Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler, February 9, 2026 Set amid the spectacular Alpine scenery and historic towns of northern Italy, the XXV Winter Olympics have opened in Milan/Cortina. The two week event hosting 90 teams and some 2,900 athletes are competing in sporting events from the traditional downhill skiing, snowboard, speed skating to […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler, February 2, 2026 Strange and mysterious events are transpiring inside the walls of Beijing’s Forbidden City. In the massive nearby government compound Zhongnanhai there’s a clear unease as Communist Party Chief and military supremo Xi Jinping has shuffled the political cards in the powerful Central Military Commission, by […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler, January 20, 2026 We cannot look the other way to the unfolding crisis in Iran. Blood has run in the streets of Teheran and provincial cities as the Islamic regime has turned its vengeance on its own people. Thousands have died in this predictable but avoidable carnage. And […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler, January 13, 2026 Global economic growth continues but at a more moderate pace. That’s the verdict from the UN’s World Economic Situation and Prospects 2026 which predicts that global economic output will grow by 2.7 percent this year, or slightly below the 2.8 percent estimated for 2025 but […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler, January 6, 2026 Political tremors are rattling Iran’s regime as nationwide protests shake the Islamic republic. Widespread popular dissent is rooted both in spreading political opposition to the clerical dictatorship and discontent with draconian religious edicts. The latest outrage has been triggered by the country’s economic free fall. […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler, December 12, 2025 Just one year ago Syria’s brutal and seemingly eternal Assad family dictatorship was toppled. The long-entrenched Russian backed regime fell in a matter of ten days to a series of lightning offensives by the Islamic Hayat Tahrir al-Sham movement backed by Turkey. The tyrant was […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler, November 21, 2025 The UN Security Council approved a landmark American-sponsored resolution which just may give long suffering Gaza its final chance for peace and reconstruction. The U.S. resolution enshrines Washington’s 20-point plan for Gaza; the current ceasefire, the establishment of a Board of Peace and backs the […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler, November 6, 2025 PARIS — France has faced a tumultuous Autumn. The usual strikes, government shuffles, and sensational events from a high profile daylight heist at the world-famous Louvre Museum, to the imprisonment of a former president, have characterized a disquieting period. Indeed, just a year after hosting […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler, October 22, 2025 In a ritual of near farcical folly, the UN General Assembly has elected fourteen new members to join the Geneva-based Human Rights Council. The otherwise low-key annual ballot raises political hypocrisy to a heightened level. These new Council members including countries like Angola, Egypt, Iraq, […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler, October 14, 2025 Many years ago, a senior British diplomat told a few of us UN correspondents outside the Security Council, and I paraphrase, “That no matter what you see transpiring in the Middle East, it’s never wise to base one’s career on predictions of the outcome.” So, […]
