Essay: Three anniversaries will force issues of religious persecution at the UN General Assembly
Whether world leaders grapple with interconnecting issues of religion and global affairs remains to be seen, but, KNOX THAMES, a former special envoy for religious minorities at the US State Department and senior fellow at Pepperdine University, says they cannot afford to ignore them…
Denmark to look for “legal tool” to prevent Quran burnings
Copenhagen, DenmarkReuters The Danish Government will seek to “find a legal tool” that would enable authorities to prevent the burning of copies of the Quran in front of other countries’ embassies in Denmark, Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told the national broadcaster DR on Sunday. “The burnings are deeply offensive and reckless acts committed by […]
Essay: The history behind Orkney’s vote to “join Norway”
In an article first published on The Conversation, MATHEW NICOLSON explores the history behind last week’s vote…
Essay: Europe outsourcing asylum to African countries is a terrible idea – there are alternatives
In an article first published on The Conversation, LAURA LAMBERT and MARTIN LEMBERG-PEDERSEN explain the risks and frequent failures of outsourcing schemes…
StrangeSights: Tilted art; a zebra on the run; and, Greenland opts for permanent daylight savings…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
Tiny Baltic island finds itself ‘a pawn’ in Nord Stream gas drama
Christiansö in the Baltic Sea, Denmark Reuters Inhabitants of the tiny island of Christiansö in the Baltic Sea found themselves in the glare of global media attention this week after reports alleging a boat moored off the rocky outcrop was used to blow up the Nord Stream gas pipelines. “Practically the entire world called me […]
Archaeologists find well-preserved 500-year-old spices on Baltic shipwreck
Lund, Sweden Reuters Archaeologists say they have uncovered a “unique” cache of well-preserved spices, from strands of saffron to peppercorns and ginger, on the wreck of a royal ship that sunk off Sweden’s Baltic coast more than 500 years ago. The wreck of the Gribshund, owned by King Hans of Denmark and Norway, has lain […]
Thousands of Danes protest cancelling of public holiday
Copenhagen, DenmarkReuters Thousands of people gathered in Copenhagen on Sunday to protest a bill put forward by the government to scrap a public holiday to help finance increased defence spending. The demonstration was organised by the country’s biggest labour unions which oppose abolishing the Great Prayer Day, a Christian holiday that falls on the fourth […]
Moscow’s ‘big revenge’ has begun, Zelenskiy says, as Russia claims Ukraine gains
Kyiv, UkraineReuters Russia has begun its “big revenge” for Ukraine’s resistance to its invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday, as Russian forces claimed a series of incremental gains in his country’s east. Zelenskiy has been warning for weeks that Moscow aims to step up its assault on Ukraine after about two months of […]
Nord Stream ruptures revealed as Europe grapples with gas plan
Copenhagen, Denmark/Brussels, BelgiumReuters Damage to the Nord Stream gas pipeline from Russia to Europe was caused by powerful explosions, Danish police said on Tuesday, echoing earlier findings into leaks that erupted in the network under the Baltic Sea and that have been blamed on sabotage. In what a Swedish newspaper described as the first publicly […]