SONNTAGS ZEITUNG (Germany), LE MATIN (Switzerland), SYDNEY MORNING HERALD (Australia) Worldcrunch GENEVA – You might remember Australian actor Paul Hogan from Crocodile Dundee movie, the 1986 comedy about a crocodile hunter from the deep Aussie bush who falls in love with an American journalist and follows her to the urban jungles of New York City. […]
Month: April 2013
LA DEPECHE, SUD OUEST (France) Worldcrunch METZ – What is it with French old-timers getting stuck in weird places? On Sunday in Metz, northeastern France, an 82-year-old patient was rescued from the Sainte-Blandine hospital after trying to flee John-McLane-style via the ventilation ducts. “The patient, who was undergoing treatment for diabetes, managed to climb into […]
More and more immigrants think having “Western” features is a secret to success.
MOSCOW – On Friday, the United States made public its list of Russian officials who are barred to enter the U.S. under the Magnitsky Act. The law imposes visa and banking sanctions on Russians officials accused of human rights violations. It is named after Sergei Magnitsky, a corruption lawyer and whistleblower who was accused of […]
UKRAINE LAUNCHES MILITARY OPERATION Acting Ukraine President Olexandr Turchynov announced the launch of a military “anti-terrorist” operation in the northern region of Donetsk, The Kyiv Post reports. Speaking to the country’s parliament, Turchynov said that the operation “will be conducted step by step, responsibly, deliberately. The goal of these actions, I want to underline, is […]
EFE; BBC; FRANCE24 (France); EL UNIVERSAL, EL NACIONAL (Venezuela) Worldcrunch CARACAS – Hugo Chavez’s hand-picked successor Nicolas Maduro declared himself the narrow winner of Venezuela’s highly anticipated presidential election, but his opponent has already demanded a recount. The Spanish news agency EFE reported the final tallies were 50.66% for Maduro and 49.07% for rival candidate […]
BBC NEWS (UK), AL JAZEERA (Qatar), REUTERS, AP Worldcrunch BAGHDAD – A wave of coordinated attacks Monday in Baghdad, Kirkuk, and other towns has left dozens killed and hundreds of injured across Iraq. The exact number of people killed in the bombings is still unclear, with Al Jazeera reporting at least 19 casualties and AP […]
MIAMI – Throughout the history of the United States, the main divisions have traditionally been between the North and the South, an economic and political rivalry that we know also produced a civil war. But there is also an important rivalry between the West Coast and the East Coast, a battle for cultural, academic and […]
RASHID – Rosetta is not the town it once was, nor does it attract visitors in the same way it once did. It is somewhat surprising, considering that the town is located where the world’s longest river empties into the sea, and where the key to understanding that river’s greatest civilization was discovered – the […]
Ten years after Saddam’s fall, Iraq’s richest city is rife with courruption and can’t even clean up after itself.
AMERICA ECONOMIA (Chile) 

 Worldcrunch SANTIAGO – The rapid expansion of large Latin American companies is pushing up demand for private airplanes and helicopters like never before. The reasons are simple – these companies want the speed, flexibility and autonomy that private air transport provides. The only problem: There are not enough pilots, America Economia […]
STANDOFF CONTINUES IN EAST UKRAINE An ultimatum from acting Ukrainian President Olexandr Turchynov expired this morning, ignored by pro-Russian protesters who have been occupying state buildings in several East Ukrainian cities, increasing fears of further escalation in the region, the BBC reports. Although they were urged to lay down their weapons, armed protesters in Gorlovka […]
KHADICHAUR – Araniko Highway, connecting Kathmandu to the Nepal-China border, doesn’t look much like a highway. It is narrow strip of roadway sometimes covered in asphalt, sometimes just dirt. This 115-kilometer road, winding between mountains and ravines is also deadly. Or it would be, without the incredible dexterity of the truck and bus drivers who […]
Some members of the hierarchy of the Polish Catholic Church seem to have troubled practicing what the new pontiff preaches.
More Michelle Obama or Carla Bruni? Peng Liyuan is breaking new ground in Chinese political life. It’s also another chance for retailers to practice the fine art of imitation.
Categories
A New Push For Mideast Peace
After a successful visit to Israel, President Obama has apparently turned the Israeli-Palestinian portfolio over to Secretary of State John Kerry, says Martin Indyk, a leading Middle East expert. Past secretaries of state Henry Kissinger, Cyrus Vance, James Baker, and Warren Christopher, distinguished for their work on Middle East issues, always had their president’s complete […]
New programs in Germany share business and entrepreneurial know-how with the dreamer demographic.
Rhetorical outrage and new codes of ethics have followed revelations that France’s Budget Minister had a secret Swiss bank account. But there may be other, more subtle lessons to learn.
SAO PAULO – Even though it’s getting ready to host the World Cup next year and the Summer Olympic Games in 2016, Brazil still has no specific law for fighting terrorism. But specialists, who ask not to be identified, say that the country’s neutral position in recent international conflicts does not assure that it is […]
YONYAP (South Korea), JAPAN TIMES, THE DIPLOMAT (Japan) Worldcrunch TOKYO – North Korea warned Japan on Friday that Tokyo would be its first target of a nuclear strike if it continued to maintain its hostile stance, reports Yonyap news agency. North Korea criticized Tokyo’s standing orders to destroy any missile heading toward Japan, threatening that […]
EFE; CLARIN (Argentina); LA TERCERA (Chile); EL UNIVERSAL, TELESUR (Venezuela) Worldcrunch CARACAS – Campaigns have officially closed in Venezuela ahead of Sunday’s election showdown between the heir to Hugo Chavez’s legacy, Nicolas Maduro and opposition leader Henrique Capriles. Just five months after reelecting Chavez, the country is being called back to the polls following the […]
CAIRO – The Latin word, and not just any word, jumps right out amidst the medley of Arabic writing on the classroom blackboard. “G-Spot,” repeats Nehal Badie out loud from under her grey hijab. The woman’s firm tone stands in contrast with the unlikely words she uses. Some giggles break the silence in the room, […]
STANLEY, FALKLAND ISLANDS – In nearby Argentina, President Cristina Kirchner and her ministers offered not a single word after the death this week of Margaret Thatcher. Absolute silence was the strictest order of the day in the halls of government in Buenos Aires. Still, some veterans from the 1982 war did react, including the head […]
Even Ivy League graduates have to settle for serial internships.
Worldcrunch MEXICO CITY – We’re not sure if this is fodder for a Disney cartoon feature, or a Stephen King horror movie: a woman in her car was caught on video by a fellow motorist trying to abandon her dog on the streets of the Xochimilco district of Mexico City. The faithful pooch, who appears […]
In the southern Italian region of Calabria, the organized crime syndicate known as the “Ndrangheta is known for its cruelty and ever more central role in the international drug trade. But in his book Rebelling Sweethearts, journalist Lirio Abbate is focused on a largely untold chapter in “Ndrangheta’s story: its women. Abbate, an award-winning chronicler […]
AFP, LE MONDE (France) Worldcrunch PARIS – The Chief Rabbi of France was forced to step aside, after a scandal over alleged plagiarism and lying about his education background, reports Le Monde. Gilles Bernheim, 60, announced the decision on Thursday, following an emergency session of the Central Consistory, the main Jewish administering institution in France. […]
BERLIN – The traffic on this German road moves along in a neat pattern, changed only when a car makes a right. When it does, Markus Behrendt turns to look out the window. He may only have seen the turning car – a change in pattern – out of the corner of his eye, but […]
BEIJING – On April 6, China’s new Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed the North Korean situation on the phone with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. Wang made China’s stance quite clear: it will not allow “troublemaking” at its doorsteps. This is the toughest talk to date from the Chinese government, and its intention is clear: to […]
BLOOMBERG, AP Worldcrunch TOKYO – The global auto industry faces another major recall crisis after defective airbags have forced Japanese carmakers Toyota, Honda, Mazda and Nissan Motor to call back more than 3 million vehicles. A spokesman for Japanese auto parts maker Takata Corp revealed the airbag malfunction on Thursday, blaming it on “human errors.” […]
UKRAINE’S PM TO PUSH FOR MORE REGIONAL POWERUkraine’s Interim Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk pledged to grant regions with more powers, adding that the Parliament should adopt a law allowing local referendums, AP reports. This came as he travelled to the eastern city of Donetsk as an ultimatum for pro-Russian protesters to leave occupied government buildings […]
MOSCOW – Last week President Vladimir Putin put into place the mechanisms to audit all of Russia’s government employees, who have until July 1 to rid themselves of any overseas property, stocks or bank accounts. Based on an Executive Order he signed last week, Putin’s administration – not an independent auditor or other part of […]
MUNICH -The opposite of good is well-intentioned. And the present conflict between Femen activists and Muslim feminists demonstrates how a “well-intentioned” action can fail so miserably. Femen activists are supposed to be the good guys – the ones who stand for freedom and emancipation. To spread their message they protest topless – naked but not […]
FEZ – It is the fourth stage of the Tour du Maroc bicycle race, and we are somewhere between Guercif and Fez. Since this morning, the wind has not stopped sweeping this stretch of road, and the cyclists with it. Everyone is pedaling in slow motion, at about 15 kilometers per hour. Some of the […]
Categories
Mexico City Bans Salt Shakers
EL UNIVERSAL (Mexico) Worldcrunch MEXICO CITY – About 200,000 restaurants, taverns and cafés in the Mexican capital removed saltshakers from their tables – permanently – on April 4. The move, reports El Universal, is part of an effort to raise awareness on the dangers of a high sodium diet and its correlation to hypertension and […]
EUROSPORT, YOUTUBE Worldcrunch A Japanese TV show created a soccer goalkeeper robot that reacts at the speed of light, apparently making it all but impossible to score. After several top Japanese players were stymied by the machine, Argentinian soccer legend Lionel Messi accepted the challenge. (No word on how much he was paid to show […]
While U Slept UKRAINE OFFERS AMNESTY TO PRO-RUSSIAN SEPARATISTS Ukraine’s Interim President Olexandr Turchynov offered amnesty to the pro-Russian militants occupying government buildings in eastern cities, provided they surrender their weapons and end their siege, AFP reports. This comes amid yesterday’s ultimatum issued by the country’s acting Interior Minister Arsen Avakov and as the standoff […]
-Editorial- SANTIAGO – The soldiers killed and beheaded an old woman, recounted one of the witnesses in the trial of Efrain Rios Montt, retired army general and ex-President of Guatemala. Then the soldiers used her had as a soccer ball in an impromptu game. That might have been the most shocking testimony in the genocide […]