When the people rise
Historians generally do write political, social and economic narratives but ignore the role of decisions that are taken on the basis of emotions and which change the course of history.…
Independence or bust: Catalan leader boxed in by his own angry base
Catalonia's pro-independence leader Carles Puigdemont has called for the European Union to mediate with Spain over the region's future, but for many Catalans the intensity of a police crackdown on…
Signs of corruption emerge from rubble of Mexico quake
Mexico is still cleaning up the rubble left by its killer earthquake on September 19, but already accusations are flying that shoddy construction, official negligence and corruption made the disaster…
What would make America great?
Flanked by the new first lady, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th US president on January 20, 2017. At the inauguration ceremony, he underlined the significance of ‘buying…
The face of a boy
The misdeeds of Napoleon’s occupation army in Spain were not photographed. Photography had not yet been invented. The valiant fighters against the occupation had to rely on Francisco Goya for…
The imperialism of language
Learning English will make you rich, and learning Arabic will make you holy. No one ever says these things out loud in Pakistan, but their premises under gird many decisions.…
Brazil water project, long delayed, gets election year boost
In 2006, the then President Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva, a native of Brazil's historically drought-plagued north-east, pushed through an idea that long-suffering residents of the region had been hearing…
Sleepless night for fearful Filipinos after quake
Lynlyn Empleo doubts she will be able to sleep tonight after experiencing a powerful earthquake that jolted her central Philippine province of Cebu. Empleo, 26, was feeding her year-old baby…
Catalan secessionists turn up heat on Spain
Catalan secessionists on Wednesday trumpeted a region-wide pro-independence demonstration as a huge success, saying they had sent a strong signal to the Spanish government, which opposes a referendum on independence.…
