The U.S. is not the only country where conspiracy theories abound. But it’s alone in having a president on friendly terms with a conspiracy theorist. A man holding a Q sign waits to enter a campaign rally for U.S. President Donald Trump in Wilkes-Barre,...
Hate crimes have surged in Italy as a new governing coalition takes a hard line on immigrants, capitalizing on citizens’ fears of foreigners. Migrants being rescued by the ship “Aquarius,” 10 August 2018 (EPA-EFE/Guglielmo Mangiapane/SOS Mediterranee) When...
By Jonathan Thatcher In the farming village where I stay in Indonesia’s West Java province, Islam is central to daily life. The village has its own religious school, and those who can afford it sign up for the 10-year wait to go on a pilgrimage to Mecca. But its...
Following the Philippines’ play book, Sri Lanka has re-instated the death penalty for drug dealers, shrugging off criticism from rights groups and the EU. Sri Lankan women protest against the execution in Saudi Arabia of a Sri Lankan domestic worker, Colombo,...
Pakistan’s Imran Khan was a cricket star with glamorous women on his arm. Now he is poised to become prime minister of the South Asian nation. Pakistan captain Imran Khan, left, raises his arms in triumph as England’s last batsman Richard Illingworth walks away...
It’s been four years since young activists in Hong Kong launched a movement for democratic reforms. Now, a sense of powerlessness is growing. Pro-democracy protesters holding yellow umbrellas, Hong Kong, 28 September 2017 (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) Few birthday...
Paterson city and its powerful waterfall drew my immigrant family from the Middle East. The cataract may hold the key to the New Jersey city’s future. Paterson Falls (Wikimedia Commons/Francisco Diez) The city of Paterson’s celebrated waterfall sits in the...
Recently I went to Russia. I discovered that Russians view their president, Vladimir Putin, in a much different light than many of us from the West. Russian President Vladimir Putin during a friendly soccer match, Moscow, 28 June 2018. (AP Photo/Alexander Safonov)...
How Java’s controversial female ruler grew into the job Paul Spencer Sochaczewski taps his vast knowledge of Asia in this, his third short story for News-Decoder. Last year, Sochaczewski entertained us with yarns about the South China Sea and Borneo. In this five-part...
How Java’s controversial female ruler grew into the job Paul Spencer Sochaczewski taps his vast knowledge of Asia in this, his third short story for News-Decoder. Last year, Sochaczewski entertained us with yarns about the South China Sea and Borneo. In this five-part...