Florent Goncalves was running the Versailles prison where Emma Arbabzadeh, a 17-year-old who had lured the Jewish victim of a high-profile hate crime, was an inmate. The warden and prisoner fell in love. Now he’ll be serving time of his own.
Month: February 2012
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8 Palestinian children die in crash
At least eight Palestinian children have been killed in a collision between a school bus and an Israeli truck on a road in the West Bank.
Japanese prosecutors have arrested seven men, including former Olympus Corp. Chairman Tsuyoshi Kikukawa, for their alleged involvement in a massive $1.7 billion accounting fraud at the Japanese camera and medical equipment maker.
Gunmen have attacked a federal prison in Nigeria, freeing nearly 200 inmates during a gun battle in an attack similar to one carried out in 2010 by a radical Islamist sect.
Two countries, two revolutions. Yet as both Egypt and Libya transition into new realities, Egyptian workers face the old fact that there are still more jobs across the border. But for the thousands who fled the war that took down Muammar Gaddafi’
It seems like everyone wants a piece of New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin and his improbable journey from overlooked Harvard player to overnight NBA sensation. But with Taiwanese origins and a grandmother from the mainland, both China and Taiwan are
On the southern outskirts of Paris, Grigny-2 is an often desolate, and dangerous, place. Three Catholic nuns have chosen to move into the vast housing project and spread the gospel by, first of all, being good neighbors.
Has Nobel peace prize winner Obama’s foreign-policy agenda failed? Not entirely, as the big-think naiveté of his early presidency has given way to a practical search for individual victories.
Tensions are growing in Hong Kong as more and more wealthy Chinese cross over from the mainland to shop, spend – and give birth. Now the first arrest has been reported of someone accused of helping a woman from China to arrive in Hong Kong just in time to
Many Germans keep working past retirement age, often on a part-time basis or in so-called “mini-jobs.” Why? Some no doubt need to the money to supplement paltry pension payments. But for the financially secure, very different factors drive them back to wo
An explosion has struck an oil pipeline in the Syrian protest city of Homs, with activists saying government forces bombed it from the air and the regime blaming “terrorists.”
As Iranian TV reports that Tehran set to unveil new generation of centrifuges, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells Knesset that world must denounce Iranian terrorist activity or it will spread.
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Prison fire in Honduras leaves 272 dead
A fire has swept through a jail in Honduras, killing at least 272 inmates.
It’s no secret that Mexicans are crazy about fútbol, aka, soccer. But there’s also growing interest in the kind of football played north of the border, where local teams have loyal supporters, and fans who make pilgrimages to Dallas and San Diego for NFL
Barolo and Brunello have long competed to be considered the top Italian red wine. Now makers of both wines have decided to market their bottles together, an approach the French have always used. The Italy v. France battle is on to woo millions from the Am
The euro zone countries and the IMF are now making it clear to Greece: bailout cash will only come after the kind of drastic reforms that would effectively transform Greek society. But are the measures too drastic to make it possible?
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Leaks Reveal ‘Mutiny’ Inside Vatican
Senior church officials interviewed this month said almost daily embarrassments that have put the Vatican on the defensive could force Pope Benedict to act to clean up the image of its administration – at a time when the church faces a crisis of authority
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Violence in Syria, U.N. Warns of Civil War
Syrian government forces attack opponents of President Bashar al-Assad on several fronts, sending residents fleeing from one town near the capital and bombarding the city of Homs for an 11th day running.
European stocks climb, extending the Stoxx Europe 600 Index’s biggest rally in a week, as German investor confidence unexpectedly rose, offsetting downgrades of six euro-area countries by Moody’s Investors Service.
Has technology made love letters obsolete? Not quite. Old-fashioned epistles take time to write and send. But in these days of nearly instantaneous communication, that “delightful delay” – and the thought that goes into it – may be just the thing to set h
Compared to the West, China’s labor market is still remarkably favorable to workers, as overall demand of qualified employees still outstrips supply. Still, emerging soft spots in the manufacturing and construction sectors could be the first sign
A devastating drought has only made matters worse for residents in the northwestern African nation of Mauritania, where Jihadist attacks and kidnappings attributed to Al Qaeda had already killed off the local tourism industry.
Italian police have busted a nationwide operation that passed off ordinary water from local faucets as having special powers from such Catholic holy shrines as Lourdes and Fatima.
Analysis: Are the new sanctions against Iran just a prelude to war? Despite signs that the punitive measures may be working, Israel still seems gung-ho about attacking. The Jewish state doesn’t, however, have the support of Washington – yet.
A growing number of mental health professionals are employing the Buddhist concept of “mindfulness” to treat depression. Patients are encouraged to sit up straight and focus their attention on their bodies, thoughts and feelings.
Analysis: It’s morning again in America — for now. Obama’s odds on a second term have gotten a boost by good economic news. But the U.S. recovery is linked to the situation elsewhere, notably in downtrodden Europe, still the top consume
A group of Swiss Muslim organizations are hoping to set up a national parliament of sorts. The Umma Schweiz, as the representative body would be called, could be up and running by 2013. But not all of Switzerland’s 400,000 Muslims are convinced it’s a goo
Adele has triumphed in her return to music’s stage, scooping up six Grammys and winning every category in which she was nominated including album of the year and best record with Rolling In the Deep. As joyous as the show was for Adele, it was eq
Pakistani PM Yousuf Raza Gilani has been charged with contempt in an appearance before the country’s Supreme Court. He is accused of failing to re-open corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.
South Korean police have arrested a 43-year-old self-styled church pastor and his wife who confessed to beating their three young children to death in an attempt to cleanse them of their illnesses and sins.
Until now, good marksmanship had everything to do with the person firing the gun. That could soon change. Researchers in New Mexico have developed a computerized super bullet that can guide itself to the target.
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Deconstructing Western Fears Of China
How should the West face the rise of China? Culling some insight from a Chinese review of “Angst vor China” (Fear of China), the latest book by Germany’s best-known China expert.
Keeping up a tradition that dates back more than five centuries, some contemporary collectors continue to assemble “curiosity cabinets,” privately-owned assortments of skulls, stuffed animals, preserved octopi and other natural odds and
Vladimir Putin is still the man to beat in Russia’s upcoming presidential election, thanks in large part to support from rural working-class voters. As urban protesters take to the streets, Putin heads off to chat up miners and laborers in far-off provinc
Indonesian-born twins Lin Backman and Emilie Falk used scraps of anecdotal information and Facebook to find each other after 30 years. Adopted as babies, both women grew up in Sweden, work as teachers and even chose the same song for their weddings.
Deirdre McCloskey, an acclaimed professor and former University of Chicago protégé of Milton Friedman, stunned the academic world with a sex change in 1995. But that’s just one interesting part of a woman now focused on a more “human&
The possibility is still a ways off, but scientists down here on Earth are already trying to figure out how to grow plants up there – in space. Future missions to Mars or the Moon would benefit greatly, they say, from a bit of healthy roughage.
Dance officials at the world-famous Milan opera house were forced to issue a formal denial this week of reports of rampant ballerina eating disorders. Now a second dancer, and the mother of another, have added new accusations of a troubling atmosphere at
Analysis: Rumors have it that Lula is on the road to recovery following treatment for throat cancer. That’s particularly good news for Brazil’s governing PT and its political allies who have suffered without the powerful ex-president&
Twin bomb blasts hit Syrian military and security buildings in the northern city of Aleppo on Friday, killing 25 people in the worst violence to hit the country’s commercial hub in the 11-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.