Philip Reeves

Violence Defies Pakistanis' Efforts To Define Their Nation

Philip Reeves — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 16:56:00 +0000

There is no more graphic example of the daunting challenges facing Pakistan's new prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, than the bloody events playing out in the west of his nation.

Just over a week after Sharif was sworn in for a third term, at least 24 people were killed in a day of violence that underscored the threat presented by violent militancy to the fabric of the Pakistani state.

More than half the dead were female students, killed by a bomb. The toll also included nurses at a hospital that was the scene of a five-hour siege.

Murder Case Appears To Buck Trend Of Pakistani Corruption

Philip Reeves — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 19:47:00 +0000

"There are times when one's faith is restored in the judicial system here, in Pakistan," writes a gentleman called Sajjid Khan, in an unusually optimistic letter published by one of his nation's leading newspapers The Daily Times.

Pakistanis generally take a bleak view of their system of law and order, which tends to be dysfunctional and corrupt. Khan was inspired to put pen to paper by a criminal case that seems to buck that trend.

It concerns the killing of a policeman's son named Shahzeb Khan.

Riots In Sweden. That's Right. Sweden

Philip Reeves — Wed, 22 May 2013 19:48:00 +0000

Sweden is one of the wealthiest, most stable and smoothly running countries in the world.

Which would explain why the country's 9.5 million residents may be shocked by the events of the past few days.

For the past three nights, hundreds of youths have been rampaging through parts of the capital, Stockholm, torching cars, setting fires, and throwing rocks at police and fire trucks.

The trouble began over the weekend, after the police shot dead a 69-year-old man in the city's Husby neighborhood, where many residents originate from the Middle East and Africa.

Alex Ferguson: A Legendary Manager For An Iconic Franchise

Philip Reeves — Wed, 08 May 2013 15:33:00 +0000

The resignation of veteran Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson is an event causing ripples that go way beyond the island where the Scotsman spent his long and illustrious career.

Walk into a bar pretty much anywhere from Buenos Aires to Bangkok, mention Ferguson or his star-studded team of Red Devils, and you can be sure of a lively conversation — and perhaps a heated argument.

Ferguson's name is not always greeted with warmth, especially by supporters

For Some Britons, Thatcher's Death Provokes Celebrations

Philip Reeves — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:14:00 +0000

A young man is parading the streets of the city of Glasgow with a slogan daubed onto the back of his black leather jacket in big, freshly painted white letters. "We're havin' a party," it declares. "Thatcher's dead."

In what was the coal belt of northern England, a burly former miner lights up an enormous cigar and takes a satisfied puff.