Essay: Dominique Moisi, a special advisor at the French Institute of International Relations, has a few words of advice for president-elect François Hollande. His first plea: Let’s not waste the next five years.
Month: May 2012
Günter Grass has been criticized by many inside and outside Germany for his recent criticism of Israel. Now Herta Müller, a fellow German winner of the Nobel prize for literature, used the release of her new book in Brazil to slam Grass’s moral s
Vladimir Putin, who has dominated Russian politics for more than a decade, returns to the presidency Monday after winning a controversial election in March. The inauguration comes a day after hundreds of people were arrested in anti-Putin protests.
Greek and French election results rattled investors on Monday by undermining confidence in the region’s plans to cut spending and tackle its debt crisis, sending the euro to a three-month low.
A day after an airstrike killed a senior al Qaeda operative in southern Yemen, militants attacked two government military posts in the region, killing 26 soldiers and taking 16 hostage.
On paper, at least, the rights of Afghan women have improved significantly over the past decade. But what happens after NATO troops pull out in 2014? Some fear that President Hamid Karzai, in an effort to appease the Taliban, will use women’s rights as a
François Hollande defeated incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy for the French presidency, with a final tally of 51.6%, against 48.38%. Change was also in the air in elections in Greece and Serbia.
Iraqi theater director Monadhil Daood is producing his own adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, revisiting the classic play to show the difficulties faced by Sunni-Shiite couples in the Arab World.
(REUTERS) PARIS – Socialist candidate Francois Hollande won France’s presidential election runoff on Sunday, beating President Nicolas Sarkozy by a clear margin, according to projections of polls. Polling institutes predicted Hollande would win between 51.8 and 52.0 percent of the vote versus Sarkozy’s tally of between 48.0 and 48.2 percent. Hollande will become France’s first […]
Editorial: President Cristina Kirchner received Congressional approval this week for the Argentine government’s announced takeover of YPF, an oil and gas company. The move will help pay for her government’s pricey social programs. But at what cos
A picturesque English town is preparing a celebration for its signature contribution to world cuisine: the sandwich. Presiding over the events will be none other than the Earl of Sandwich, a distant relative of the Cribbage-crazy aristocrat who supposedly
Even as they share the same passion for politics, Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande have very different world views — and polar opposite personalities.
A version of “The Scream” by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch sold at Sotheby’s for a record amount, as far as public auctions are concerned. With private sales, however, prices can be in a whole other stratosphere.
Essay: Comic book writer Grant Morrison is known for being a bit outrageous. He once organized a “wankathon” to boost sales. And so his recent “outing” of Batman should be taken with a grain of salt. Still, fans of the caped crusader have long had reasons
As a new Truth Commission begins to retrace the crimes of Brazil’s military dictatorship, one officer admits to incinerating 10 corpses of people who disappeared from 1964 to 1985. Cláudio Guerra has since become an evangelical pastor.
Both economic and ecologic constraints weigh on the expansion of efforts to access endless sources of drinking supply by treating water from the seas and oceans. But progress is being made, and many still dream of solving a global water shortage with a fl
EL MOSTRADOR (Chile) SANTIAGO — The powerful student movement that erupted last year in Chile is showing signs it may be ready for an encore performance. That possibility hasn’t escaped the attention of the Carabineros, the country’s uniformed police force, which is arming itself – quite literally – for a new round of protests. According […]
LA REPUBBLICA (Italy) The widows of men who committed suicide because of their economic situation in crisis-ridden Italy have marched in front of the Italian Revenue Office in Bologna. The silent protest Friday was led by Tiziana Marrone, whose husband Giuseppe Campaniello died after setting himself on fire in front of the Revenue Office to […]
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Selling Grandpa’s Soviet War Medals For Cash
NOVAYA GAZETA (Russia) MOSCOW – There was a market for Soviet war medals even before the Soviet Union itself faded into history. There were thieves and collectors. But the real boom came in the 1990s, just after the fall of the Soviet Union, when many veterans looking to make some extra cash were willing to […]
The “100% Made in Africa” sneaker company Sawa is struggling to keep its brand in Africa, faced with corruption and consequences of the Arab Spring. But the touch of local handcraft combined with cheap labor is loaded with potential.
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Japan Gets Even Older…And More Single
TOKYO– Japan’s demographic woes keep multiplying. The number of children under 15 has dropped for the 31st year in a row, down 120,000 from last year reports the Japan Times. The ratio of children to the overall population fell to an all time low of 13%, showing Japan’s ageing population is definitely not getting any […]
The final polls before France’s presidential election Sunday show President Nicolas Sarkozy making up ground on Socialist challenger Francois Hollande — but still predict a Hollande victory.
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Pakistan bomb kills 17
A bombing in Pakistan’s northwestern Bajaur district is reported to have targeted security forces close to a marketplace in Khar, the tribal area’s main town. Most of those killed were bystanders.
Beijing said that Chen Guangcheng, who is at the center of a diplomatic storm, has the right to apply to study abroad after he told U.S. lawmakers that he wants to leave his homeland for the United States.
The newest trend on the red carpet: Why are it-girls and stars carrying a book under their arm, heading to a movie premiere with Nabokov’s Lolita or Albert Camus’s La Peste? Well, look inside.
Dwindling production, rising costs, new diseases: ten years after genetically-modified cotton was introduced in India with high hopes of boosting the economy, farmers are deeply disappointed with its results and wondering if it was all worth it.
Chinese web giant Tencent set up its dedicated Olympic Team more than three years ago and has been preparing for the London Olympics ever since, hoping to grab a big chunk of the cake.
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Attack on Nigeria market kills at least 34
An attack on a cattle market in northeastern Nigeria by gunmen armed with explosives has left at least 34 dead, as strife spreads across country.
A pastel version of “The Scream” by Edvard Munch fetched nearly $120 million from an anonymous buyer at Sotheby’s in New York, setting a new world record for a work of art sold at auction.
US State Department confirms blind activist at center of growing diplomatic standoff has told its officials he now wishes to leave China.
Since the end of the civil war, many of the refugees exiled in neighboring African countries have been coming home to the Democratic Republic of Congo, only to find that their homes have been stolen or sold, and that there’s little they can do ab
Drug wars, poverty and organized crime combine to help Latin America dominate the list of most deadly cities on earth. Add in the U.S., and the Americas count for almost all of the top 50.
A school outside of Paris has denied enrollment to more than 20 foreign-born students. Amnesty International and other rights groups call it a case of cruel xenophobia. Officials from the town say it’s just a budget problem.
Internet access has been slowly but steadily spreading across Turkey, but for economic and even cultural reasons, there are still wide swaths of the population cut off from the digital revolution.
A new play starring veteran Israeli actor Amir Orian features an old, unrepentant Adolf Hitler. Orian’s Hitler didn’t die in 1945, and eventually resurfaces in Israel. The play is part of a recent wave of Hitler culture in Israel that caught the attention
Yulia Tymoshenko’s hunger strike and accusations of prison abuse have raised the stakes after her controversial conviction on corruption charges last year. At risk: Ukraine’s hosting of both an upcoming political summit and next month&am
Like other workers, those at the German railway company Deutsche Bahn have clear opinions about those running the show. Now, employee satisfaction will actually weigh on the compensation of senior executives.
Unknown assailants have killed at least eight people protesting against Egypt’s ruling generals near the Defense Ministry in Cairo.
Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng has left the U.S. embassy in Beijing to seek medical care and join his family, as China demanded an apology from the United States on the eve of key talks between the two powers.
Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi takes a historic oath to join a parliamentary system crafted by the generals who locked her away for much of her long struggle against dictatorship, ushering in a dramatic new political era.