On the Italian island of Sicily, young entrepreneurs have launched a project aimed at reducing waste of fresh produce by finding alternative four-legged consumers.
Category: blog
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Carrying The Water
In the cradle of the Himalayas, these Nepalese kids were using all kinds of weirdly shaped pots, vases and buckets to bring water back to the village, from the only source available to the community.
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On This Day – December 24
RUSSIA ACCUSED OF KILLING 200 SYRIAN CIVILIANS The human rights organization Amnesty International released a 28-page report Wednesday accusing the Russian military of launching air attacks with munitions and unguided bombs on civilian areas in Syria in the past three months, killing at least 200 people in what could constitute war crimes. The report, quoting […]
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Khodorkovsky Back In Kremlin Crosshairs
Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky is a wanted man again, with a warrant issued for his arrest two years after being released from jail. The 52-year-old who’d spent more than 10 years in prison on charges of tax evasion and embezzlement — after what he described as a politically-motivated trial as he fell out with Vladimir […]
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Polar Family Circle
Though it has long, cold and snowy winters, Finland’s northernmost province of Lapland, famous for being the traditional home of Santa Claus, has warm (enough) summers. Here, my wife Claudine, my daughter Cécile and I are posing for a sunny family portrait along the polar circle.
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On This Day – December 23
TALIBAN SIEGE IN AFGHANISTAN Afghan forces are battling Taliban fighters today in a desperate attempt to protect the police headquarters in the town of Sangin, after a Taliban attack killed six U.S. soldiers yesterday, the BBC reports. The Taliban have laid siege to the southern town and have reportedly cut it off from the rest […]
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Fire Destroys Sao Paulo Historic Museum
Folha de S. Paulo, Dec. 22, 2015 “Fire destroys museum in São Paulo,” writes Brazilian daily Folha de S. Paulo on its front page Tuesday, featuring a photograph of the fire destroying part of São Paulo’s historic “station of Light” on Monday afternoon. The “estação da Luz,” one of the city’s main railway stations, was […]
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Buffalo Status
In southern Indonesia’s Torajan villages, water buffalo horns are displayed on the houses’ facades as a mark of social standing.
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On This Day – December 22
El Mundo, Dec. 21, 2015 “Spain knocks down two-party system and leaves the government high and dry,” reads the front page of conservative newspaper El Mundo, after Sunday’s general election saw the expected rise of newcomers Podemos on the left, and Ciudadanos on the right. It’s a “messy” situation for Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, one […]
SPANISH ELECTION ENDS TWO-PARTY SYSTEM Yesterday’s national elections in Spain have left more questions than answers today, as two of the country’s fledgling political movements made huge gains and the conservative Popular Party lost its majority. “Spain knocks down two-party system and leaves the government high and dry,” the front page of conservative newspaper El […]
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You Have My Vote
Howard Zerangue served more than 25 years as sheriff of Opelousas, Louisiana. I wonder why that is …
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On This Day – December 21
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On This Day – December 20
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On This Day – December 19
Despite officially resigning in September at the height of Volkswagen’s emissions scandal, former VW CEO Martin Winterkorn is still on the company’s payroll and could earn millions until his contract terminates at the end of 2016, an investigation by Germany’s business daily Handelsblatt and TV network ZDF reveals. Winterkorn, 68, who pulls in an annual […]
ISIS STRIKES BACK, BUT FAILS More than 300 ISIS fighters launched a vast attack against Kurdish forces in several locations near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, but their assault was repelled by the Kurdish fighters backed by U.S.-led airstrikes, The Washington Post reports. At least 180 jihadist fighters are reported to have been killed […]
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Still French
Corsica has been part of France for nearly two-and-a-half centuries, but relations with Paris have always been complicated: Last week, Corsican nationalist and independence movements scored big during the country’s regional elections. French or otherwise, it was postcard beautiful on my most recent of three visits to the island.
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On This Day – December 18
EU LEADERS TRY TO MOVE ON MIGRANT CRISIS European leaders are gathered in Brussels for a two-day meeting centered on the 28-nation bloc’s ongoing migrant crisis. Politico reports that proposals will be debated to reinforce external borders, including the possible creation of a new EU law enforcement body that could be sent to respond to […]
ABC, Dec.17, 2015 MADRID — “We are moderate people, quiet, formal and serious.” Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s calm words and bruised face were splashed on the front page of Madrid daily ABC on Thursday after the center-right leader was punched in the face by a 17 year-old during a campaign stop. Rajoy, who is […]
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Bluer Than Blue
Blue sky, blue car, blue bicycle, and a very blue pub.
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On This Day – December 17
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Iran Violation, Chaos Candidate, Fed Watch
IRAN VIOLATED MISSILE BAN, UN SAYS A United Nations Security Council’s Panel of Experts has accused Iran of violating a UN resolution by test-firing a missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead on Oct. 10, Al Jazeera reports. “On the basis of its analysis and findings, the Panel concludes that Emad launch is a violation […]
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Peshawar School Massacre, One Year On
Dawn, Dec. 16, 2015 People across Pakistan today are remembering the 144 victims of the Peshawar school massacre, one year after the Taliban attack that killed 122 children and 22 teachers. In its editorial, daily newspaper Dawn looks back at the changes the country has gone through after an attack that marked “a new, terrible […]
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A Land Of Fairy Tales
Visiting the Schwarzwälder Freilichtmuseum Vogtsbauernhof is like getting lost in a fairy tale. The open air museum, in the middle of the Black Forest, takes you back to rural Germany 400 years ago. Is that Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother sewing something for Hansel and Gretel?
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On This Day – December 16
TREVISO — Not just a token sheep, but a flock of sheep. Not just Joseph and Mary, but all their neighbors, plus angels and wise men, bands of bagpipes, ancient tools, tables and cutlery, traditional dances and, yes, a thatched hut sheltering the Madonna and baby Jesus — several in fact, dressed for those roles, […]
SAUDI ANNOUNCES ANTI-TERROR COALITION Saudi Arabia announced today that it is leading a military coalition of Arab countries against Islamic terrorism, the Saudi Press Agency reports. Other alliance countries include Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Malaysia, Pakistan and Gulf Arab and African states. A joint statement said that a joint operations center would […]
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Class Of ’72
How impeccably dressed and well-behaved these students appeared when we visited the University of Coimbra in central Portugal. The university, the country’s oldest, is also well known for its annual Queima das Fitas, a massive and sometimes rowdy “burning of the ribbons” student festival that lasts for eight days each spring.
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On This Day – December 15
FRENCH FAR RIGHT FALLS SHORT Marine Le Pen and her far-right National Front party failed to win even one of France’s 13 regions in yesterday’s second round of elections, despite finishing first in almost half of them a week ago. It was ultimately the victim of alliances formed by other parties and of higher voter […]
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Latest Cruise
Many such “blue caves” hide under the chalky cliffs of Paxi, the small group of islands near Corfu in western Greece, where I was two months ago — marking my 12th visit to Greece in the past 53 years.
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On This Day – December 14
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On This Day – December 13
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On This Day – December 12
TIANJIN — In the frenzy of China’s real estate speculation, what goes up must sometimes come down — right away. Two brand new 31-story buildings and another 65-story skyscraper are set to be demolished in China’s northeast port city of Tianjin after undergoing unauthorized design changes during construction. According to the China Times, the three […]
L’Espresso’s Michele Sasso went undercover in Turin to attend a meeting of the controversial Catholic group