ASSOCIATED PRESS, REUTERS, BBC (UK) Worldcrunch JERUSALEM – Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak appeared to admit for the first time that his country launched an air raid last week on a military research center near Damascus. Barak’s apparent acknowledgment of the Jan. 30 strike on the Syrian target was followed up Monday by a veiled […]
Month: February 2013
TIMES OF INDIA, OUTLOOK (India), BBC (UK). NEW DELHI – Indian President Pranab Mukherjee has approved a new rape law that would provide harsher punishment for rapists, including the death penalty. The BBC reports the brutal gang rape on a 23-year-old woman in December caused an outrage across the country and sparked a debate about […]
CNN, LA TIMES Worldcrunch NEW ORLEANS– Super Bowl XLVII was held Sunday at the Superdome in New Orleans – the 10th time it has been played there. For those who didn’t watch the four-hour American sports extravaganza, we’ve compiled a short list with all you need to know. 1. THE RAVENS WON – The Baltimore […]
As President Mohamed Morsi wagged his finger at Egyptians in his televised address to the nation on January 27, my mind wandered back to the televised addresses former President Hosni Mubarak gave during his last 18 days in power. Back then, too, there were pitched battles in the streets of Cairo, Suez and Port Said. […]
LIBYA’S CHEMICAL WEAPONS DESTROYED Col. Muammar Gaddafi’s lethal arsenal of chemical weapons have quietly been destroyed over the last three months, The New York Times reports. The U.S. and Libya used a transportable oven technology to destroy hundreds of bombs and artillery rounds filled with a deadly mustard agent that American officials feared could be […]
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Will Plastic Bags Ever Disappear?
A technological marvel, the plastic bag has become a symbol of humankind’s ecological footprint. Laws and habits are decreasing their use, but the alternative is sometimes worse.
ALGIERS – The ultimate goal is Europe. But first the immigrants from countries in central Africa are trying to get refugee status in Algeria. “We were told that if we claimed we were fleeing the war, we would be taken care of and handed out IDs,” says Trésor, a Congolese migrant taken in by the […]
XINHUA, JIANGXI, GLOBAL TIMES (China), WANT DAILY (Taiwan) JIANGXI – The Chinese New Year is the worst holiday to be single in China – the family pressure is too intense. “With or without money, get married to have a better New Year,” goes the Chinese proverb. The Chinese New Year– also called the Spring Festival […]
GENEVA – He’s back. Adolf Hitler is back, in a book by Timur Vermes – a comedy in which Hitler returns to Berlin in the summer of 2011. The book, which has reached the top of the German bestseller list, is causing much controversy in a country that would rather forget it has been 80 […]
The taste of Alsace deep in the Malaysian heartland.
DIE WELT (Germany) Worldcrunch HAMBURG – German researchers are developing a long-lasting battery that could solve one of the biggest problems of the energy transition, reports Die Welt. The German government is aiming for electrical power in Germany to be 80% from renewable energy sources like wind and solar by the year 2050. However, this […]
Nawal El Moutawakel was ignored by Morocco when competing in the 1984 Olympics — until gold made her a national hero. Now she’s looking to clear another hurdle or two.
WORLDCRUNCH Worldcrunch PARIS – When David Beckham announced that he had signed a five-month contract with France’s Paris Saint-Germain soccer club, millions of fans of both Monsieur and Madame Spice started fantasizing about the Beckhams moving from the city of angels to the city of lights. As it turns out, Becks and Posh’s kids are […]
MOSCOW – According to Anton Zharov, a lawyer specializing in adoption, the proposals coming out of the Duma (Parliament) to solve Russia’s orphan problem are like a printer that has gone insane. “You can’t solve Russia’s orphan problem in one year or in three years. Instead of talking to specialists and trying to establish a […]
PARIS – It is a new stain on the already tarnished reputation of biofuels. After being accused of aggravating food insecurity and driving up food prices, accelerating tropical deforestation and even increasing greenhouse gas emissions, crop-based biofuels are now being accused of worsening air pollution and creating health problems. The European Union’s target of 10% […]
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Former NYC Mayor Ed Koch Dead At 88
AP, NEW YORK POST (U.S.) Worldcrunch NEW YORK– Former New York Mayor Ed Koch died early Friday at the age of 88. A spokesperson said that Koch, who ran NYC city hall through most of the 1980s, died of congestive heart failure. PATRICK J. CASHIN & US NAVY In and out of the hospital for […]
EFE, EL INFORMADOR, EL MEXICANO, MILENIO (Mexico) Worldcrunch MEXICO CITY– Rescue workers continue to search for survivors after an explosion killed at least 25 people at the headquarters of Mexico’s state-owned petroleum company Pemex. The number of injured had surpassed 100 by early Friday, with some people still believed to be trapped underneath the rubble, […]
ASSOCIATED PRESS, XINHUA (China) Worldcrunch BEIJING – At least 26 people were killed Friday in central China after a truck carrying Chinese New Year’s fireworks exploded and caused the collapse of a highway bridge. It remains unclear how the truck’s load detonated, but the blast was powerful enough to destroy an 80-meter stretch of the […]
This growing phenomenon is showing up across the region, a potential sign of entrenched unemployment and even deeper social malaise.
LA NACION, CLARIN, BUENOSAIRESBACHE (ARGENTINA) Worldcrunch BUENOS AIRES – Driving through Buenos Aires can resemble scenes from Mad Max. Not only must you dodge reckless drivers, but also steer clear of the multitudes of potholes. According to La Nacion, in the most populous neighborhoods of Buenos Aires such as Belgrano, there are potholes on virtually […]