Kampala, Uganda | XINHUA | Formal events recognizing Japan’s surrender in World War II took place throughout Europe this weekend, but in America, celebrations were muted. Still, U.S. vets spoke out, while pundits and historians looked ahead to a future with more international cooperation and detente. “When word came that …
Read More »Virus-battered Italy faces worst recession since WWII
Milan, Italy | AFP | Facing its deepest recession since World War II and with business confidence collapsing, the coronavirus pandemic is hitting Italy’s economy hard. Business confidence in the eurozone’s third largest economy in May plummeted to its lowest level since official statistics institute ISTAT started the index in March …
Read More »Brave new world: could pandemic lead to positive change?
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Major social advances have often emerged from the depths of disaster: the Black Death brought an end to serfdom, and Britain’s welfare state emerged from the ruins of World War II. As the coronavirus outbreak took hold, many governments brought in policies previously dismissed as …
Read More »Europe marks 75 years since end of WWII under virus shadow
Berlin, Germany | AFP | Europe marks 75 years since the end of World War II in a sombre mood Friday as the coronavirus pandemic forces the cancellation of elaborate ceremonies even as Berlin declares an exceptional holiday for the first time. Chancellor Angela Merkel will join President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in …
Read More »The sportsmen who went to war
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Many sportsmen were forced to put their careers on hold to fight in World War II. The conflict cut short the lives of some, including England Test cricketer Hedley Verity and German Olympic long jumper “Luz” Long, but others survived to forge careers after the …
Read More »Can Italian infrastructure reboot post-virus economy?
Rome, Italy | AFP | A sleek new bridge in Genoa built in record time is being acclaimed in Italy as a model for rebuilding the economy by investing in major infrastructure projects. Such stimulus is sorely needed as the country slides towards its worst recession since World War II because …
Read More »Grandson reveals late ‘regret’ of Yugoslavia’s Tito
Belgrade, Serbia | AFP | Before his death 40 years ago, Josip Broz Tito, the charismatic and controversial leader of former Yugoslavia, privately shared a “regret”, his grandson recalls. Speaking to AFP by phone, 72-year-old Joska, who proudly shares the name Josip Broz, summons the words of an illustrious grandfather who …
Read More »Living in post-Nazi Dachau: painful childhood memories
Munich, Germany | AFP | Jean Boehme still remembers the number of the Nazi concentration camp block where he lived as a child: 31C. He went to school in block 33, and recalls that a nearby watchtower was transformed into a makeshift bistro. Boehme, now 73, grew up on the site …
Read More »Will Italy’s coronavirus epidemic fuel the far right?
Rome, Italy | AFP | Italy is staring down the barrel of the worst recession since World War II, which could bolster the far-right and damage the country’s love affair with the European Union, analysts say. Much will depend on how Rome handles the easing of the national lockdown, how quickly …
Read More »Four things to know about Pope Pius XII’s archives
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | The unveiling on Monday of Pope Pius XII’s archives has been demanded for decades by Jewish groups and historians. They comprise 120 fonds — archival documents of the same origin — and are split into 20,000 units. They add up to millions of pages …
Read More »