Hunger Pains – The Guardian writes that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has warned Israel of “disaster that no one could control” as Palestinian hunger strikers near death. Tony Blair, the Middle East quartet representative, …
An American in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains Tells of Sudanese Bombing
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Leveson Inquiry: Rebekah Brooks, David Cameron and the Meaning of LOL
Another day, another series of embarrassing disclosures about David Cameron at the inquiry into British media ethics. As former News International executive Rebekah Brooks appeared at the inquiry helmed by Justice Brian Leveson …
Why Did Michele Bachmann Flip-Flop on Being a Swiss Citizen?
What a difference two days make, especially in the tumultuous life of Republican Congresswoman and former presidential candidate Michele Bachmann.
On Wednesday, May 9, Bachmann [no relation to the article’s author] announced …
Must-Reads from Around the World, May 11, 2012
Fruit Flare-Up – China’s turned to a new weapon in its dispute with the Philippines over contested South China Sea islands. State-run People’s Daily gleefully reports that “fruit from the Philippines will receive stricter …
The Prime Minister and the Spin Doctor: Andy Coulson Appears Before Leveson Inquiry
Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron has already admitted that he, along with many politicians across parties, has gotten far too close to the press. It’s an honest statement but, unfortunately for his credibility, it …
After Greece and France: Europe’s Revolt Against Austerity
I have a piece in the dead-tree TIME this week that looks at the election of François Hollande in France and connects it to the democratic revolt happening in Greece. What do they have in common? Both are reactions to the …
Is Hugo Chávez Preparing Venezuela for His Departure?
“Get your personal affairs in order.” It’s the hardest thing doctors have to tell cancer patients who are as ill as media reports suggest Hugo Chávez is. With an election looming in less than five months, the 57-year-old …
Damascus Blasts: Are Terrorists the Wild Card in Syria’s Power Struggle?
The twin suicide car bombings that reportedly killed 55 people and wounded 372 in Damascus on Thursday prompted a familiar set of responses: state television blamed unspecified “terrorists” for the atrocity, in keeping with its …
Twin Blasts Kill More Than 50 in Damascus
According to state television, two bombs exploded in the Syrian capital of Damascus on May 10, killing more than 50 people and injuring some 372 people. The blasts—the deadliest since the revolt against the rule of Bashar Assad …
Must-Reads from Around the World, May 10, 2012
Pakistani Push-back – In an interview with the Guardian, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani insists his country did not shelter Osama bin Laden and blames global intelligence shortcomings for allowing the late al-Qaeda …
A Chinese TV Anchor Claims China Owns the Philippines, as Spat Heats Up the South China Sea
Once could have been attributed to a slip of the tongue. But twice? On May 7, an anchor for China’s state-run TV network CCTV, who was chatting with a colleague on the late evening news, remarked: “We all know that the …
Israel Sets Tough Demands for Next Round of Iran Talks
During a visit to Israel on Wednesday, Catherine Ashton, the European diplomat leading nuclear negotiations with Iran, got a reminder of the enormity of the challenge she faces. Ashton met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu …