Diplomatic reports show plans to merge Europe’s Galileo system and the United States’ GPS system: The militaries “should have the same advantage.” GPS logs (Aaron Parecki) Whenever German space scientists have ambitious plans in the works, they seem to always take them first to the American Embassy in Berlin. According to documents furnished by Wikileaks, […]
Category: Geopolitics
After adopting Firefox and Linux, French law enforcement moves their own criminal research laboratory data to open-source software platforms. Will they share their secrets? (Alan Cleaver) PARIS – The Gendarmerie nationale, the French paramilitary police force, is making the surprising move into the world of open-source software. In recent months, as the Gendarmerie’s renowned Institute […]
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The Tunisia Effect
The Arab world wonders if other dominoes will fall in the face of popular discontent Anti-police protesters in Cairo (Justicentric) EYES INSIDE – THE MIDDLE EAST As news of Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s toppling rippled all the way to Yemen, those Arab regimes choosing to comment were quick to offer their congratulations […]
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USA-China: Détente Or Cold War?
Chinese President Hu Jintao’s state visit to Washington this week could signal a thaw in relations between the United States and China, or proof that a new “Cold War” is around the corner
Italy’s leader digs in amidst troubling silence from allies and the Catholic Church, as a sex scandal involving underage prostitutes may pose the gravest threat to his 15-year hold over Italian public life. Silvio Berlusconi (Elena Torre) The 74-year-old prime minister vehemently denies any wrongdoing after prosecutors allege that he had sex with a “significant” […]
Immigration and energy dependence mean Europe is too close to afford to keep cozying up with autocratic regimes in the face of restless North African and the Middle Eastern youth. One might be tempted to see the ousting of Tunisian leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali as a case of déjà vu. After all, the […]
The Ben Ali family had its tentacles in every corner of Tunisian business life. A look at the economic fallout from the North African nation’s ongoing political and social upheaval After the downfall of the Ben Ali clan, and the end of its vice-like grip on the Tunisian economy, the country faces a number of […]
In an exclusive interview, the US-educated African leader says Islamic terrorists are flocking to his country. And preparing to strike the West. Somalia’s future in doubt (Sandpaper) Three months after leaving behind a comfortable academic life in the United States to become Prime Minister of Somalia, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed has a chilling assessment of the […]
More three million diaries printed by the European Commission, which refer to Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and Hindu holidays, have no reference to Christmas, Easter and other Christian holidays.
The war in Afghanistan has just entered its tenth year. Beyond the growing bloodshed, the U.S. also struggles on the battlefield economic development. GHAZNI – Sayed Abdul Baas, mayor of this eastern Afghan city, could hardly contain the satisfaction in his voice: “We thank the U.S. government for its support, and we appreciate the hard […]
The mayor of the Italian city of Bari, an ex-prosecutor, posts pictures of public employees allegedly slacking on the job. Emiliano’s Facebook page BARI – Michele Emiliano, a former magistrate and the mayor of Bari, has been using a new phrase on the stump lately: “I govern with Facebook.” It’s not just a reference to […]
One-party rule and too few jobs are stirring anger in North Africa President Ben Ali (Sarah Murray) EYES INSIDE – TUNISIA The popular uprising in Tunisia, and the government’s violent crackdown, has now entered its third week – and finally reached the streets of the capital. The stakes couldn’t be higher for President Zine El […]
Anti-Castro militant wanted for bombings in Venezuela and Cuba is accused of lying to US immigration officials in a case that shows past passions are very much alive Havana sign referring to Luis Posada Carriles after his 2007 release (Peter Vanderheyden) EYES INSIDE – LATIN AMERICA For many in Miami “s exile Cuban community, Luis […]
Meet the only woman running a tent city in Haiti for survivors of earthquake. Can she stop the sexual violence? Haiti tent city ( Edyta Materka) PORT-AU-PRINCE – Magaline Richard is sporting an orange dress and a pair of cheap, colorful earrings. Her look is less proud than hardened. An icy stare borders on expressionless, […]
Growing ranks of well-educated Chinese youth who can’t find good jobs and gather in city outskirts in what authorities worry could be a social time bomb.
After the Tunisian government blocks access to information about mass protests, Anonymous cyber-activists have begun attacking official websites.
Despite recent criticism for its anti-immigration tendencies, France is less restrictive than other European countries Immigrants protest in Paris By itself, the French picture might fool you. But set against the rest of the European family album, it grows much clearer. Last summer’s expulsions of members of the Roma community, the rising popularity of the […]
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Middle East Stories To Watch In 2011
As the region’s perennial conflicts burn on, other emerging trends and turns of events will grab our attention this year King Abdullah of Saudia Arabia (Mohammad Bahareth) EYES INSIDE – THE MIDDLE EAST The US-Iran showdown, the terminally unresolved Palestinian question, Egyptian elections and the ongoing fallout from the Wikileaks cables are sure to generate […]
Estranged wife, longtime mistress battle over where to bury former President Carlos Andrés Pérez Carlos Andrés Pérez EYES INSIDE – LATIN AMERICA When Carlos Andrés Pérez was serving his second term as president of Venezuela (1989-93), the press and political insiders knew about Cecilia Matos, although her name never appeared in print. It was an […]
Once the marvel of the global economy, Japan has slipped behind China by resisting change in a way Italians know all too well Tokyo subway (David Dennis) It may not qualify as the freshest news, but it’s worth taking a second look at the formal announcement last summer that China overtook Japan in gross domestic […]
After threats against churches were posted on the Web, the French police’s anti-terrorism department has launched a probe.
The “balance of imbalances’ between France and Germany is gone, and each must see the new calculus in committing to Europe Berlin Wall PARIS – Until the fall of the Berlin wall and the reunification of Germany, France saw the building of Europe as a pursuit of its own politics by other means. More Europe […]
Han Han, China’s top blogger and a glamor-boy race car driver, failed to get his culture magazine past all the roadblocks Han Han (Julien GONG Min) EYES INSIDE – CHINA China’s top blogger, Han Han, has pulled the plug on his brand new paper-based literary magazine, making the surprise announcement with his trademark cutting irony […]
Targeting Christians in Egypt is also a way for Islamists to attack the leaders of the most important Arab country Egpytian soldiers (Jose Antonio Sanchez) After the New Year’s Day church bombing in Alexandria, Egypt, there are at least two ways we can choose to interpret this grave, anti-Christian attack. The first focuses on the […]
The Baltic republic has just become the euro zone’s 17th member state, carrying low public debt and high hopes for its economy Euros take over for Estonian crowns BRUSSELS – On Jan. 1 Estonia officially abandoned its currency, the crown, to become the 17th European state — and the first of the Baltic republics — […]
A new book in Germany recounts life under the Third Reich for those labeled: “personal prisoner of the Fuhrer” Sven Felix Kellerhoff BERLIN – In Puppi’s memory, was a beautiful place where she’d always longed to return. Of course, it wasn’t the actual concentration camp of Sachsenhausen, near Berlin, where she dreamed of going back […]
The “Virtuous Cities’ movement aims to cut costs and waste. And change the world Recycling al’Italiano (Kevin Hutchinson) COLORNO – Spending half-a-day with Marco Boschini is “bello e istruttivo” (beautiful and instructive), to paraphrase Italian writer Giovannino Guareschi. But the beauty and acquired wisdom comes at a cost. Without uttering a word, Boschini will make […]
The spectre of strife looms ahead of UN indictments in 2005 Hariri murder Monuments have risen to honor slain leader Rafiq Hariri (Steven Damron) EYES INSIDE – THE MIDDLE EAST Lebanon is an edgy place these days, as a UN-backed special tribunal prepares to charge suspects in the February 2005 bombing assassination of ex-Prime Minister […]
Dictator convicted for 1970s murders, abuses, but not before giving his version of history EYES INSIDE – LATIN AMERICA Argentina’s former dictator Jorge Rafael Videla, the architect of the notorious Dirty War of the late 1970s, was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday for murder and human rights abuses, bringing some long-awaited sense of […]
The French diplomat-cleric leads Pope Benedict’s efforts to reach out to Muslims, while reaffirming his Catholic identity
Standard procedural bulletin on use of speed sensors may help explain unsolved crash of Rio-to-Paris flight AF447 Airbus 330 (flickr) A seemingly innocuous memo could revive speculation about the cause of the June 2009 crash of an Air France flight from Rio-to-Paris. Les Echos has learned that on Monday, Airbus sent an operational engineering bulletin […]
Algeria’s Our Lady of Africa was long associated with French colonialism, until it became a symbol of interfaith tolerance
Shares of Prime Minister’s TV network Mediaset rise — then fall — after surviving no-confidence in Parliament. Though Berlusconi still denies politics and business are linked, the markets disagree. By Francesco Spini MILAN – Earlier in the week, as Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi faced a pair of crucial confidence votes, and riots broke out in […]
Leaked diplomatic cables reveal feigned amity, eagerness for the U.S. to take on Iran Arab leaders eye Iran’s Ahmadinejad (Daniella Zalcman) EYES INSIDE – THE MIDDLE EAST While its founder makes bail in London, WikiLeaks’ revelations are setting off a unique game of truth and consequences in the Arab world, where leaders are used to […]
A new labor report shows the narrowing gap between developed and developing worlds is also driven by Western decline Textile workers in India (Jessica Steiner) PARIS – The International Labor Organization (ILO) has released a new and very detailed survey on wages in 115 countries. As always the study’s results are highly anticipated, as a […]
Critics say Venezuelan President wants to use an emergency flood-response law to nip power from growing opposition presence in National Assembly Hugo Chavez has sights set (Flickr) EYES INSIDE – LATIN AMERICA Once more, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez is pushing the accepted bounds of democracy. Under a national emergency law voted on Thursday, Chávez could […]
Rising incomes, traditions heat up competition for best spots to host your big day. And a banquet hall black market is born Bride and groom in China (Nghong Lam via Flickr) EYES INSIDE – CHINA When a nation’s economy grows 10 percent a year, everything is booming, new markets emerge, innovation is rampant. That goes […]
Silvio Berlusconi barely survives a confidence vote, and riots erupt in a country plagued by politicians who listen only to themselves TURIN – A political system shut off from the country produced exactly what’s been predicted for months: shouts, insults, head counts, celebrations. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi barely survived a no-confidence vote. And […]
Daughter and likely successor of National Front party founder Jean-Marie Le Pen compares Muslim street prayers to Nazi “occupation” of France.
Barack Obama v. Julian Assange: a duel between two Internet heroes (Steve Rhodes, flickr) The arrest of the founder of WikiLeaks has triggered, among other things, a showdown between two modern-day heroes. Julian Assange and Barack Obama are representatives of the Internet’s revolution in politics and information. Indeed both would-be heroes were born on and […]