When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

Already a subscriber? Log in .

You've reached your limit of one free article.

Get unlimited access to Worldcrunch

You can cancel anytime .

SUBSCRIBERS BENEFITS

Exclusive International news coverage

Ad-free experience NEW

Weekly digital Magazine NEW

9 daily & weekly Newsletters

Access to Worldcrunch archives

Free trial

30-days free access, then $2.90
per month.

Annual Access BEST VALUE

$19.90 per year, save $14.90 compared to monthly billing.save $14.90.

Subscribe to Worldcrunch
blog

DSK Sins Again: Strauss-Kahn Turns Lobbyist For Big Tobacco

DSK Sins Again: Strauss-Kahn Turns Lobbyist For Big Tobacco

PARIS — Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the disgraced former head of the International Monetary Fund whose sexual exploits cost him a shot at the French presidency, has been working as a lobbyist in France for cigarette maker Philip Morris,Le Journal du Dimanche reports.

The French weekly cites anonymous sources linked to the U.S. tobacco giant who say Strauss-Kahn (DSK) has helped the company try to convince French lawmakers to reject a proposed law that would introduce generic cigarette packaging. DSK organized a meeting between the head of Philip Morris France and a figure close to the center-left government two months ago.

DSK has spent the past four years successfully fighting criminal charges both in the U.S. and France linked to his outsized sexual appetite. Though he hit Twitter for the first time last June and raised eyebrows when it emerged that he was consulting for Russian banks and Serbian hardliners, the former French Finance Minister has kept a mostly low professional profile.

Le Journal du Dimanche quoted a DSK friend as saying that the former politician doesn't sign contracts with the French "to avoid any polemics," though the work for Philip Morris France could have been arranged in other ways.

DSK is himself not a regular cigarette smoker, though he has been known to occasionally enjoy a pipe.

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

Society

Is Disney's "Wish" Spreading A Subtle Anti-Christian Message To Kids?

Disney's new movie "Wish" is being touted as a new children's blockbuster to celebrate the company's 100th anniversary. But some Christians may see the portrayal of the villain as God-like and turning wishes into prayers as the ultimate denial of the true message of Christmas.

photo of a kid running out of a church

For the Christmas holiday season?

Joseph Holmes

Christians have always had a love-hate relationship with Disney since I can remember. Growing up in the Christian culture of the 1990s and early 2000s, all the Christian parents I knew loved watching Disney movies with their kids – but have always had an uncomfortable relationship with some of its messages. It was due to the constant Disney tropes of “follow your heart philosophy” and “junior knows best” disdain for authority figures like parents that angered so many. Even so, most Christians felt the benefits had outweighed the costs.

That all seems to have changed as of late, with Disney being hit more and more by claims from conservatives (including Christian conservatives) that Disney is pushing more and more radical progressive social agendas, This has coincided with a steep drop at the box office for Disney.

Keep reading...Show less

The latest