Death of Mary Richardson Kennedy again throws the spotlight on America’s most famous family… But for the family name she acquired at marriage, it might have been just a tale for the society pages: a handsome middle aged woman who had given up a successful career to raise children, only for the man [...]
Should political extremes ever join forces? Twenty-eight years ago, almost to the day, Mayor William H Hudnut (the third) of Indianapolis signed into law the Dworkin-MacKinnon Ordinance. Had it not been struck down by the courts, it would have defined certain kinds of pornography as a civil rights violation against women. This was [...]
Continue reading …Bahrain’s King Hamad and Swaziland’s King Mswati III among those having a Jubilee lunch with the Queen… In act that’s likely to be seen as an affront to those fighting for democracy in countries around the world, the Queen will today sit down with bloody dictators to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee at a [...]
Continue reading …Convicted war criminal and former Liberian President hits out bias of international law… Following his conviction for war crimes at a UN-backed Special Court, Charles Taylor -addressing the court- singled out the United States as he suggested that not everyone is subject to international law: President George W. Bush not too long ago [...]
Continue reading …Francois Hollande has promised a new economic direction in France, but he’ll struggle to bring about radical change in Europe… President François Hollande’s call for a new growth-led approach has resonated with many people across Europe who continue to suffer from a seemingly endless cycle of economic decline and painful public sector cuts. Nobel prize-winning [...]
Continue reading …How a case of mistaken identity led to the execution of an innocent man in 1989… The recent US Republican primary campaign once again brought America’s use of the death penalty into the spotlight, following Rick Perry’s statement of certainty that the state of Texas had never put an innocent man to death. [...]
Continue reading …Is Europe’s problem German strength or weakness? The election in March 2012 of Joachim Gauck as Germany’s President demonstrates a remarkable achievement of recent German history. For the first time since unification in October 1990, Germany has a Chancellor and President from the former East Germany. Widely admired both for the size of its [...]
Continue reading …