Worldcrunch
ANKARA — Turkey is still struggling to form a coalition government weeks after the Parliamentary elections that denied an outright majority to the ruling AKP party of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. But in the meantime, another pressing question has been raised in the halls of Ankara: Will Turkey enter Syria to create a so-called “buffer […]
MUMBAI — Night has fallen on Mumbai, and a monsoon fog fills the air as an aging man looks over the vast Indian metropolis from his balcony. Rajendra Dhondu Bhosale retired earlier this year as deputy inspector at a local police precinct, but still lives in dilapidated government housing with walls dampened by the constant […]
As Venice’s biennial art extravaganza reveals, sexual provocation is old hat, and anti-capitalism is the new means of selling expensive art to millionaires.
China’s President Xi Jinping is featured three times on today’s front page of Chinese state-owned newspaper People’s Daily. Xi arrived in Ufa, Russia on Wednesday for a flurry of diplomatic activity ahead of the BRICS and Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summits. The Chinese leader is pictured shaking hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian […]
Photo: Alberto Lingria/Zuma FOUR MILLION SYRIAN REFUGEES More than four million Syrians — a sixth of the population — have fled the country since the war broke out more than four years ago, and more than seven million who have remained have been forced out of their homes, according to the United Nations and international […]
Kommersant has learned that a former professor arrested last week in the Donbass region by Ukraine has been named as a Russian FSB agent.
A school founded in 2008 offers classes in literature, cuisine and the finer points of French culture and language to a new class of refugees from around the world every year to help them integrate to their new home.
Locals in the city of Palmyra speak out as ISIS threatens the treasured ancient ruins of their city, after destroying its notorious Assad regime prison that scarred so many.
This week we shine the spotlight on Indonesia: FLYING “ARMY AIR” An investigation into a military plane crash that killed 141 people near Medan on June 30 is ongoing, with new details sparking controversy. The C-130 Hercules that took off from Seowondo Air Force base in Sumatra was carrying several civilian passengers who may have […]
TEL AVIV — A whole lot of money is involved in the current Palestinian political struggles, with some suggesting that the ability to bring in the bucks is a non-official competition for the title to be the next president of the Palestinian authority. And no better way to judge that than to measure how notable […]
Photo: Thierry Roge/Zuma LAST CHANCE FOR GREECE? Greeted by a mix of cheers and boos, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday as the fate of his country’s membership in the Eurozone — and perhaps the ultimate destiny of the single currency itself — hangs in the balance. TALIBAN […]
“Pope Francis in Bolivia’s arms,” reads the front page of today’s edition of Bolivian newspaper La Prensa. After three days in Ecuador, the Pope arrives in Bolivia, where he will stay until Friday. In his homily in Quito on Tuesday, Francis called for an end to repression in the region — and La Prensa“s writes […]
Despite negotiations, perhaps the Greek Prime Minister wants to lead his country toward a Latin American-style leftist populism, like Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador.
-OpEd- BEIJING — The picture is not pretty: drug-related crime is spreading and deepening throughout China. The latest National Narcotics Control Report notes that the problem increasingly involves new types of synthetic substances, even as China has stepped up its efforts to effectively combat the trafficking and use of illegal drugs. Drug-related crimes used to […]
There is determination in this sky with a great desire to get things done! When your motor is revved up, it may seem that the world around you is slow and sluggish. Don’t go forward anxiously, things will happen at the right time while your sky maintains a patient and concentrative order. TEMPO: adagio pazientando […]
Sports is at its best when scores are tight, competition is fierce and even the losers can hold their heads proud. Then there are the blowouts, like Tuesday’s 46-0 soccer result at the Pacific Games, where even the winners look down in shame. ONE GOAL EVERY TWO MINUTES Micronesia is not one of the big […]
Last month, Spanish correspondent Ricard Gonzalez was forced to leave Egypt in a hurry. Here is his story
Photo: Panayiotis Tzamaros/ZUMA GREECE TALKS RESTART IN BRUSSELS Eurozone leaders and Finance Ministers are meeting today in Brussels to reopen negotiations on the fate of cash-strapped Greece, two days after a resounding “No” to austerity from Greek voters. Angela Merkel declared that “time is running out” and gave Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras hours to […]
From Hungary to Switzerland, fortifications are rising in the heart of Europe, where the once-heralded borderless zone is being diminished by the day.
As oil and commodities prices drop and the U.S. dollar is revalued, Latin American economies must prepare for life with less hard cash.
Amid all the talk of debt, defaults and deadlines, it is not easy to understand just what is actually going on in Greece. After yesterday’s momentous referendum, we shine the spotlight on five key points to offer a way out not only for Greece and the Eurozone, but for the rest of us on information […]
MAJDAL AL-SHAMS — Anger is boiling over in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, where local Syrian Druze on Monday attacked an ambulance and killed a wounded Syrian opposition fighter seeking medical treatment from the Israeli military. The fighter was a member of the Revolutionary Command Council (RCC) in Quneitra and the Golan, according to that group’s Facebook page. The RCC is a coalition of different armed factions in Syria, many of which are hardline Islamist groups. The Druze, an offshoot sect of Shia Islam, are spread across the map of the Middle East, particularly in Syria, Lebanon and Israel. In the […]
Photo: Wang Yuguo/Zuma GREEKS SAY “OXI,” VAROUFAKIS SAYS BYE-BYE Greek voters overwhelmingly rejected a bailout-extension that would prolong or increase austerity measures, with more than 61% voting “Oxi,” the Greek word for no. The result, which was followed by large celebrations across Greece is a major defeat for the European Union and the Eurogroup, where […]
PARIS — The Eurozone is going through the most serious crisis of its short history. It will emerge from it either stronger — but this requires exceptional leadership from European leaders who, so far, have shown none — or deeply weakened. If the latter is the case, we will look back in history and say […]
Greek voters have refused a bailout deal of billions of euros in exchange for more austerity measures, with a final result of 61.3% to 38.7%. Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis announced he will step down in a blog post Monday morning due to pressure from Greece’s European partners, and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has vowed to […]
PARIS — France rolled out the proverbial red carpet this past week for Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang, offering what one diplomatic source described as “presidential treatment.” The welcome contrasts with the second-fiddle status Li is used to back in China, where he is more often than not overshadowed by President Xi Jinping, with whom […]
CAIRO — With its densely populated coasts and low-lying agricultural areas, Egypt is one of the most vulnerable countries to rising sea levels. According to World Bank data, a one-meter rise in the sea level would inundate a quarter of the Nile Delta and force 10.5 million people from their homes. Rising sea waters would […]
Since ascending to the papacy two years ago, Pope Francis has been quietly and not-so-quietly leaving his mark on the world, pursuing a number of ambitious foreign policy goals. His nine-day trip to Latin America that begins Sunday will be mostly focused on pastoral issues. But from Cuba to Vietnam, the Middle East and environmental […]
After doing business with both Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and China, Brazil’s space program is going back to where it started: NASA.
While Colombian justice has ruled to allow euthanasia for patients who ask for it, physicians are reticent to apply the health ministry’s “vague” norms.
President Erdogan is raising the tone about a “buffer zone” needed along the Turkish-Syrian border to halt a supposed Kurdish push for independence.
The Confederation of Independent Football Associations (CONIFA) recently organized its first-ever European soccer championship. Could it be a credible alternative to the scandal-plagued FIFA?
Photo: Zhao Yingquan/Zuma NEW BOKO HARAM MASSACRES At least 148 people have been gunned down by suspected Boko Haram fighters in separate attacks across northeastern Nigeria over the the past few days, Vanguard reports. According to witnesses, gunmen stormed villages, entered homes and mosques before rounding up people and shooting at them. The New York […]
In the wake of two devastating terror attacks, the fight for LGBT rights in a country that still criminalizes homosexuality has become even tougher.
As the conflict between Assad’s military and Syrian opposition forces escalates around the southern city of Daraa, religious minorities fear persecution from all sides.
A visit with Munich’s surprisingly robust Greek community finds families caught in the middle of Europe’s unfolding existential drama. Or tragedy.
Photo: Li Muzi/Zuma EUROZONE RULES OUT TALKS BEFORE GREEK VOTE Finance Ministers of the Eurozone have ruled out any negotiations over a third Greek bailout before Sunday’s referendum, but divisions are starting to show between Germany and France, Le Monde reports. French President François Hollande said yesterday that an agreement had to be found “now, […]
MIAMI — Luis Flores has been on a roll of late, handling real estate deal after real estate deal and helping close, in the past 18 months, on no less than $1 billion worth of property. As the lawyer’s hot streak suggests, property investment has made a serious comeback in Miami, which is attracting capital […]
The front page of today’s edition of Cuban state-owned daily Granma published in full the letters exchanged by Cuban President Raul Castro and US President Barack Obama announcing the formal re-establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. The letters set a date for the re-opening of embassies in Havana and Washington, D.C. on July […]
BEIJING — How many certificates or other public documents does a Chinese citizen need through a typical lifetime? A senior official of China’s Communist party recently reckoned the answer is 103. A newborn baby changing residence needs a proof of non-criminality. A Chinese grown man who lists his mother as the emergency contact person on […]