Oscar Pistorius and South African justice

Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee Olympian known as Blade Runner, was found not guilty in South Africa on Thursday of premeditated murder in the shooting of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, a law graduate and model. Pistorius was convicted Friday** of unlawful homicide, a charge similar to that

Island-building Inflames China-Philippines Dispute

Pursuit of Beijing’s claim to the South China Sea is a major element in the drive by China’s Communist Party boss Xi Jinping to convince the population that the country is re-emerging as the world’s pre-eminent power, writes International Affairs columnist Jonathan Manthorpe..

China manufactures islands to back its sovereignty claims

JONATHAN MANTHORPE  September 10, 2014  Not content with stealing other people’s territory, the Beijing government is now manufacturing islands to boost its insubstantial claim to ownership of the South China Sea. The Philippines government has released aerial photographs of Chinese dredgers and construction teams

Darts, bitters and Granny Admirers — Oh, My

Mature babes: Granny admirers more overt in the UK is the title of Penney Kome’s hilarious new work for F&O’s Loose Leaf column. It’s a story prompted by a startling experience in a London pub, and while title almost says it all, here is an

A Brief Encounter with Randy Bachman

Randy Bachman walked away from two of Canada’s hottest rock bands, the Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive, when they were at the height of their fame. In his new time capsule piece, Arts columnist Brian Brennan tells what happened to him next. An

Rock ‘n’ Roll Survivor: Randy Bachman

BRIAN BRENNAN: BRIEF ENCOUNTERS September 2014  When I first met him in 1978, Randy Bachman had seemingly committed career suicide not once but twice. Or so it seemed to his fans at the time. First he walked away from the Guess Who immediately

Imran Khan’s sad, public flameout

Political rifts in Pakistan widened recently when soldiers expelled demonstrators occupying the Pakistan Television building; at least three protesters died and 400 people were injured, writes International Affairs columnist Jonathan Manthorpe. It’s another example of trouble for Imran Khan. An excerpt of Manthorpe’s

Imran Khan: from sports hero to prophet of doom

JONATHAN MANTHORPE  September 3, 2014  The occupation of the heart of Pakistan’s capital by thousands of demonstrators demanding the resignation of the government is not so much a political crisis as a sad, public flameout by the protest leader, former cricket hero and

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