Almost 2,000 pages, 5,000 commentaries, a huge introduction: The Institute of Contemporary History has finally released details on its new edition of Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” planned for 2016.
Month: February 2015
Juan Pablo Escobar has dug up many memories about his notorious father, the late Colombian gangster Pablo Escobar. He is conscious of the crimes, but also that his was a loving father.
A new ceasefire, which has not been fully observed, should be in effect in eastern Ukraine. But the announcement of the creation of a military air force could bring dangerous escalation.
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Hampered by plummeting oil prices and fading public support, President Nicolas Maduro and his crafty sidekick, Assembly leader Diosdado Cabello, are trying to provoke an opposition outburst. Last week’s arrest of Caracas Mayor Antonio Ledezma was a c
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Worldcrunch’s Weekend Staff Playlist #9
Senegalese soul, English surf-psych rock, German slow dancing … Only on Worldcrunch’s weekend playlist!
UNESCO DENOUNCES ISIS ATTACK ON ANCIENT CULTUREThe head of UNESCO called for an emergency meeting of the UN’s cultural agency after a five-minute video clip yesterday showed a group of ISIS militants destroying large statues and ancient artefacts in a museum in Mosul, Iraq. “This attack is far more than a cultural tragedy — this […]
The modern-day successors of ragmen, New York’s trash pickers (or “canners”) are credited with recycling 60% of the city’s glass and aluminum. Why don’t we notice this hidden economy?
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Port-O-Preto
Sure, I could tell you about Ouro Preto’s rich mining past, its baroque churches, its wonderful Mineralogy Museum (that both me and my grandson got to visit, 22 years apart), its failed revolution, its noble colonial architecture … but really: The word pipimóvel (“peepeemobile”) just makes me chuckle.
Victor Gregg, a 95-year-old World War II veteran and the only Briton who was on Dresden soil during the Allied bombings on the German city, believes Churchill “should have been shot.”
-OpEd- PARIS — There’s something both pathetic and surrealistic about France’s obsession, at the moment, with a rather unremarkable economic reform bill (the “loi Macron“) while to the east and to the south, in Ukraine and Libya, real threats are edging closer to our continent. It’s time to wake up! Twenty-five years after the fall […]
Anti-austerity party Podemos is not the only group upsetting politics in Spain and trying to capitalize on popular discontent. Another party gaining favor among voters is the significantly less radical Ciudadanos (“Citizens”). Formed in Catalonia, the party promotes national unity and has been attracting voters from both the left and right who are fed up […]
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Song Du Jour #16, Johnny Cash
Today is the Man In Black’s birthday. He would have been 83 years old.
FIGHTING DIE DOWN IN EASTERN UKRAINEThe shaky truce in Eastern Ukraine finally appears to be taking hold. Wednesday marked the first casualty-free day since the Minsk agreement and the official start of a ceasefire on Feb. 15, the BBC reports. Pro-Russian rebels continued to withdraw their heavy weaponry from the frontline and the leader of […]
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Flowery Folklore
Suzhou is often called “the Venice of China” because of its many canals and stone bridges. The city’s lush classical gardens are part of the UNESCO World Heritage list, making it a major tourist attraction in the region — and leading to very colorful displays of “folklore” …
German tabloid Bild gets straight to the point in its Thursday edition: “No! No more millions for the greedy Greeks!” it says on its front page. The daily suggests that their readers who are against another Greek bailout print the page, take a selfie with it and send it to their staff. The Bundestag, Germany’s […]
The Turkish government still sees the downfall of the Assad regime as the No. 1 priority. Washington is most concerned with the battle against ISIS. Is there room for an alliance?
Rights groups say that cops in Herat are cracking down on “adulterers,” stopping couples on the street,even brothers and sisters, and demanding proof of marriage.
As a Colombian gay marriage debate illustrates, Western societies have historically despised male homosexuality more than lesbianism. Why is that?
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Song Du Jour #15, Jonny Greenwood
Radiohead’s guitarist Jonny Greenwood will play tonight at Geneva’s prestigious Victoria Hall with the London Contemporary Orchestra. He will perform his own experimental compositions with the small line-up, with which he has been playing since 2008. For those not lucky enough to live in Geneva or attend the concert, Jonny Greenwood and the LCO sounds […]
The latest issue of Charlie Hebdo published Wednesday, six weeks after the “Survivors’ Issue” that followed the deadly attacks on its headquarters on Jan. 7. As the weekly resumes its regular publication rhythm with the headline “C’est reparti!” (“Here we go again!”), 2.5 million copies of the latest Charlie Hebdo number 1179 have been printed. […]
WORLD RESPONSE TO ISIS “SHAMEFUL,” AMNESTY SAYSIn its annual report published Wednesday, Amnesty International describes 2014 as “catastrophic” and the world leaders’ response to ISIS as “shameful and ineffective.” The 415-page report criticizes governments for failing to protect civilians from terrorist groups and details abuses in up to 160 countries. “This has been a devastating […]
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What Now For Charlie Hebdo?
PARIS — The odd collection of people visiting the building today includes cartoonists and anti-bomb experts. Also in attendance is the new director of Charlie Hebdo, Riss, whose right arm has been in a sling since one of the bullets fired by the Kouachi brothers shattered his shoulder blade before coming out behind his shoulder. […]
-OpEd- TEL AVIV — Israel’s high-tech industry has experienced a major boost in recent years. The 2014 numbers are notable: a record $3.4 billion in investments and mergers and acquisitions valued at $7 billion. There was also an increase in venture capital funds raised, totaling approximately $914 million. None of this is by chance. The […]
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Not A Very Christian Thing To Do
I should remember how commanding Chartres Cathedral is with its noble façades, Gothic grandeur and hundreds of delicately sculpted figures. But 44 years later, what I remember most is that while we were visiting the cathedral, some idiot scratched my car!
Bogota residents are increasingly braving reckless car drivers, crime and pollution to cycle their way through the Colombian capital. It’s one way people are taking back public spaces.
Dutch soccer fans smashed and urinated their way through Rome last week. Could Italian authorities have done anything to stop them?
WAR AGAINST UKRAINE “UNLIKELY,” PUTIN SAYSPhoto above: Mikhail Metzel/TASS/ZUMARussian President Vladimir Putin has said in an interview with Russian television that war against its neighbor Ukraine was “unlikely,” expressing his hope that this “apocalyptic scenario” would “never happen.” Asked about the Minsk agreement, he said that if fully implemented it would see the situation in […]
It’s not important whether Islam is “a part of Germany,” as the country is debating. Fascism once was utterly German. The real question is, will Muslim leaders accept reason and freedom as the central values of society?
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Song Du Jour #14, The Darkness
The British hard rock band The Darkness have just released the video for their new track, “Barbarian”, which opens their fourth and upcoming album Last Of Our Kind. In the form of a graphic novel, “Barbarian” describes how the Vikings invaded East Anglia. Last Of Our Kind will be released on June 1.
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A Norwegian Kind Of Pet
In 1967 the rugged road from Tromsø did not go any further than the village of Hammerfest, where reindeer were strolling freely in people’s backyards.
TROMSO — Officials in China, now the second-largest economy in the world and a major global emitter of greenhouse gasses, now acknowledge that the country is important in the fight against global warming. It and many other Asian nations such as Singapore are also voicing greater concern about environmental changes in the Arctic region, changes […]
-OpEd- MUNICH — Talk to a Greek person about the difficult situation their country faces and you’re likely to hear some pretty astounding things. Some argue, for example, that the financial collapse came at the right moment, that without it Greece wouldn’t have been pressured into the reforms needed to halt its downward spiral. But […]
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FIRST QUARTER MOON – Feb. 23 – March 2
(March 21 to April 19) The sky is clear of any adversity. This First Quarter Moon pushes you toward goals you thought were out of reach. At the beginning of this week there are already good opportunities at work: All your wishes will come true, all you have to do is ask. It’s a special […]
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Song Du Jour #13, Fleetwood Mac
In Hebron, military intelligence recently broke up what it claims was an ISIS cell. Some say there’s real cause for concern. Others see the crackdown as a convenient way to justify Israel’s occupation of the area.
UKRAINE TRUCE STILL SHAKYAn already shaky ceasefire in eastern Ukraine is threatening to collapse further after a blast killed two people yesterday at a march commemorating the first anniversary of former president Viktor Yanukovych’s ousting. Ukrainian authorities said they arrested four people who had been armed and trained in Russia, Reuters reports. Pro-Russian rebels and […]
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Stylish Social Status
In the Akha villages of northern Thailand, women show their age, marital status and wealth on their headdresses. A sort of traditional, old-fashioned social media, if you will!
People are increasingly disgusted with crime and shoddy government in Mexico. Whatever happened to President Pena Nieto’s promises to take on the country’s vested interests?
Argentina, one of the world’s big meat exporters, could earn itself a fortune exporting to China. For now the Argentine government is more focused on avoiding shortages at home.