Worldcrunch
International security experts are watching Nigeria “s radical Islamist movement Boko Haram with concern. The militant group has destabilized northern Nigeria and attracted the attention of other jihadist groups, including al-Qaeda affiliates gaining strength in neighboring northern Mali. Boko Haram is highly diffuse. It has an important Islamic revival dimension, but also has political and […]
BEIJING TIMES (CHINA) CHINA TIMES (Taiwan) Worldcrunch BEIJING – Over the last few days, China’s blogosphere has been heating up with spicy rumors that could stretch all the way back to Silicon Valley: a female director of the China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (SINOPEC) has been accused of accepting gigolos as bribes from an American […]
The Number 13 has a long history of being blamed for bad luck. But some spiritual and superstitious folk in South America have a good feeling about the coming year.
Set to be available in the US this year, this mixture of medicines in one pill is aimed at reducing heart attacks. Its inventor says even middle age people with no symptons should take it.
Meet Captain Fu, who runs the Piraeus Container Terminal, which has been owned since 2009 by Chinese giant Cosco. So far, at least, business has barely been touched by the Greek crisis.
-Analysis- SANTIAGO – After presenting their closing arguments, Peru and Chile are now awaiting the verdict of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague on a maritime border dispute dating back to the 1980s. While the verdict is not expected for several months, how both countries respond to the ruling when it is […]
PARIS – Founded in 1713, the Paris Opera Ballet is about to celebrate 300 years of innovations, while continuing to transmit its classical repertoire. This festive season, as always, the Ballet is a huge success. Whether it is for its 26 performances of the classic “Don Quixote” at the Bastille Opera; the 21 nights dedicated […]
BBC NEWS, ITV (UK) Worldcrunch BIRMINGHAM – Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head by the Taliban for urging girls to attend school, has been released from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, reports ITV. The Pakistani schoolgirl activist was admited at the hospital in October following an attack on October 9 on her schoolbus in […]
GOMA – While the Congolese government was keeping the public in the dark about the fall of Goma to the M23 rebels in mid-November, here the news had already gone viral on Facebook. Soon after the rest of Congo was checking in on a variety of social networks to follow news updates and the latest […]
XINHUA (China) Worldcrunch ZHENGZHOU – A fire that broke out in a private orphanage in China’s central Henan province has killed seven children, according to local government officials. Four children were pronounced dead at the scene while three died in the ambulance. Another child is receiving treatment in a local hospital. Rescuers did not know […]
SUDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG (Germany) Worldcrunch Süddeutsche Zeitung has seen the draft of an amendment to German legislation that would for the first time legalize exporting German nuclear waste. While the change would impose tight conditions on such transfers and official agreements with the countries providing disposal sites, environmentalists are equating the amendment to a “burst dam.” […]
TELESUR (Venezuela), CNN (USA), BBC NEWS (UK) Worldcrunch HAVANA – According to a top official, Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez is battling a “severe” lung infection that has caused respiratory failure, reports state-funded media TeleSur. Fifty-eight-year Chavez underwent cancer surgery for the fourth time in Cuba on Dec. 11 and then developed a respiratory infection, according […]
ALEPPO – As a man cleans his Kalashnikov, another next to him is peeling garlic for supper. At his feet, the assigned cook has left his pistol and his knitting, with the needles stuck inside – it is a striped scarf with the colors of the rebellion. A small fire is lighting up the walls […]
CAIRO – The Muslim Brotherhood has been accused of illegally receiving 10 billion Egytian pounds ($1.5 billion) from the United States government. Prosecutor General Talaat Abdallah ordered an immediate investigation into the charges on Thursday. Lawyers Mohamed Ali Abd al-Wahab and Yasser Mohamed Sayab filed the complaint, in which they quoted Mitt Romney — the […]
ISTANBUL – Fatih Birol, the chief economist of the International Energy Agency, has offered some notable insights into the future of global energy markets. His presentation of the “World Energy Outlook 2012” report that focused on “energy efficiency” will undoubtedly be studied closely by the Turkish Industry & Business Association (TÜSÄ°AD). But to better understand […]
Tuesday’s fiscal agreement defuses the fiscal cliff by deferring most tax hikes and pushing back the sequester. A deal has been made, a financial crash avoided, and near-term growth prospects look rosier. Markets have cheered news of the agreement. Is such cheer warranted? That depends on what happens next. By itself, the package raises little […]
LA STAMPA (Italy) Worldcrunch PISA – This story is a yawner. You’ve been there before: standing in line or sitting around the conference table when some sleepy-eyed dude lets loose a big ol’ yawn, and you – tired or not – start yawning too. Yes, yawns are indeed contagious. Research has shown that some 50 […]
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THE TIMES OF INDIA, ASIAN AGE (India) AFP Worldcrunch NEW DELHI – Eighteen days after the violent gang rape of a 23-year-old physiotherapy student set off a worldwide outcry, police filed charges in court against the five men arrested in the case, reported the Indian Express. The young woman, who was brutally […]
PARIS – Do the Internet and digital devices make us happier and more efficient. Or do they just make us less intelligent? Two new books try to answer the question asked by Nichols Carr in The Shallows: What The Internet Is Doing To Our Brains. Italian linguist Raffaele Simone and French philosopher Jean-Michel Besnier deliver […]
CEASEFIRE NEGOTIATIONS OPEN IN SOUTH SUDAN Representatives of South Sudan’s government have started negotiating a ceasefire with opposition forces in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, three weeks after the outbreak of violence in the world’s youngest nation, AFP reports. ISRAEL SUCCESSFULLY TESTS MISSILE SHIELD SYSTEM Israel carried out a successful test of its future […]
HÜRRIYET (Turkey) Worldcrunch ISTANBUL – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on his nation’s families to have at least three children, Turkey’s daily Hurriyet reports. Erdogan used a speech to declare that the strength of a nation lies within its families, which must be fortified with more children. “One or two children means […]
NUREMBERG – Paul wanted glitter on his Christmas tree ornament; at his age – six – he doesn’t think glitter is too girly. His dad took in the request and patiently started applying the glitter to the wet paint of the ornament they’re making together. “What does an angel look like?” a little boy at […]
LE MONDE, EUROPE 1 (France) Worldcrunch MOSCOW- The Kremlin has issued a press release stating that Vladimir Putin had signed a decree on Thursday granting French movie legend Gerard Depardieu Russian citizenship if he ever needed it. The actor confirmed it to his friends in a Parisian restaurant Tuesday: “Putin has already sent me a […]
AL JAZEERA (Qatar), FORBES, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, CNN (USA) Worldcrunch Al Jazeera Media Network has announced that it has acquired Current TV, a U.S. cable channel created seven years ago by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore. We are excited to announce a new U.S.-based news channel and the acquisition of @current TV. aje.me/S5JWw5 […]
BUENOS AIRES HERALD, CLARIN (Argentina), THE GUARDIAN (UK) Worldcrunch BUENOS AIRES – Argentinian President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has sent a letter to British Prime Minister David Cameron urging him to hand over the Falkland Islands. In the letter, writes Clarin, Kirchner asks Cameron to comply with a 1960 UN resolution that “proclaimed the necessity […]
BBC NEWS (UK), AL JAZEERA (Qatar) Worldcrunch ISLAMABAD – Senior Pakistani militant leader Mullah Nazir has been killed by a US drone strike, Pakistani security officials say. The drone attack killed at least least five fighters including the militant Wednesday night in the northwest tribal district of South Waziristan, according to security officials, reports BBC […]
PARIS – Hurricane Sandy in the U.S., the tsunami in Japan or the eruption of the Eyjafjoll volcano in Iceland. Could the rising tide of such natural disasters be explained by man’s voluntary action? Could these cataclysms be triggered deliberately by the army, for political reasons? For years, these conspiracy theories, relayed generously on the […]
BEIJING – The official announcement came from Zhang Ping, head of China’s top economic planning agency, the National Development and Reform Commission: the government would “speed up household registration reform” as part of its drive for urbanization of the rural population. Dubbed hukou, the household registration system dates back to the Mao era, and prevents […]
MEXICO CITY – “We say small here, not tall,” reminds a notice, written in black letters on the wall of this new chain of Mexican coffee shops. If coffee isn’t enough, there is also chocolate: hot, cold or with chili pepper that leaves consumers with a slightly burning throat. It’s been around for barely two […]
ANTARCTIC SHIP RESCUE An operation to rescue the passengers of the Russian ship Akademik Shokalsky was launched this morning, as a Chinese helicopter attempts to ferry tourists and scientists to an Australian ice-breaker, Russia Today reports. The Shokalksky has been trapped in ice since Christmas eve and several evacuation attempts had failed due to poor […]
CAIRO HIT BY DEADLY BOMBSThe Egyptian capital of Cairo was hit by three bombs this morning, killing at least five people and leaving scores injured, Mada Masr reports. The first and biggest explosion targeted the police headquarters in the city center, where four people died. The attacks, for which an al-Qaeda-inspired group claimed responsibility, come […]
LA VOIX DU NORD, AFP (France) Worldcrunch ROUBAIX- A 73-year-old French woman rang in the New Year in a supermarket in northern France after being locked in for the night. The elderly woman went into bathroom after feeling slightly dizzy, reported La Voix du Nord. When she came out, she found the supermarket empty – […]
TELESUR, ULTIMAS NOTICIAS, EL NACIONAL (Venezuela), BBC (UK) Worldcrunch CARACAS – Venezuelan Vice President Nicolas Maduro has told Latin American TV network teleSUR that he had visited President Chavez twice in the past days and that he had shown “gigantic force” as they spoke of political issues. Chavez is currently in Havana, Cuba, where he […]
WALL STREET JOURNAL, CNN, BLOOMBERG (USA), REUTERS Worldcrunch WASHINGTON – The House of Representatives has approved a Senate bill to avoid the American and global economy facing the dreaded consequences of the so-called “fiscal cliff” of automatic tax hikes and spending cuts across the United States. Hailed as a victory for President Barack Obama, the […]
GDP v. Happy Planet Index? Some New Year’s number crunching from Moscow, comparing life in cold and warm climates, rich and poor countries, free and less free societies.
HAMBURG – When a Chinese customer with a lot of money buys a Ferrari, as soon as the salesperson hands over the keys, the fun can begin. When a Chinese with a lot of money buys a Steinway, the grand piano is delivered, placed in the living room – and then what? “Friends come over, […]
Forget New York, Washington, Boston, Houston, Miami and Chicago. Starbucks, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Hooters, Checkers, Target, Best Buy, 7/11, CVS, Wal-Mart, Family Dollar? Well, forget them too. If you’re looking for the soul of America, get in your car and drive out to back country. Where nothing happens. Nothing at all. Like Hollywood, […]
CONNECTION IVORIENNE (Ivory Coast), BBC (UK) Worldcrunch ABIDJAN – At least 60 people were crushed to death after a New Year’s fireworks display in the Ivory Coast city of Abidjan. More than 250 people were wounded. The stampede occurred around 3 a.m. local time, when an explosion created a panic outside a stadium in the […]
THESSALONIKI – Great defender of bears and forests, a winemaker who left the family business to launch his own high-end wine – Iannis Boutaris was an eccentric businessman. Since 2010, he is the atypical mayor of Thessaloniki, Greece’s second largest city with a population of 800,000. In his seventies, Iannis Boutaris wears colorful suspenders; tattoos, […]
MATADI – “I used to be ashamed of my small breasts, but I have finally fulfilled my dream of making them bigger,” says a cheerful woman from Matadi, southwest of Kinshasa, the Congolese capital. In this region, big boobs have become the new standard for feminine beauty. “It is sexy and so feminine. Men love […]