Images sped through my mind. What was my favourite place? The magic of Bali; the beaches of Thailand; the chaos and music of the Philippines; the ordered symmetry of Japan, and then to where we were now, a place that blended traditions of old China with the excitement and technology of new Asia. In the […]
Read MoreThe Humphrey Hawksley Blog
For Winter Sun, Unwind in Dubai
You can unwind by the pool and do nothing or wander through dizzying architecture, wildly extravagant shopping malls, whacky bars and fine-food restaurants. Should the spirit veer toward the ultra-bizarre, you can even go indoor skiing. I have filmed and reported from Dubai many times and opted for chill time at Raffles on the man-made […]
Read MoreBhutan – Land of Luxury & Legends
Bhutan is one of the few remaining destinations for travellers looking for clean mountain air and slow pace in a culture that deliberately filters itself from much of the outside world. Mass-market tourism is banned. You will not see tour coaches and budget airlines lined up at the airport. […]
Read MoreHong Kong & the Great Outdoors
At the brow of the hill, early morning fog rolls through sub-tropical undergrowth. Then, dipping down to sea level and curving around the coastline, the view clears to reveal a long, pristine sandy beach. In the sky, a Crested Serpent Eagle circles above the ancient fishing village of Tai O. […]
Read MorePlanning the New Russia
Born into Soviet Jewish intelligentsia, leading Russian opposition figure, Leonid Volkov, is now in exile in Lithuania. Through lawyers, he liaises with his jailed friend Alexei Navalny who is serving nine years in a maximum security Russian prison. Both Internet bloggers with massive followings, Leonid was Navalny’s chief-of-staff for his presidential campaign against Putin in […]
Read MoreWe Must Study How to Live in a Democracy
In Lithuania, thoughtful conversation with exiled Belarus opposition leader, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, wife of Sergei Tikhanovsky who is now jailed by the regime. The couple are pivotal in leading Europe’s most enduring dictatorship toward democracy. It is not ‘if’, but ‘when’, Sviatlana told me. Neither started out as political activists. When trying to renovate their family home, […]
Read MoreRussia’s Controlling of Public Opinion.
Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz could have been talking about 2022 Russia when he made this point in 1923 about a rising Japan. “Policy, to be effective, must be founded on right and justice and must be backed by public opinion, particularly in a democratic country like the United States. In a highly centralized, militaristic […]
Read MoreCarole Walker — Journey to the Heart of Our Democracy
On Friday’s Goldster Inside Story, award-winning Times Radio presenter and former BBC political correspondent, Carole Walker, takes us on a journey into the heart of British democracy. Her book, Lobby Life: Inside Westminster’s Secret Society, lifts the lid on the world of the ‘parliamentary lobby’ telling us what really happens behind the closed doors of […]
Read More