Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — It’s a deal! The Islamic Republic of Iran is set to buy 100 American made Boeing civilian airliners for a price tag near $25 billion. The sale which has been quietly in the works for some months now, can be directly linked to last Summer’s […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — In a country awash with automatic weapons, overwhelmed by warring militias, and lacking an effective central government, there’s little wonder why global terrorist groups such as Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have found fertile ground for expansion. In the aftermath of the […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — The artillery rumbles like a rolling late spring storm. Small arms fire reaches a staccato, only to fall silent just as quickly. And hapless civilians on both sides of an arbitrary divide endure and suffer as the forgotten slow burner conflict in eastern Ukraine continues […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — Words cannot begin to describe the devastation and suffering which has befallen Syria, now in its fifth year of civil war. Upon his return from the ravaged country, the UN’s Humanitarian chief, Stephen O’Brien, solemnly told the UN Security Council, “I have run out of […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — “Economic activity in the world economy remains lackluster, with little prospect for a turnaround in 2016,” cites the gloomy prognosis by the World Economic Situation and Prospects Update for 2016. The UN survey cautions that weak global growth “continues to linger,” posing a serious challenge […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — Stressing that terrorism “can only be defeated by a sustained and comprehensive approach” involving the active participation and collaboration of all States, the UN Security Council hosted an open debate on developing a counter-narrative campaign to in effect dissuade, discourage and ultimately defuse this widening […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — When I first visited Estonia over twenty years ago, the Baltic country had recently regained its independence from the Soviet Union. Tallinn, the capital and an old Hanseatic trading city, offered an intriguing mix of medieval architecture and shoddy Soviet style construction. Situated on the […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — Governments throughout the world seem increasingly nervous if not paranoid over a free press and media, according to a searingly poignant survey by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The annual survey of the global media in 180 countries, the French-based monitor report underscores a gradual deterioration […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler NEW YORK CITY — The seemingly never ending presidential primary circus came through New York with the predictable partisan name calling and puerile political promises. For much of the campaign the political charges and arguments resembled peeved sandbox kicking kindergarten kids more than serious adults running for the […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — Calling for an end to “human trafficking and other forms of human slavery,” British Cardinal Vincent Nichols presented a stunning testimony against the “resurgence of slavery” where up to 21 million people are affected by the scourge. As Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Nichols has led […]
