Singapore rocked by ruling family feud

ear Readers, I am taking a sabbatical from my weekly columns in Facts and Opinions in order to finish writing a book that I started a few months ago. The book is on matters very much in the news, so it needs

British Election Brings Mayhem

JONATHAN MANTHORPE: International Affairs June 9, 2017 British voters have shown Prime Minister Theresa May the door. Her gamble to call an early election in the expectation of strengthening her Conservative majority in parliament – and thus her clout in upcoming negotiations

Trump Cries Havoc! – Dogs (still) Kenneled

  JONATHAN MANTHORPE: International Affairs June 10, 2017 Donald Trump in the last few days has given the world a master class on how ignorance and miscalculation by a United States president can trigger conflict and set the stage for war. Look

Theresa May’s election victory no longer certain

JONATHAN MANTHORPE: International Affairs June 3, 2017 Six weeks ago, when Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May called a snap election, it seemed a foregone conclusion this was simply a formality to boost her parliamentary majority and strengthen her hand in negotiating Brexit

“Green” investment funds spring back

By Ross Kerber May, 2017 BOSTON (Reuters) – After U.S. President Donald Trump’s election last November, investors pulled nearly $68 million (53 million pounds) from so-called “green” mutual funds, reflecting fear that his pro-coal agenda would hurt renewable energy firms. But now

Broad alliances trump Trump for Israeli security

JONATHAN MANTHORPE: International Affairs May 27, 2017 Israel lives in a hostile neighbourhood, and has always had trouble making and keeping trustworthy friends. Many of the European countries were supportive both before and immediately after the founding of the state of Israel

India’s Maoist uprising morphs into women’s armed insurgency

  JONATHAN MANTHORPE: International Affairs May 20, 2017 Women guerrilla fighters are at the forefront of an emerging insurgent war in India aimed at protecting women from sexual violence and human rights abuse. On April 24, about 300 guerrillas, half of them

Everyday chemicals affect brain, IQ — study

By Barbara Demeneix, Muséum national d’histoire naturelle (MNHN) – Sorbonne Universités  May, 2017 All vertebrates – from frogs and birds to human beings – require the same thyroid hormone to thrive. Every stage of brain development is modulated by thyroid hormone and, over

Trump-Kim smackdown leaves South Koreans cold

JONATHAN MANTHORPE: International Affairs May 13, 2017 For a while it looked as though Donald Trump was the white horse on a cresting wave of right-wing demagogy rushing to break over liberal democracies world-wide. But the defeat of Trump’s neo-Nazi fellow travellers

Journalism at risk from surveillance, data collection: UNESCO report

By Julie Posetti May 3, 2017 The ability of journalists to report without fear is under threat from mass surveillance and data retention. Released this week, my UNESCO report Protecting Journalism Sources in the Digital Age shows that laws protecting journalists and sources