme “in collaboration with the Al Khalifa government to control Bahrain completely.” Al-Shihabi cites the Bahraini king’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia (which has deployed at least 1,000 […]
A R A B I C A ارابيكا By Kristen Gillespie SAUDI WOMENOver the weekend, Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah granted the right of women to vote… in 2015. Elections for the Shoura Council, will be held this week, but women are not allowed to participate. Elaph.com published a commentary by Essam Abullah, who calls the […]
Bad news for Russian tax evaders who’ve counted on Swiss bank accounts, as Switzerland agrees to turn over information to Moscow about account holders, particularly in relation to tax investigations.
After public endorsements aimed at returning Vladimir Putin to the presidency and making current President Dmitry Medvedev the next prime minister, the first of what may be many protests took place away from the glare of TV by Russians demanding true demo
Both Greece and its fellow euro-zone member countries must decide whether to bet on a future of shared sacrifice and common rules. Europe’s post-War dream of a union to avoid the continent’s history of warfare is facing its gravest risk
Could this 60-year-old Hindu nationalist become India’s next Prime Minister? Though boosted by his own charisma and the economic success of Gujarat, the region he leads, Modi is also still hounded by decade-old accusations that he sanctioned deadly attack
Serving a 13-year sentence for fraud, Mikhail Khodorkovsky is a symbol for Russians seeking real democratic reforms. In this open letter from his prison cell published by Kommersant, the former oil tycoon lays out his vision for a lasting overhaul of the
Prime Minister Erdogan vows a fierce response to the Kurdish rebels’ killing of police officers in southeastern Turkey. Reports cite the possibility of a coming Turkish ground assault across the Iraqi border to strike PKK rebel enclaves there.