ABSURDUS apoPLEXUS

According to small government adherents, less regulation is more. Cutting red tape, abolishing behavior-mandating laws and stopping the micromanagement of businesses is always the way forward they will tell you. No surprise then than Senator Thom Tillis has been advocating for the abolition of mandatory post-toilet hand-washing for food workers in restaurants and such. The North Carolina Republican (no surprise there either) is convinced that restaurants can self-regulate and

Another beautiful Parisian night for romance, gourmet dining and Stephen King-ian drones flying ominously overhead. The unidentified flying objects hovering mysteriously and elusively in the Parisian night sky may be a cause for concern for the local authorities and the French security circles but on the other hand they do add a certain otherworldly allure to a city famed for unique atmosphere. For all we know it could be a stunt by the city tourist bureau to boost visitors a

On the occasion of North Korea's decision to bar foreigners from participating in this year's marathon in Pyongyang in order to avoid the spread of Ebola, here are some other memorable reasons that have been used by the hermetic kingdom in order to restrict foreign participation in local athletic and cultural events: Spread of MERS Spread of plague/black death Dissemination of Taylor Swift's bootlegs Circulation of malware-loaded flash drives Zombie attacks Infiltration of ca

"Insulting Erdoğan" is the new Go-to-Jail card.

As any seasoned leader knows, in order to be a great one you also need to look like one. This is even more so for those absolute monarchs ruling with an iron fist who vie to project an aura of superiority and omnipotence. Get the look right and you are halfway to ruling for life. No wonder then that Kim Jung-un, still in his formative authoritarian years, it trying out different options in order to find that distinct, awe inspiring look that will crown his reign. Don't forget

Putin may not have many political allies in Europe at the moment (at least from those in power, i.e. excluding far-right pals like Marine Le Pen of the French National Front and UKIP's Nilel Farage) so all the more reason to cherish the few he has like Hungary's Prime Minister Victor Orban, whose self-proclaimed "illiberalism" goes hand in hand with Putin's conservative values and whose ham-fisted reign so far has done a fair job taking a leaf from Putin's playbook to central

Turkish all-knowing President Tayyip Erdoğan is known for speaking his mind, on both the domestic and international stage, even if that means sometimes alienating other leaders or creating diplomatic episodes. As any seasoned authoritarian or self-help guru can tell you, caring too much about what others think of you is unproductive. Thusly, Erdoğan bluntly declared he has no problem with being isolated. The path of the righteous is after all a lonely one. And sometimes on th

Greek Finance Minister Yiannis Varoufakis allegedly has not made the best of impressions on his European colleagues during the Eurogroup meetings about the debt relief, what with his quirky attire, brazen attitude and general distaste for protocol. Body language experts have observed in particular a distinct whiff of mutual aversion between the Greek official (pictured on the center) and the Eurogroup president Jeroen Dijsselbloem (on the left).

The North Korean leader and his team recently conducted an aerial tour of a new building project in Pyongyang. More of an excuse really for enjoying some peaceful moments on his glorious jet, away from all the adoration and applause of his daily visits.

The swashbuckling bravado that the new far-left Greek government has so far exhibited in Brussels does not seem to be working in its favor. Both the new Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and the finance minister Yiannis Varoufakis have swaggered into meetings with an insistence on semantics rather and red lines rather than substance and a willingness for compromise, singing this ditty: You say bailout and I say way out You say troika and I say perestroika Bailout, way out, Troi