Do you give Fido a treat every time he’s been a good boy? Watch out: canines put on weight fast. But rationing what they eat isn’t enough: here’s how to keep a dog’s weight in check or knock off excess pounds.
Month: December 2011
Analysis: After Vladimir Putin’s ruling party lost major ground in Russia’s recent parliamentary elections, opposition parties have done little to take advantage of the momentum. Why? They’re “spooked” by their own success.
When his shiny new Vespa was swiped off the streets of Milan in 1976, its owner figured it was gone for good. And then last week, a call arrived from the police in Sicily. A nice holiday surprise, but at 84, the reunited owner may have to let someone else
From Parma to Piacenza, Bologna to Ferrara, the northeastern region of Emilia Romagna offers some to the tastiest classic flavors of Italian cuisine, from cappelletti pasta to Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, balsamic vinegar and Gutturni wine.
Essay: Politicians used to work behind closed doors, now their days are spent moving from one public appearance to the next. A glance at how leadership fashion sense matters more and more, from country to country, from East to West.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says massacres by French colonialists in Algeria was genocide, responding to French legislators passing a bill making it a crime to deny that the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks nearly a century ago
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New Zealand town rocked by earthquakes
The town of Christchurch, where an earthquake left 181 dead only 10 months ago, was shaken by two successive quakes on Friday afternoon local time. There are no deaths reported, although 19 people have been hospitalized.
The explosions in Syria’s capital claimed the lives of civilians and soldiers, according to Syrian state television.
Essay: Soldiers ripping off the shirt and veil of a female demonstrator, and dragging her across Tahrir Square by her hair has set off unprecedented outrage. But there is a deep paradox in the reaction, even in the post-Revolution Arab world — and even f
Essay: For citizens of France and the world, there is much to be grateful for — and much to worry about. Looking back at what good has and hasn’t come from past Christmas wishes, this French writer has a special request for Santa that can never
Op-Ed: This week marked a bad end to a bad war, which European critics of US policy had long predicted. The 2003 invasion left vast destruction, undermined America’s standing and deprived Iraqis of a role in their own history. Reverberations are still aro
In latest sign that US-style mass consumerism is breaking through European traditions, American food giant General Mills is outperforming rivals in France.
A presidential committee studying Mikhail Khodorkovsy’s second conviction found no evidence of a crime by the onetime billionaire oil baron and Vladimir Putin opponent. With a touch of absurdism, experts ask if someone can be convicted for someth
Dulce de leche may not be the healthiest of snacks, but oh man is it tasty. In Argentina, the caramel-like spread is also big business thanks to growing consumption both at home and abroad.
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In Major Speech, Medvedev Urges Reforms
Russian President Dmitri A. Medvedev used his final state-of-the-nation address to outline extensive political reforms that, if implemented, would begin to deconstruct the heavily centralized government built by his mentor, Vladimir V. Putin.
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U.S. Futures Rise Amid Optimism on Economy
U.S. stock-index futures rose, indicating the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index (SPX) will advance for a third day, as investors awaited reports on consumer confidence and initial jobless claims for signals of economic recovery.
A wave of bomb attacks strikes in the Iraqi capital, killing at least 63 people and injuring at least 185. The bombings are the worst in months – and follow the withdrawal of US troops.
Essay: A dissident blogger recalls the secret Christmas of her youth. The holidays are now acknowledged out in the open, but the other troublesome topic — human rights — is still off limits.
Essay: “South Park,” the popular and sometimes over-the-top American animated series, has just aired an episode in Germany built around harsh German stereotypes, with allusions to the Nazi era. How does the cliché of the German lack of h
A first wave of 200 new CCTV cameras were installed in the French capital this week. By next summer, there will be more than 1,000 such surveillance cameras. Still, Paris peeping is nothing compared to London’s much bigger version of Big Brother.
Essay: Are we witnessing the U.S. empire head into its final decline? Obama is drifting. Republican candidates inspire little confidence. But viewed from Europe, which is more skeptical than ever, it’s worth taking a closer look at a nation with the Peter
Church employees cannot turn to state courts in matters concerning job loss or demotion, and the European Court for Human Rights may be turned to only in extreme cases.
Seif al-Islam el-Qaddafi, the son and presumed heir of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, is alive and well and being held by a rebel militia outside the Libyan capital.
Hackers in China broke into the the U.S. Chamber of Commerce computer system and had access to everything stored there. The attack was cut off in May 2010.
North Korea will shift to collective rule from a strongman dictatorship after last week’s death of Kim Jong-il, although his untested young son will be at the head of the ruling coterie.
Alcohol, apples and seashells… Swiss authorities have tried almost everything to clear snow off roads and sidewalks. This time, a Geneva-based startup claims it can cut down the use of salt by 70% by replacing it with ‘Snowfree’, a produ
The only program of its kind in Europe requires a group of high school students to manage a 150-bed chalet in the Italian Dolomite mountains for two weeks — with no grownup supervision. But this is not a test: the hotel has real, paying customers who hav
A R A B I C A ارابيكا By Kristen Gillespie DISPATCH, BAGHDADThe ruling political coalition in Kurdistan, the Kurdistan Alliance, said on Tuesday that it would not order the arrest of wanted Vice President Tareq al-Hashimi, accused of being part of an assassination plot targeting Iraq’s Shiite prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki. “The investigation of […]
FIFA and Budweiser are lobbying hard for Brazil to loosen its beer regulations ahead of the 2014 Soccer World Cup. Under normal circumstances, the country’s soccer stadiums don’t sell beer. A bill pending approval by Congress could change that.
Dubbed ‘Italo,’ the new train is not only fast and red, it’s being launched by Ferrari chief Luca Cordero di Montezemolo. Europe’s first privately operated high-speed train service will begin rolling in March. And yes, the train
The Soviet Union once held vast political and economic influence in Africa. Today, Russians see major opportunities there, but some fear that China may have already won the race to conquer the continent’s vast natural resources and economic poten
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Deadly snowstorm halts travel in central US
Fierce winds and snow that caused fatal accidents, shuttered highways in five states and may have caused a deadly plane crash, crawled deeper into the Great Plains early Tuesday, with forecasters warning that pre-holiday travel would be difficult if not i
Syria will execute anyone who participates in terrorist acts or distributes weapons, state television announced Tuesday, in the latest escalation against an uprising which the United Nations estimates has claimed about 5,000 lives since March.
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North Korea leader Kim Jong-il lies in state
Kim Jong-il’s son and heir and senior officials pay their respects as the late North Korean leader lies in state ahead of his funeral next week.
Christian Wulff entered the office of the German presidency last year with his glamorous second wife seen as a major new asset. But a rolling series of allegations of financial and ethical improprieties — including a luxurious new house in her hometown –
Analysis: The death of North Korea’s Kim Jong-Il opens major questions for his nation and the region. During his 16 years in power, the supreme leader — pushed by President Bush’s ‘axis of evil’ showdown – achieved nuc
Analysis: As crackdowns continue against pro-democracy protesters, a closer look at recent events shows that Egypt’s military powers and other key players are taking their cues from the old Pakistan model rather than the new Turkish one.
Master chef Michel Rostang’s famous truffle sandwiches can now be ordered take out. They cost 65 euros a piece. Are they worth it? One reporter took it upon herself to find out.
The Spanish city’s authorities raise the cost of over-doing it for locals and tourists alike. But will it change people’s behavior?
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Stock index futures signal early gains
Stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Monday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.43 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.26 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.38 percent.