Worldcrunch
CORDOBA – A scruffy Argentine mutt named Capitán has taken the old adage “man’s best friend” to new extremes. The dog, a mix of German shepherd and who knows what else, has spent the past five years living in the cemetery where his owner is buried. And like clockwork, every day at 6 p.m. Capitán […]
LA VANGUARDIA (Spain), CLARIN (Argentina) Worldcrunch An 80-year-old Spanish woman’s botched restoration of a 19th-century Jesus Christ mural, which made international headlines last month, may wind up an accidental gold mine. Lawyers for Cecilia Gimenez say their client may seek to copyright the now world-(in)famous image. While the holy (and sloppy) handiwork sparked outrage among […]
KOMMERSANT (Russia) Worldcrunch MOSCOW – The General Prosecutor’s Office has filed a suit to declare the recent anti-Islam film “Innocence of Muslims,” extremist, which could lead to the blocking of YouTube across all of Russia by November, Kommersant reports. A new law meant to protect children from exposure to information that will “interfere with their […]
LE JOURNAL DE MONTRÉAL, LA PRESSE (Canada) Worldcrunch A sushi restaurant in Montreal has been forced to change its name after “Fukyu” was deemed too “risqué” by neighboring residents. La Presse reported the lawyer of the building’s owner, David Gavitian, said that many in the neighborhood saw the restaurant as a nuisance, with many business […]
KIGALI – A customer and a bank clerk nearly came to blows recently in Kigali. The customer had asked the clerk to help him fill in the withdrawal slip in English, but the clerk refused. “How are we supposed to be able to fill in a document in English if you can’t do it yourself?” […]
PARIS – If you go by its website, Mars Kebab is the only fast-food restaurant in Paris that delivers sandwiches to the planet Mars. In the real world, Mars Kebab doesn’t exist, but that doesn’t keep it from having an excellent reputation on the web. Its promotional video has been viewed 105,000 times on YouTube, […]
LE MONDE, i-TELE (France), RTL (Luxembourg) Worldcrunch PARIS – Riot police have been sent to guard the offices of controversial French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, in preparation of their publication of cartoons mocking Islam’s Prophet Muhammad Wednesday. The French weekly yesterday announced it would publish satirical cartoons of the prophet in this week’s edition. The […]
THE ECONOMIC TIMES (India), AFP Worldcrunch BALASORE – India today test-fired its nuclear-capable strategic missile Agni-IV with a strike range of about 4000 kilometers (2,480 miles), reports The Economic Times. Flash: India test-fires its long range strategic missile Agni-IV from a test range off Odisha coast. — The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) September 19, 2012 The […]
LA JORNADA (Mexico), CNN (USA), BBC NEWS (UK) Worldcrunch MEXICO CITY – An explosion followed by a fire at a gas plant in the northern Mexican state of Tamaulipas has killed at least 26 people, reports La Jornada. Mexico’s state oil company Pemex said the fire broke out at around lunch time Tuesday outside the […]
PARIS – Is there a way that the countries of southern Europe can avoid sinking further into debt at unsustainable interest rates, without resorting to euro bonds, which Germany refuses to consider? Former IMF director Dominique Strauss-Kahn has an idea that he presented this past weekend at the YES (Yalta European Strategy) Forum which was […]
NEW YORK TIMES (US), O GLOBO (Brazil) Worldcrunch In a country famous for its carnival imbued spirit, it is only appropriate that Brazil’s municipal elections, often a dreary affair elsewhere in the world, are somewhat… colorful, to say the least. Inspired by superheroes, cartoon characters and American presidents, take a look at the candidates screaming […]
-Essay- When I receive an invitation to brunch or afternoon tea, before committing myself I always ask the hosts if any parents are going to be there with their children. If the answer is yes, I thank them for inviting me, say I’m otherwise engaged – and stay home. I know how things are going […]
ISTANBUL – As children in Istanbul packed their bags this week to start a new school year, protests broke out against the controversial “4+4+4” education reform, recently implemented by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). Large crowds gathered outside the Istanbul imam hatip religious schools on Fatih Street to protest the new education system […]
BARCELONA – Making headway through the streets of Barcelona, closed to traffic for the occasion, seemed almost impossible. A crowd of children, students, retired people, business owners, and the unemployed coming from every part of Catalonia had joined together to wave yellow-and-red flags and voice their support for the creation of an independent state for […]
WUHAN MORNING POST (China), CHINA TIMES (Taiwan) Worldcrunch BEIJING – These days, being a teacher in China comes with its perks. Not only would the position offer you absolute imperial authority, but you would also get lots of presents. Some very NICE presents. September 10 was Teacher’s Day, and on that day Chinese teachers are […]
BERLIN – She was an icon of glamour and beauty. But Marilyn Monroe also knew how to appreciate the timeless value of compressed carbon. When she sang “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend,” she was offering a not-so-subtle investor tip to bank on the precious stones. These days, with the euro crisis, investors are increasingly […]
BBC, CHANNEL 4 NEWS, THE GUARDIAN (UK), EUROPE 1, LIBERATION (France), NEW YORK DAILY NEWS (USA) Worldcrunch PARIS – A French court has blocked the future publication by a French magazine of the now infamous topless photos of Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, reports the BBC. The court order prevents French magazine Closer’s publisher, […]
NEW YORK TIMES, WASHINGTON POST, MOTHER JONES (US), FINANCIAL TIMES (UK) Mitt Romney’s campaign team hastily scrambled together a press conference late Monday night to respond to a leaked video, in which the Republican candidate labels 47% of Americans as “people who pay no income tax” and are “dependent upon government.” Romney said he stands […]
CNN (USA), AL JAZEERA (Qatar), BBC NEWS (UK) Worldcrunch KABUL – Up to 12 people are reported to have been killed in a suicide bomb attack, which struck a bus near the Afghan capital, report BBC News. A 22-year-woman is believed to have driven a car filled with 300 kg of explosives into a mini […]
MOSCOW – Just this past August, there have been three attacks on Muslims in a small region of Dagestan – two attacks on Imams and one attack on a Shiite mosque. The attack on the mosque was the first attack on Shiites in the Northern Caucasus. It appears that the fight between Sunnis and Shiites, […]
SHANGHAI – The Shanghai hairy crab, also known as the Chinese mitten crab, is considered a great delicacy in China. But, not so much in Germany where each year from late summer to early autumn mature Chinese mitten crabs begin their migration up the Elbe River. As they travel to the North Sea to get […]
BENGHAZI – At noon, the poster with the Kalashnikov is still hanging under the veranda: “People of Benghazi, return your weapons to Freedom Square from ten in the morning until seven in the evening.” The Minister of the Interior has asked. The Defense Ministry has asked. The Religious Affairs Ministry has asked. There was even […]
LES ECHOS (France), FINANCIAL TIMES, TELEGRAPH (UK), WALL STREET JOURNAL (USA), REUTERS Worldcrunch Europe’s two largest defense companies have until October 10 to decide whether to pursue a merger that would create the world’s largest defense conglomerate, with annual revenue of 78 billion euros and more than 225,000 employees worldwide. According to the French business […]
PRAGUE – The Czechs have a strong taste for alcohol. They are the world’s foremost beer drinkers, and rank second for drinking hard liquor, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This love of alcohol has taken a tragic turn with the appearance on the Czech market of large quantity of adulterated vodka and rum. […]
UOL (Brazil), AP SAO PAULO – It was a labor rights story that made world headlines — and prompted more than a few winks and one-liners. A Brazilian worker for Latin America’s biggest brewer was awarded 50,000 reals ($25,000) earlier this month after suing his employer for using prostitutes to motivate sales employees. Now the […]
-Analysis- LIMA – The negotiations that are set to begin formally in October are by no means the first attempt to demobilize members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and incorporate the guerilla organization into the political process. There’s no guarantee, therefore, that these talks will succeed where others have failed. And yet […]
NHK, KYODO, THE ASAHI SHIMBUN, THE DAILY YOMIURI (Japan), CHINA DAILY, XINHUA (China), THE STANDARD (Hong Kong), THE GLOBE AND MAIL (Canada) Worldcrunch Around 1,000 Chinese fishing boats are expected to arrive in waters near the Senkaku Islands claimed by China later Monday, reports Kyodo news, in what may be Beijing’s additional countermeasures over Japan’s […]
BBC NEWS (UK), AL JAZEERA (Qatar), LE MONDE (France), THE AUSTRALIAN, THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD (Australia) Worldcrunch BEIRUT – Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Lebanon’s Shiite Muslim movement Hezbollah, has called for new protests over the controversial anti-Islam film which has sparked furor in the Muslim world. The religious and political leader called the […]
GEO NEWS (Pakistan), DAINIK BHASKAR (India), AP Worldcrunch Pakistan’s military successfully test fired a missile Monday that is capable of carrying nuclear warheads and has a range of 700km, reports Geo News. A statement from the Inter Services Public Relations announced: “The test consolidates and strengthens Pakistan’s deterrence capability and national security.” The statement described […]
DIE WELT (Germany) Worldcrunch More and more Germans have taken to grading doctors online on everything from quality and effectiveness of treatment received to friendliness, writes Die Welt. Medical evaluation sites have been proliferating in Germany over the last five years, and there are now more than 20. All of them contain evaluations by — […]
– Analysis – BERLIN – The invitation came from the top ranks — Council Chairman Nikolaus Schneider and Synod President Katrin Göring-Eckardt — of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), which is comprised of 22 Lutheran, Reformed and United regional churches. Most of the regional bishops, former Council chairs Margot Käßmann and Wolfgang Huber, along […]
CAIRO – At this very moment, Americans are piling into movie theaters, cheering through their popcorn at the notion of the Islamic prophet as a goat-romancing child molester, and sending “The Innocence of Muslims” to the top of the box office charts. This evil must be stopped at all costs, or at least, “before the […]
LIBERTY TIMES, UNITED DAILY NEWS (Taiwan), BBC Worldcrunch BEIJING– Some 20,000 irate Chinese protesters besieged the Japanese embassy in Beijing on Saturday, venting their anger over the Diaoyu Islands dispute that has created the most combustible conflict between the two Asian powers in memory. The demonstrators climbed trees, burned the Japanese flag, shouted that the […]
ECONOMIC OBSERVER, CHINA.ORG.CN (China) Worldcrunch BEIJING – Last week, Beijing authorities announced that 600,000 temporary residents had left the capital, bringing the total of the city’s migrant population down to 8,258,000 people, reports the Economic Observer. For the past decade, the non-resident population has gone up by nearly 400,000 people each year. In 2007, Beijing’s […]
-Analysis- SÃO PAULO – Under Dilma Rousseff’s government, Brazil is now slated to grow at a slower rate than previously forecast. What has happened? Simply put: the current economic model has stopped working, says Samuel Pessôa, researcher at the Brazilian Institute of Economics at the prestigious FGV university. His widely debated article, (which predates the […]
NEW DELHI – As Texan oil companies move in, Rajasthan’s cows are starting to feel the pressure. The oil companies have started buying up the cows’ favorite food: guar, a long, green bean grown in the desert regions of India. Guar, which means “cow food” in Hindi, was also used in the food industry as […]
AL JAZEERA (Qatar), REUTERS, BBC (UK), SANA (Syria) Worldcrunch Anger against the West is spreading throughout the Muslim world as further reports of attacks on the UK, German and US embassies develop Friday afternoon. Following Pope Benedict XVI’s arrival Friday for a three-day trip to Lebanon, anti-Western protests amassed in the country’s second-largest city Tripoli. […]
BUENOS AIRES – The train works. And almost every time it leaves from Constitution Station in Buenos Aires, it reaches its destination, Mar del Plata, 410 Kilometers to the south. It works, which means that it functions in the most basic sense of the word: it moves. It repeats the trip every day of the […]
FLUTER, DIE WELT, DEUTSCHE WELLE (Germany), ESPN (USA) Worldcrunch No name, no club – nothing that would point to his identity – that was what Fluter journalist Adrian Bechtold had to promise a professional Bundesliga soccer player in return for talking about something that is still absolutely taboo in the top soccer league of Germany […]
KOMMERSANT, BBC RUSSIA (Russia)

 Worldcrunch MOSCOW – The Russian Supreme Court has ruled that Gay Pride parades are not “homosexual propaganda,” Kommersant reports. Gay and Lesbian activists in Russia had turned to the courts after the Duma passed a law banning all “propaganda,” promoting same-sex relationships, with wording so broad that it could have outlawed […]