Blame game as German Love Parade death toll rises
Fresh accusations emerged Tuesday that the under-fire mayor of Duisburg in Germany ignored warnings that the Love Parade was a disaster waiting to happen, as the death toll rose to…
Karaoke at Berlin Wall park
Just over 20 years ago, this part of Berlin echoed to the wail of alarm sirens and the howls of attack dogs guarding the Wall that split the German…
Negotiations must be about substance not form
Among Palestinians, the discussion that has been held in political and media circles in recent weeks about the need to move from indirect to direct talks is perceived as being…
Proximity talks are the only format
Pressure is mounting on the Palestinian side to agree to direct negotiations with Israel. There seems to be unanimous agreement that this is the optimal path to political progress that…
Are we really secessionists now?
LONDON: The World Court’s recent ruling on Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence is being widely touted as giving a green light to secessionist movements to gain statehood. According to Kosovo…
What do AIDS activists want more money for?
Activists invaded the platform at the International AIDS conference in Vienna last week to demand more money — but for what? With drugs now less than $100 per person per…
Russia’s great gas game
BERLIN: Russia and the European Union are geopolitical neighbors. Whether or not their relationship is in fact neighborly, rather than tense and confrontational, is of critical importance to both. Unless…
Filipino movie gatecrasher searches for salvation
Indie film director Jim Libiran was looking for personal salvation when he gate-crashed Philippine cinema with a movie tackling Manila's violent gangland culture. Three years later the former…
Centuries-old bathhouse provides relief from Gaza turmoil
GAZA CITY: In the steamy depths of a centuries-old bathhouse beneath Gaza's crowded streets, Murad Awad channels positive energy by prying toxins from tired flesh. The bathhouse, known as Hamam…
Minister says no niqab in universities this year
CAIRO: Egypt’s Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research said that no female student wearing the niqab will enter the university premises in the next academic year. In a meeting…
