Month: November 2012
Beginning this week, there will be a new generation of Chinese leaders. The world’s media are all highly attentive to China’s coming changes and the policy direction of China’s new leaders. I’d like to share my personal views, focused on the domestic issues such as the economy and the government. I believe the focus of […]
LA HORA (Guatemala), BBC NEWS (UK) Worldcrunch SAN MARCOS – The death toll rose Thursday to at least 48 after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit the Pacific coast of Guatemala. Some 20 others have been reported missing, says BBC News. Forty deaths have been confirmed in the San Marcos province and another eight in Quetzaltenango, […]
FLORENCE – It is an obvious point, but holds a hidden meaning. The last century did not have many artists who merit the “adjectivization” of their name, like Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Rembrandt or Goya, to define an entire genre. Writers have given us Kafkaesque and Chekhovian, but can we say “Baconian”? The current exhibition at Florence’s […]
MADRID – Anyone who has ever been to Madrid knows the Plaza de España. But today, you might not recognize it. The whole area, formerly prosperous and energetic, is a window on the crisis raging throughout Spain. Along the sides of the Plaza and in the side streets, there are entire rows of closed storefronts, […]
EL PAÍS (Spain), AFP (France), THE LOCAL (Sweden), TORONTO STAR (Canada), MAIL AND GUARDIAN (South Africa) Worldcrunch Gay rights has had a great run the past 24 hours. In the U.S. elections Tuesday, Maryland and Maine voted yes to gay marriage in referendums, with final results still pending on a similar measure in Washington state. […]
XINHUA, GLOBAL TIMES, PEOPLE’S DAILY (China) BBC (UK) LA STAMPA (Italy) Worldcrunch BEIJING – Barack Obama’s hard-fought reelection coincides with the once-in-a-decade handover of power in China, as the Communist Party Congress opens this week in the capital. But all this superpower politics has produced comparably little mainstream Chinese coverage — either of Tuesday’s noisy […]
-Essay- As someone who writes and lectures about women and gender in Islam, I am often asked if women had any role in the making of the Islamic tradition. Happily, the answer is always yes. There were in fact many prominent women in the early history of Islam. At the top of the list would […]
-Analysis- Barack Obama’s reelection to a second term in the White House is in spectacular contradiction to the trend in Western politics since the beginning of the current economic crisis. One after another, Western leaders have been dumped by voters who have made them pay for the effects of the crisis and the austerity measures […]
CITI FM (Ghana), AFP (France) Worldcrunch A multi-story shopping complex has collapsed in the Ghanaian capital Accra Wednesday morning. Ghanaian public radio Citi FM reports that at least six people have been rescued. Reports suggest there could be as many as 200 people trapped inside, with many feared dead. There have been three reported deaths […]
MOSCOW – The Russian patent office has announced on its official website that it has denied Pussy Riot’s application for a trademark. The application has been at the center of a major conflict about the use of Pussy Riot’s “brand.” Band member Yekaterina Samutsevich had requested that one of the group’s lawyers, Mark Feigin, not […]
Worldcrunch Four more years. Barack Obama has been re-elected President of the United States, defeating Republican challenger Mitt Romney and defying odds for an incumbent candidate running in the face of persistent economic problems. Winning at least 303 electoral votes, he swept the battleground states of Colorado, Iowa, New Hampshire, Ohio, Wisconsin and Virginia Tuesday […]
-Editorial- MUNICH – Obama’s victory is not a shining victory. The president stays president. But Americans did not re-elect Barack Obama because they thought his first four years were so grand and convincing. America’s voters were perfectly prepared to fire him – they just weren’t ready to vote Mitt Romney in to replace him. The […]
BBC NEWS (UK), AL ARABIYA (United Arab Emirates) Worldcrunch ABU DHABI – British Prime Minister David Cameron said yesterday a safe exit and immunity “could be arranged” for President Bashar al-Assad if it would end the bloodshed in Syria. Speaking to Al Arabiya TV during a diplomacy and trade visit to Abu Dhabi, Mr. Cameron […]
EUROPE CORRIERE DELLA SERA (Italy) “Obama: Trust Me, Again. Romney: It’s Me Tomorrow” DIE WELT (Germany) “Two Men, Two Visions” LIBERATION (France): “Double or Nothing” ABC (Spain): “A Duel Until The End” ASIA/PACIFIC THE HINDU (India): “U.S. Presidency Poised On Razor’s Edge” MANILA STANDARD TODAY (Philippines): “Still Too Close To Call” THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW […]
WASHINGTON D.C. – As the campaign draws to a close, the American people have been hit by a barrage of promises of a better, more civil future. The two candidates have vowed, even sworn, that they will work harder with the opposition. Mitt Romney mentioned it first in one of his advertisements and confirmed it […]
SINA NEWS, E-TODAY (China) Worldcrunch BEIJING – A Chinese man recently divorced and sued his wife for giving him an ugly daughter. Not only did he win the case, his ex-wife was sentenced to pay him 750,000 Yuan ($120,000) in compensation, reported Sina News. According to the report, Feng Jian, the indignant husband, was shocked […]
BEIJING – At the final debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, which was focused on foreign policy, the subject of the rise of China was clearly on the agenda. But when the moderator posed the question: “What do you believe is the greatest future threat to the national security of this country?” Obama cited […]
PARIS – Naive or arrogant? Daring or cautious? Four years after he entered the White House, Obama remains an enigma. Naive or cunning?“I never saw someone so competitive. What is the only thing that Barack Obama hates more than losing? Losing twice,” confides Robert Gibbs, his former press advisor. But Obama wants to win fair […]
BEIJING – Investing in North Korea is becoming a hot topic among Chinese businessmen. Over the last few weeks, a series of business events and investment conferences about North Korea have been held. Chen Jiangfeng, a real-estate developer from Beijing was one of the 150 plus entrepreneurs who attended the investment projects fair held at […]
PARIS – Happy Election Day, America! Happy American Election Day, World! Still undecided? Still hungry for poll numbers?? Still there??? Worldcrunch is here to help. In particular, with our news partners from around the world, we have kept a close eye on how non-Americans have been covering the U.S. campaign: from the Italian correspondent trying […]
On November 1, under the nave of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem, an archeological park called “Durch die Zeiten” (Through Time) opened. It provides the answer to a question that has long eluded researchers: just where Golgotha, the place where Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected, is really located. Planned and built […]
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Greece Begins “Mother Of All Strikes”
BBC, GUARDIAN (UK), DIE WELT, FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINER ZEITUNG (Germany), LES ECHOS (France) Worldcrunch ATHENS – Greek unions are staging “the mother of all strikes” as Parliament votes on another round of budget cuts, writes the Guardian. The bankrupt Greek government is facing a tough job: convince the Greek people that austerity measures are necessary. “This […]
BBC NEWS (UK), BFM.RU (Russia), REUTERS Worldcrunch MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and replaced him with a loyal political ally after his ministry was involved in a corruption scandal. Putin’s decision appears to be connected to a probe announced by the Russia’s top investigative agency two weeks ago. […]
BERLIN – It is a scientific theory of longevity that has the whiff of homemade pie: people live longer thanks to the grandmothers who help raise them. Though first put forth more than a half-century ago, the “grandmother hypothesis” has gotten renewed attention with a recent study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society […]
CLARIN (Argentina) EL COMERCIO (Peru) PUBLIMETRO.CL (CHILE) SANTIAGO – A new breast cancer awareness campaign has been quickening pulses in Chile. The mildly erotic video called “For The Love Of Tits,” is an appeal to men to encourage their loved ones to get regular breast exams and to do self-exams. The video features short vignettes […]
XINHUA, ARROW OF CUPID (China), Worldcrunch BEIJING – China is not only the world’s most populous country, but also has a seriously packed “singles scene” of 180 million men and women eager to find their other half. Recently, a popular TV series called Time To Be Married, depicting Chinese bachelors in their 30s in a […]
GULFNEWS.com (Dubai), EL WATAN (Algeria), FASO.net (Burkina Faso), BBC (UK), JEUNE AFRIQUE (France) Worldcrunch The situation in the north of Mali is provoking increasing anxiety in its neighbors. Fundamentalist Islamic rebels close to Al Qaeda have taken over the region, while the Mali government now controls only one-third of the country. The United Nations Security […]
BERLIN – Men are hunters — constantly on the lookout for challenges, for the thrill of danger. But how does our modern adventurer spice up his everyday life? At the office for example, where instead of hunting prey figuratively or literally, he’s more likely to get his schnitzel served — breaded and cooked by somebody […]
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Rwanda’s Failed ‘Green Revolution’
MUSANZE – The agricultural reform launched in 2007 has boosted the country’s agricultural output. Yet not all farmers are benefiting from the situation. Some struggle to sell their crops while others suffer from an unbalanced diet. They have become so desperate that they have decided to ignore governmental directives. A group of north Rwandan farmers […]
THE AUSTRALIAN, SYDNEY MORNING HERALD (Australia), LES ECHOS (France), WALL STREET JOURNAL (USA) Worldcrunch SYDNEY – In a major blow to the ratings industry, the Federal Court of Australia ruled on Monday that Standard & Poor’s had misled investors by giving its most trusted rating to instruments that S&P knew to be faulty, the Australian […]
THE KOREA HERALD (South Korea), BBC NEWS (UK) Worldcrunch SEOUL – South Korea has shut down two nuclear reactors after it was revealed that some parts used had not been properly vetted, reports BBC News. Almost all the parts were used in a nuclear power complex in Yeonggwang, which is located some 330 kilometers southwest […]
CHINA TIMES (Taiwan), STOCK MARKET TREND WEEKLY (China), CNBC (USA) Worldcrunch BEIJING – The ranking of the world’s richest man has stayed relatively stable. There have been only three individuals who made it there in the past ten years – Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and the Mexican telecoms tycoon Carlos Slim. Over the same period […]
CAIRO – The economic stagnation of the past year and a half has taken a toll on many businesses, but a fleet of Islamic investment banks in Egypt sees opportunity in the emerging new order. Ridge Islamic Capital, one such investment bank, has found a niche in the finance sector and made plans to capitalize […]
SPRINGFIELD – Whenever he has half an hour free, Joe goes into the yard of his little house to split logs. “It’s fun for me. It’s the only thing that really gets my mind off the election.” In the living room there is a pool table, a bearskin on the wall, and his tools. “I […]
NEW YORK – In the focus groups he organizes to understand American voters, Democratic Party pollster Stan Greenberg says lately participants have actually broken down emotionally when answering questions about their lives. “Three-quarters of the population are struggling. Families are overwhelmed, salaries have decreased by 20% and health benefits are falling,” Greenberg, co-author of the […]
BERLIN – The Tannhof, a wellness hotel in Germany’s Black Forest, is for adults only. So is the Ringhotel Dolce Vita in the Bavarian Forest. According to the Adults-Only-Holidays website, there are five hotels in Germany where children are not welcome. There are five such establishments in Austria, the UK and Turkey; four each in […]
PARIS – If the images didn’t show a large scar on Ghazi Béji’s chest, the photo collection of his journey might pass for a mere holiday album. Yet the 28-year-old Tunisian has a very different tale to tell: in seven months, Béji traveled across seven countries in hiding, facing hunger, fear, cold and physical violence. […]
BEIJING – While many other luxury brands are facing a sharp decline in their sales in China, the American brand Coach is busy writing a different story. As a relatively more accessible luxury brand, its prices have always been 50-75% lower than the top luxury brands. Now for the first half of this year, it […]