John Paul II’s papacy has been one of the longest and most energetic of any in 2 000-odd years of the history of the Catholic Church. On that at least Catholics agree, but there is much less agreement on the nature of this remarkable man’s achievements. John Paul II attracted admiration, incomprehension and hate in almost equal measure.
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/ 24 September 2004
If United States President George W Bush were running for re-election on the basis of his stewardship of the US economy alone, he would already be packing his bags. To be blunt, by recent standards, the economy’s performance has been dismal. Some of that grimness has not been Bush’s fault — he took office in the backwash of a calamitous financial bubble. But little that the Bush team has done since has been effective or sensible in policy terms.
The initial euphoria at the rescue of the world trade talks last weekend may prove to be premature. But at least the Doha round of negotiations — vital to boost world trade and jump-start the economies of the poorest nations — is still alive. In theory, there ought to be celebration because rich countries have agreed to scrap agricultural subsidies — the main source of bitterness among developing nations.
Lord Robin Butler, delivering his review of intelligence on weapons of mass destruction on Wednesday, looked like the amiable Oxford head of college he has become. But the former Cabinet secretary’s findings throw a harsh light on British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s conduct of government, as well as on the performance of the intelligence agencies.
Celtic vs Liverpool in the European Cup Winners’ Cup semifinal in 1966 … Leeds vs Celtic in the European Cup semifinal in 1970 … Chelsea vs Man City in the European Cup Winners’ Cup semifinal in 1971 … Former players reflect on classic all-British European nights and explain why they are unique
The ”smiling Bali bomber’s” belief that somehow he served Islam by killing 202 defenceless people of all creeds and colours could be ignored as the ravings of a sick mind. Except that Amrozi bin Nurhasyim was deemed mentally competent by the court.
It is no surprise that a president who has used intimidation, police torture and electoral fraud to hold on to power would not want events in his country reported overseas.
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/ 11 February 2003
In 60 days the United Nations inspectors charged with hunting down Iraq’s chemical and biological weapons have carried out 300 inspections at more than 230 different sites, including universities, military bases, presidential sites and private homes.
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/ 21 November 2002
Famine in the Horn of Africa is an emotive issue for those who can recall the 1984/85 catastrophe, who remember the disturbing TV pictures of emaciated, ghost-like children and the record-breaking relief donations of Bob Geldof’s Live Aid.
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/ 14 November 2002
An opinion poll taken across the United States just before this week’s mid-term elections found US voters split down the middle between Republicans and Democrats. The voters are almost as equally divided on whether their country is heading in the right direction or not.