Global National Blog

• U.S. same sex marriage debate hits roadblocks

  One of the debates about the two same sex marriage cases being argued in Washington is whether U-S Supreme Court decisions should lag behind public opinion, reflect current views, or lead the way and wait for the public to catch up.

  Mar 26, 2013
  
• To approve or not approve?

  Will U.S. President Barack Obama approve the Keystone XL pipeline? For a long time, the answer tilted towards “yes.”

  Mar 5, 2013
  
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• Language police tongue-lashings

  It’s pretty easy to be uncomfortable about the Office Quebecoise de la Langue Française.

  Mar 4, 2013
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• Blog: Passages

  On the Via della Conciliazione, the broad boulevard leading to St. Peter’s Square, there is a large banner with a picture of the pope. Not Benedict XVI, but John Paul II — the one who has been beatified and put on the fast track to sainthood.

  Feb 28, 2013
• Czech horsemeat hoopla

  Perhaps it was living for four decades under the hardships of communism that explains the cynical yet humorous attitude Czechs have taken towards the latest twist in Europe’s growing horsemeat scandal.

  Feb 26, 2013
• Who’s afraid of Ai Weiwei?

  <p>by Paul JohnsonArriving for an interview with Ai Weiwei at his Beijing compound, you get the sense you are about to enter the home of a successful artist. Amid the drab, grey concrete and brick walls that dominate this part</p>

  Feb 25, 2013
• Friends and enemies and Islam’s schism

  <p>by Tom PopykFor all the preaching about Islamic unity, tension and often outright violence between Sunni and Shia sects in the Arabic world is nothing new.Iranian President Mahmoud Amadinejad's historic trip to Egypt this week, the first top level visit</p>

  Feb 6, 2013
• Waiting for Richard

  Just as Richard III was the most delicious of Shakespearean villains, so was the discovery of his bones under a parking lot the most delightful of stories.

  Feb 4, 2013
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• Our day with Charles

  Although those of us privileged to be London correspondents often do stories on the Royal Family, we rarely have the opportunity to see them in person. The really important events are shot by the Royal Rota, a form of pooling arrangement, usually handled by the BBC.

  Feb 1, 2013
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• Smog and the suffering city

  <p>by Paul Johnson"The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window panes... the yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window panes... " T.S. Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred PrufrockSubstitute yellow for white, or some indeterminate</p>

  Feb 1, 2013