Month: February 2023

The 9th Art: Are Marvel Comics ‘Classics’?

Penguin’s choice to publish Marvel comics under their “Classics” label is provocative, but is it justified? This month’s comics column considers this question while reviewing the new Penguin volumes.

NZZ: Washington Offered Moscow 20% of Ukraine for Peace

The White House denies allegations from the Swiss-German newspaper claiming that Biden would rather concede Ukrainian territory than maintain a long war of attrition. The CIA calls the report “completely false.”

Pope Francis: ‘Economic Colonialism’ Must Stop

Congo is “not a mine to be exploited nor a land to be plundered,” the pontiff said in Kinshasa, before calling for free elections and de-escalation of the DRC’s civil conflicts.

French Senate Votes To Enshrine ‘Freedom’ To Abort in Constitution

The compromised wording passed by the senators at least has the merit of refusing to set in stone any ‘right’ to abortion. But another fundamental freedom must be preserved, the freedom of conscience of practitioners to carry out an abortion or not.

Britain’s Defence Is Weaker Than Support for Ukraine Suggests

The UK defence secretary warned that the British Army has been “hollowed out” and needs investment. The country is also forecasted to fare worse than all other developed countries this year, including Russia—so can it continue to support Ukraine?