by Paul Radford | 19 Nov 2015 | Europe, Middle East
By Paul Radford One minute, one hour, one day. Small units of time that make the difference between life and death when random acts of terror take place. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time is what we dread. Being lucky is all we can hope for. One Hour The...
by Nadia Dala | 16 Nov 2015 | Europe, Middle East, Terrorism
Two mothers, one Jewish, one Muslim, pray together in Paris, 11 January 2015. (AP Photo/Matthieu Alexandre, Pool, File) By Nadia Dala In Western Europe, the convergence of three little exposed dynamics may have helped Islamic State dehumanize impressionable...
by Rashad Mammadov | 15 Nov 2015 | Europe, Middle East, Terrorism
After the Paris attacks, politicians are combative. But what if Islamic State’s goal was an escalation of conflict and Western boots on the ground? French President François Hollande declared the attacks in Paris an “act of war.” Angela Merkel...
by News Decoder | 14 Nov 2015 | Africa, Europe, Middle East, Terrorism
It’s an age-old tactic, but experts say terrorist attacks have recently grown in breadth and intensity. Most recent attacks have occurred in five countries. Flowers at the scene of a shooting in Sousse, Tunisia, 27 June 2015. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) (We...
by News Decoder | 14 Nov 2015 | Europe, Middle East, Terrorism
By Alistair Lyon Islamic State has claimed the coordinated attacks by gunmen and suicide bombers on bars, restaurants and a concert hall that killed at least 127 people in Paris, the bloodiest assault in Europe since the Madrid train bombings in 2002. French President...
by Pauline Bock | 8 Nov 2015 | Americas, Decoders, Europe, Middle East, Ukraine
It grew out of the Cold War. Now the NATO alliance faces fresh challenges as Russia flexes its muscles in Eastern Europe and Syria. U.S. President Harry Truman speaks at the signing of NATO treaty in Washington, 4 April 1949 (AP Photo) This article is part of a...
by Pauline Bock | 8 Nov 2015 | Africa, Americas, Asia, Decoders, Europe, Middle East
The world’s population will double this century, with most growth in Africa. But many nations are ageing quickly and face a new population challenge. Tourists in China, 2011. (AP Photo) This article is part of a News-Decoder series of “decoders” that...
by News Decoder | 6 Nov 2015 | Africa, Europe, Human Rights, Middle East
(Video by Léa Surugue) By Léa Surugue Last April, a fishing boat carrying 800 people capsized off the shores of Italy. Only 27 survived. It was one of the worst human tragedies in the Mediterranean, ever. I had always wanted to cover the stories of people who left...
by Hafawa Rebhi | 5 Nov 2015 | Africa, Middle East, Syria
It’s hard to imagine Syria was once a capital of art. But its beauty lives in me. To Syria I owe my first poems, my Arabic writing and my favorite dramas. “Queen Zenobia’s Last Look Upon Palmyra,” by Herbert Schmalz. (Wikimedia Commons) With images from Syria of...
by Nelson Graves | 8 Oct 2015 | Africa, Middle East
Conventional wisdom can be comforting, but it can also be an easy way out. We want to challenge moral assumptions. Last week we wrote about female genital cutting in Uganda and laid down a challenge to readers. We said: Help the Sabiny people end...