It was the final act in what Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper called “one of the biggest acts of civil disobedience in modern times.” Chafing under a court order that banned the press from naming a top player with an English soccer club who was alleged to have had an affair with a reality TV star, Britons took to Twitter. By May 21, details of the affair had been leaked so widely on the internet that over 50,000 users had tweeted the name of the player: Manchester United midfielder Ryan Giggs.
Tag Archives: parliamentary
At the Polls, Britons Have Bad News for the Coalition
One year ago, British voters made history by forcing rival politicians into the first coalition government since the end of World War II. And they celebrated the first anniversary of that event on Friday by delivering verdicts in a series of elections that could yet tear that same coalition government apart.
Going into the Streets
As a parody of democracy, the scene had a certain dramatic charm.
Valverde stays in gold after time trial test
Alejandro Valverde all but wrapped up victory in the Tour of Spain with a solid ride in a time trial on the 20th and penultimate stage which was won by Britain’s David Millar. The National Assembly voted in favor of Sarkozy’s plan, 329-238
Iraq’s Bombs of August: A Return to the Bad Old Days?
Iraq dreams of what is called sustainable peace — a qualified condition that allows life to go on with an acceptable level of tumult. And so, with a measure of bravado, the government recently announced the imminent removal of most of the concrete blast walls that separate warring neighborhoods and protect citizens traveling on main and secondary roads. As it tries to put the bad days of Sunni vs
Will Germany’s Army Ever Be Ready for Battle?
On June 15, the German army’s General Wolfgang Schneiderhan found himself in front of an audience of politicians and senior officers defending military policy — on sleeping bags. Many German soldiers “are whingeing to high heaven,” Schneiderhan said at a reception thrown by the parliamentary army ombudsman, complaining about everything from being sent on yet another overseas tour of duty to the “unsuitable” sleeping bags they are given for their deployment in the Congo. Then Schneiderhan did some complaining of his own, noting the tendency for his officers to delegate blame, with no-one taking responsibility for their actions.
Reshuffling the Deck Chairs on Gordon Brown’s Listing Ship
Say you were Prime Minister of Britain, waking every day to your national media proclaiming your political death, fending off challenges to your authority from a fractured and fractious Labour Party and bracing against disastrous results in municipal and European elections. You might think a government reshuffle would be the best way to reassert your authority
British PM rocked by resignation of another cabinet minister
The pressure on British Prime Minister Gordon Brown intensified Wednesday as the continuing row over lawmaker’s expenses claimed a second Cabinet minister in as many days.
Egyptian tycoon faces death over singer’s slaying
An Egyptian business tycoon and a former police officer have been found guilty of last July’s slaying of a rising Lebanese pop singer.
Ruling party surges ahead in India election
The party of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was surging ahead in its bid for re-election as a major opposition party conceded defeat during vote count Saturday. The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) was leading in 252 of the 543 federal parliamentary boroughs by early afternoon. Congress workers were quick to assemble at the residence of Italian-born Sonia Gandhi, who heads the party, to celebrate with drumbeats and fireworks