John J. Metzler BUDAPEST — I chanced upon Ronald Reagan walking towards Freedom Square here in Budapest. Actually his bronze statue, set in a brisk stride, larger than life, and facing a Soviet war memorial, sums up so many of the political emotions, poignant memories, and ghosts which still swirl round the Hungarian capital even […]
John J. Metzler PARIS — The Lone Ranger has galloped down the Champs d’ Elysees on his trusty horse Silver. The little blue Smurfs are at the palatial Opera Garnier. As has long been the case in recent memory, the French remain enchanted and enthralled with American movies ranging from Wolverine, Pacific Rim and World […]
Special to WorldTribune.com Yossef Bodansky, Senior Editor, GIS/Defense & Foreign Affairs In August 1995, Western governments, and particularly the Bill Clinton White House, were in great quandary. The negotiations with the Serbs were going well as President Slobodan Milosevic was demonstrating unprecedented flexibility and accepting virtually all the demands put forward by the West. Hence, […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Miles Yu, Geostrategy-Direct.com Exactly 300 years after the Treaty of Utrecht settled the century-long royal spat between Spain and England, the last remaining territorial issue between the two countries flared up again in recent weeks. At issue is the sovereignty of Gibraltar which overlooks the vital isthmus connecting the Mediterranean and […]
Special to WorldTribune.com CAIRO — The new state of South Sudan has been heading toward a split, a report said. The Sudd Institute said South Sudan’s ruling movement has been paralyzed by a crisis that has resulted in mass firings in Juba. In a report, the institute said President Salva Kiir, head of the Sudan’s […]
Special to WorldTribune.com GIS/Defense & Foreign Affairs staff in Juba President Salva Kiir Mayardit of South Sudan on July 23, 2013, issued a presidential decree removing Vice President Riek Machar Teny and dissolving the whole government of South Sudan. President Kiir dismissed all 29 ministers and deputy ministers, and did not immediately appoint a new […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Miles Yu, Geostrategy-Direct.com In a case reminiscent of the Cold War era, a German court near Stuttgart on July 2 sentenced two Russian agents, planted in West Germany during the 1980s and active until their arrest in October 2011. Andreas Anschlag, 54, and his wife Heidrun, 48, were planted by the […]
John J. Metzler NEW YORK — A dragonfly-like aircraft, large but seemingly fragile, slow but silent, and powered by sunlight, has flown safely across America. The amazing and indeed epic coast to coast journey by the Swiss engineered and piloted Solar Impulse plane concluded in New York having set a number of aeronautical records for […]
John J. Metzler PRAGUE — Arriving in Prague’s Vaclav Havel airport, one is immediately swept into the present; not just a refurbished terminal but a new look where people actually smile, immigration officials don’t grimace, and police speed about on segways. The post-communist transformation emerges wider in driving from the airport into Prague. This former […]
Special to WorldTribune.com Compiled by Miles Yu, Geostrategy-Direct.com On June 16, the U.S. Army and Russia’s state-owned defense company Rosoboronexport signed a contract in Paris to buy 30 Mi-17V5 helicopters. The 30 Mi-17V5 helicopters will be used primarily for the U.S.-trained Afghan Army. They will remain in the country after U.S. forces are scheduled to […]
