“Frankenstein in Baghdad” Review
The prize-winning novel “Frankenstein in Baghdad” by Iraqi novelist Ahmed Saadawi has finally been translated into English. His reworking of Mary Shelley’s iconic horror story is set in the Iraqi capital torn apart by sectarian violence.
Sisi’s Coronation and the Egyptian Opposition
In an attempt to centralize power, the regime is in the process of creating one unified enemy, an alliance between the disgruntled security and civilian elites as well as the opposition.
Fox/Sky: here comes the crunch
Fox acquisition of the other 61% of Sky may ‘act against the public interest, reducing media plurality’. Yet Sky shares rose when the ruling was published. What is going on?
New York empties its jails
A huge achievement that could even signify the beginning of a more rational, humane approach to American criminal justice: how was it done?
Lula da Silva as a nightmare
The main threat to democracy in Brazil is posed by part of the judiciary; a dangerous, well-born, conservative class of mostly white men. And Lula da Silva is their worst nightmare
France bids for climate leadership
Macron’s call to ‘make our planet great again’ must start at home. France is continuing to invest aggressively in nuclear power at the cost of renewable energy, and recent commitments to limit the production of fossil fuels are less ambitious then they might appear.
What’s the impact of the East China Sea oil spill?
The Sanchi has sunk but it’s cargo could still damage the environment. The Sanchi was transporting 136,000 tonnes of condensate from Iran to South Korea when the collision happened.
About Shakespeare
Shakespeare discovered the secret of language. He had the advantage of living at a moment in history when a new language was coming into being. Modern English was emerging in common speech as a language of exceptional flexibility.
Creativity and freedom
Innovation is often concentrated in certain geographic areas, or ‘creative clusters’. Data on famous births reveals the dynamics of creativity in European cities between the 11th and 19th centuries.
Yemen: 2017 in review
2017 has been a year of utter despair in light of countless human rights atrocities committed on multi-fronts. Both key international allies to Saudi Arabia; the US and the UK have found Yemen’s war to be a lucrative business, profiting massively from the financial rewards of their arms sales to Saudi Arabia.