Worldcrunch
UKRAINE CREATES NATIONAL GUARDThe Ukrainian Parliament voted overwhelmingly to create a 60,000-strong National Guard, Interfax reports. According to AFP, the new force will mostly include volunteers from Maidan’s self-defense groups and will be in charge of interior and border security. MISSING PLANE COULD HAVE FLOWN FOR HOURS“We will not give up on any suspected clue,” […]
BEIJING – The 18th century British scholar Thomas Malthus predicted that when population growth exceeded agriculture’s capacity to support new population numbers, it would lead to starvation and misery. His prediction was wrong, because he did not take into account the impact of scientific and technological progress. His name has since become an adjective for […]
How long the conclave lasts is often an indicator of who is likely to walk out as Pope. The favorites are typically elected quickly, and deadlocks can lead to a surprise compromise candidate.
Thinking beyond the top “papabili,” some have cited Cardinal Bechara al-Rahi, the Patriarch of Antioch. For the Church, the plight of Christians in the Middle East is a key issue of our times.
Worldcrunch When that moment comes, and the white smoke appears and the bells of St. Peter’s toll, the crowd out in the piazza will start to get rowdy. Then an elderly Cardinal will announce that “We Have A Pope” in the Catholic Church’s still beloved Latin. Habemus Papam…! And that’s when the fun really starts. […]
Advances in software for surveillance video help make cameras “smart” about the footage they are collecting of all of us.
Press blackout be damned, Cardinal Raymundo Damasceno Assis spoke with Folha de S. Paolo about papal candidates, including fellow Brazilian Scherer. Assis expects a short conclave, but is packed for a long one.
WAR OF WORDS CONTINUES OVER CRIMEA Western and Ukrainian leaders stepped up what is still just a war of words over Crimea, four days away from the referendum that could see the disputed region secede from Ukraine. The President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso said the G7 and the EU would urge Russia […]
AP, BBC TWITTER Worldcrunch VATICAN CITY – In a solemn ceremony, 115 cardinal-electors gathered in Rome to choose the new Pope celebrated the traditional pre-conclave mass on Tuesday morning just hours before entering the Sistine Chapel to cast their first ballots for the next pontiff. The surprise resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, the first in […]
BUENOS AIRES HERALD, CLARIN, LA RED, PAGINA 12 (Argentina) Worldcrunch BUENOS AIRES – Residents of the Falkland Islands voted en masse in favor of remaining a British territory. Thirty-one years after the UK and Argentina went to war over the remote South-Atlantic archipelago, the referendum asked: “Do you wish the Falkland Islands to retain their […]
Benedict XVI himself said Africa deserves to be considered for the papacy.
EL DIARIO, SEXENIO (Mexico), LA PRENSA (Honduras), LA VOZ (Argentina), LAVANGUARDIA (Spain) Worldcrunch Latin America’s time has come. The papacy is ours for the taking. Strong candidates walking into the conclave, and more than 40% of the world’s Catholics come from this region. This is exactly what Latin America’s faithful, and newspapers, were saying back […]
Worldcrunch In elections, there are winners and there are losers. But what happens when the winner cannot actually claim victory? How can the loser manage to hold all the cards? Both Italy and Israel are famous for getting stuck in just these sorts of Byzantine deadlocks, and coincidentally both Mediterranean democracies are swimming in it […]
-OpEd- BEIJING – A few days ago in the northeastern city of Changchun, a man left his baby in his SUV while he went inside a convenience store. He returned to find his car, which he had left unlocked and running, stolen, along with the baby. After 48 hours of public mobilization and searches, Zhou […]
NOUVEL OBSERVATEUR (France) Worldcrunch PARIS – When you think of French cuisine, visions sparkle of a leisurely countryside bistro or elaborate meals conjured up by the likes of super chef Alain Ducasse. On a rainy Monday in the capital, the reality looks much more like a study just released by the consulting firm Gira Conseil […]
LE MONDE (France) ANNA (Georgia) WORLDCRUNCH The Abkhazian Network News Agency (ANNA), based in the breakaway Georgian province of Abkhazia, and not recognized internationally, regularly posts Internet footage circulated by the Syrian army meant to glorify Bashar Al-Assad. Le Monde has posted a recent ANNA sequence filmed from loyalists tanks that show the city of […]
Those who managed to survive the March 11, 2011 disaster that killed nearly 19,000 have suffered from both physical and social fallout.
MOSCOW – When word first came out in 2011 that Hugo Chavez was suffering from a serious illness, a Russian military source predicted the consequences of the end of the Chavez era: not only could Moscow lose contracts already signed, but it might also never get paid for weapons it has already delivered to Caracas. […]
Worldcrunch With the conclave set to begin Tuesday afternoon, the lists of papabili are being narrowed down and scrutinized by the Cardinals gathered at the Vatican. Back in the home countries and dioceses of the top contenders, the secret vote to choose the successor of Benedict XVI can be viewed with a mix of pride […]
Last March’s killings at a Jewish elementary school in Toulouse shocked many, but French Jews have been feeling less secure for years. Some leave, though security isn’t the only reason.
CRIMEA APPROVES DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE The Crimean Parliament overwhelmingly approved a declaration on independence, a technical step necessary to hold next Sunday’s referendum, Itar-Tass reports. According to the news agency, the document says that if Crimeans vote to integrate the Russian Federation, they will first become an independent Republic. MALAYSIA DOWNPLAYS TERRORISM POSSIBILITY The Malaysian […]
ALL AFRICA, THE EAST AFRICAN, (Kenya), AFP WORLDCRUNCH NAIROBI – Malik Obama, the 54-year-old half-brother of U.S President Barack Obama, failed miserably in his effort to get elected as county governor in Kenya reports All Africa. Malik Obama shares a father with the most powerful man in the world but it didn’t seem to help […]
THE HINDU, THE TIMES OF INDIA (India), BBC NEWS (UK), REUTERS Worldcrunch NEW DELHI – Ram Singh, a bus driver on trial for the gang-rape and murder of a young woman last December, committed suicide in a high-security cell at New Delhi’s Tihar Jail – but his lawyer and family suspect he was murdered. The […]
JAPAN TIMES, ASAHI SHIMBUN (Japan) AFP Worldcrunch TOKYO – On Monday, Japan honored the victims of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis that killed nearly 19,000 people two years ago. At 2:46 p.m. on March 11, 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck northeast Japan, triggering a tsunami with 30-meter high waves that wiped out entire […]
VATICAN CITY – Amidst intense speculation and great uncertainty over who will be the new pope, one thing appears certain: no matter who is chosen in the conclave, we should not expect substantial changes on doctrinal matters that have long left many Catholics around the world unhappy. We should expect the bans to continue on […]
LA STAMPA (Italy) Worldcrunch ROME– Ever mail something that just flat disappears? Wondering where it wound up? For thousands of Italians whose mail was lost, the only consolation is that they now know where it went. For some, the answer may be exactly what they’d feared: in a pile in some lazy postman’s house. Simone […]
-Editorial- MEXICO CITY – There are many possible interpretations of the sudden and public imprisonment of the extravagant Elba Esther Gordillo, who until a couple of days ago was the president of the Mexican teachers’ union, and who is accused of having embezzled $160 million from the union. Gordillo is known throughout Mexico as “The […]
BERLIN – The Berlin chapters of the Bandidos gang, whose members have a reputation for being armed and dangerous, had been considerably weakened of late with many members in jail. But the Berliner Morgenpost has learned from law enforcement officials that all 15 members of the “Midtown” chapter of the Bandidos – the last remaining […]
UK-GERMANY THREATEN RUSSIA WITH MORE SANCTIONSBritish Prime Minister David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have reached common ground on the issue of the Crimean referendum, scheduled for next Sunday, by saying that Russia faced further consequences if it attempted to legitimize the vote, The Guardian reports. CALIFORNIA HIT BY EARTHQUAKEA magnitude 6.9 earthquake off […]
China’s incoming President has promised to tackle bribery and abuse of power. The country’s digital citizen-reporters will hold him to his word.
LA CRÓNICA, EXCELSIOR (Mexico) Worldcrunch MEXICO CITY – Ciudad Victoria, a city in one of the most dangerous states in Mexico today, Tamaulipas, was recently flooded with brochures offering money for information on the people behind a project called “Valor por Tamaulipas” (Courage for Tamaulipas). The project is indeed courageous, aiming to diffuse information regarding […]
Is Italy ready to take back the papacy after being shut out by the Polish John Paul II and Germany’s Benedict XVI? This truck driver’s son is the Italians’ best hope.
The death of Hugo Chavez, who propped up Venezuela with oil profits, is another reminder that Latin America needs to look for economic development beyond natural resources.
NO COMMENT TV Worldcrunch CARACAS – A parade of world leaders, including Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, joined ordinary Venezuelans Friday at the state funeral of Hugo Chavez, who died this week at the age of 58 after a long battle with cancer. The ceremony was led by an emotional Vice President Nicolas Maduro, who declared: “Mission […]
PARIS – The future of the “Made in France” label doesn’t just hinge on Champagne, Airbus or luxury handbags. The Bic company’s annual report, released on Feb. 13, proves it – it’s possible to make a good living in the West with an alternative economic model based on mass-produced cheap products. The company still makes […]
Concrete Canvas, YouTube Worldcrunch CARDIFF – Introducing the concrete tent: It’s made of a material called Concrete Canvas and needs only water and air to “pitch it.” The material has all the elements of concrete, but is flexible enough to move before it hardens. Inspired by plaster casts for broken bones, the fibers of the […]
Worldcrunch The conclave to elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI will begin on Tuesday. Though the only preferences that count are of the 115 cardinals under the age of 80, the man they choose (yes, it must be a baptized male) will lead the flock of 1.16 billion Catholics around the world. So we […]
-OpEd- BEIJING – The four foreign criminals who murdered 13 Chinese sailors in 2011 on northern Thailand’s Mekong River were put to death by lethal injection on March 1. I support the death sentence in this case and the execution of these men. The significance of this execution is three-fold. First, whoever commits a crime, […]
TURIN – Marco* was dragged here by his parents. He is 17 and spends 16 hours a day glued to the computer. Two years of school down the drain and no friends. But he still doesn’t get it. “I’m fine,” he says. He wakes up at two in the afternoon and goes to bed at […]
CARACAS – When Hugo Chávez took office for the first time in February 1999, Venezuela was on the edge of an economic abyss due to the ravages caused by almost 40 years of corruption from traditional political parties. The reach of poverty touched almost 80 percent of the population. This ticking social time bomb was […]