WorldcrunchCyprus is making its return to the Eurovision this year, after being absent last year for financial crisis-related reasons (i.e. the fear of winning the contest and having to organize it the following year). This means Greece will benefit from 12 extra points this year thanks to their Cypriot neighbors. The small island has participated […]
Photo: Hani Ali/Xinhua/ZUMA MEDICAL SUPPLIES REACH YEMEN The first medical supplies have arrived in the south Yemen city of Aden, and members of Doctors Without Borders have made their way to some of the city’s hospitals, Al Jazeera reports. Iran dispatched a naval destroyer and another vessel yesterday to waters near Yemen, AP reports. And […]
H Efimerida ton Sintakton, April 9, 2015 Before Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow Wednesday, European commentators warned that Greece could become Russia’s “Trojan horse” against Brussels. But Greek newspaper H Efimerida ton Sintakton instead described the “revival of Greek-Russian relations” as a “historic opportunity for the two […]
On our Nile cruise down to Abu Simbel, we passed by these locals harvesting sugarcane. I couldn’t help but think of Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile — and particularly about its 1978 movie adaptation with Peter Ustinov, a favorite of mine and of my grandson’s. Thankfully, nothing dramatic happened and no Hercule Poirot had […]
Belgium’s most notable performances at the Eurovision were 13-year-old Sandra Kim’s victory at the 1986 edition, and Urban Trad’s second place in 2003, when they sang in an invented language with lyrics such as “Kenatu narilé, lakenatu narilé. Pasema niamo ture saro, delamaoré.” Beautiful. This year, 18-year-old Loïc Nottet singer will run for Belgium. He […]
U.S. BOOSTS WEAPON DELIVERY TO SAUDI-LED COALITION The U.S. is speeding up its weapon deliveries and intelligence sharing with the Saudi-led coalition against Houthi rebels in Yemen, as the toll in the latest Middle East war begins to mount. Al Arabiya reported on U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken’s press conference in the Saudi […]
The New York Times, April 8, 2015 A white South Carolina police officer has been charged with murder after shooting dead an apparently unarmed black man who was running away from him. The incident happened after a routine traffic stop Saturday in North Charleston and was filmed by a witness. The video, published by The […]
The Sacré-Coeur church in Audincourt is an unexpected modern jewel in the somewhat inconspicuous industrial town where I’m from: The stain-glass windows were made by French cubist artist Fernand Léger. I snapped this photo on the day the church was inaugurated by the archbishop of Besançon.
Racism in soccer hit a new low over the weekend when black players from AC Milan’s Under-10 team say they were booed and heckled by other parents during a Universal Cup match. The youngsters were playing their Paris Saint-Germain equivalents for a place in the semi-finals of the Tuscany tournament that features 48 international teams, […]
The representatives of Belarus at this year’s Eurovision are Uzari and Maimuna, a duo made up of what seems to be an elf and a violinist trapped inside an hourglass. Uzari already ran for Belarus in 2012 and in 2013, but came respectively in 5th and 8th place. Third time lucky? Maimuna, also known as […]
A HUMANITARIAN DISASTER IN YEMEN The fighting in Yemen is creating a humanitarian disaster, the United Nations children’s agency UNICEF said yesterday. Hundreds of people have been killed in ongoing clashes between Yemeni militias backed by a Saudi-led coalition and Houthi rebels, Reuters reports. ON THIS DAY An eruption of Mount Vesuvius devastated Naples 109 […]
Cumhuriyet, April 7, 2015 “Half Democracy,” Tuesday’s front page of Turkey’s center-left daily Cumhuriyet reads, after the government imposed a nationwide ban on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook Monday. The accompanying picture depicts a man divided between “CENSORSHIP” and “VIOLENCE.” Turkish authorities have now lifted the ban, which had been implemented in an attempt to prevent […]
French writer François-René de Chateaubriand“s journey to North America had generations yearning for the romantic scenery he described: “Now and then, in the distance, you could hear the solemn rumble of the Niagara cataract, which, in the quiet of the night, echoed in the desert wilderness and died out through the lonely forests.” Unfortunately, visitors […]
A standout idea, a winning proposal, a surprising decision: These are some of the things that will characterize your magnificent work week. There are no challenges where there is determination and will — of which you now have a lot. Wednesday and Thursday are the most interesting days to create memorable situations. When it comes […]
El Mercurio April 6, 2015 Chilean daily El Mercurio featured Pope Francis’ Easter address on its front page Monday. The Argentine-born pontiff made his plea for peace Sunday in St. Peter’s Square after last week’s shocking massacre of Christian students by Islamic militants at Garissa University in Kenya. “We ask Jesus, the victor over death, […]
Our first trip to Tunisia was more focused toward the interior of the country, driving our Peugeot 404 down to Tozeur near the Sahara, but we still saved time for a detour to catch a glimpse of the beautiful island of Djerba in the Gulf of Gabes.
Taifa Leo, April 3, 2015 “Terrorists make the earth shake again,” reads the front page of Kenya’s Swahili-language newspaper Taifa Leo, alongside a picture of a wounded student being evacuated after the Thursday attack on Garissa University College in eastern Kenya. At least 147 people were killed and 79 were wounded when gunmen claiming to […]
Since Azerbaijan first participated in Eurovision in 2008, the country has basically gone crazy for the contest. It has become the country’s most watched program on local broadcaster Azeri TV. So popular it doesn’t matter that the three-hour long show starts airing after midnight. After winning the contest in 2011 — with a record-low average […]
KENYA IN SHOCK AFTER MASSACRE“Terrorists make the earth shake again,” reads the front page of Kenya’s Swahili-language newspaper Taifa Leo after yesterday’s attack on Garissa University College in eastern Kenya. At least 147 people were killed and 79 were wounded when gunmen claiming to belong to the Somalia-based militant group Al-Shabaab stormed Garissa University College […]
They may look dignified and dedicated, but it seems that the guards of Quito’s Carondelet Palace, in the city’s centro histórico, are not doing a very good job: Over the years, the presidential palace has been looted several times.
After winning last year’s show with Conchita Wurst’s performance, Austria has the pleasure of organizing this year’s Eurovision. According to Oikotimes, a website on which “Eurovision becomes a passion,” it will cost Vienna a total of €35 million to host the event, for a revenue of €10 million for the host broadcaster ORF. So much […]
Photo: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Lausanne — Brendan Smialowski/Prensa Internacional/ZUMA IRAN AGREEMENT “A FEW METERS AWAY”Iran nuclear talks resumed today in Lausanne, for a second day since the March 31 deadline. A deal seems within reach, as Iran officials hint at more flexibility over the UN lifting economic sanctions on the country, […]
Casually parked on a street near the port of Nice, on the French Riviera, was this a James Bond-like amphibious car?
When we first saw Australia would be competing in the 2015 edition of the European Song Contest, we simply thought the organizers misspelled “Austria”. But no, it turns out Aussies really enjoy the ESC. In fact, the public broadcaster SBS has been airing the show for more than 30 years. In 2014, 3 million dedicated […]
DEADLINE PASSES BUT IRAN NUCLEAR TALKS CONTINUETehran and the six world powers gathered in Lausanne, Switzerland failed to reach an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program before yesterday evening’s deadline but talks have resumed this morning for a seventh consecutive day. According to Iranian news agency Tasnim, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif was hopeful the leaders could […]
The victory of challenger Muhammadu Buhari in the presidential election in Nigeria, Africa’s biggest and richest country, was making big headlines around the world Wednesday. At home, the daily Nigerian Tribune covered the results and reactions of Buhari’s victory over incumbent president Goodluck Jonathan. Buhari polled a total of 15.4 million votes, according to the […]
The sun setting on Varanasi’s Dashashwamedh Ghat added a certain majesty to these Hindu pilgrims’ ritual ablutions in the Ganges.
For the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest, Armenia will be represented by Genealogy, a supergroup of singers from five different continents and all from Armenian descent. Genealogy includes Ethopian Vahe Tilbian, American Tamar Kaprelian, Japanese Stephanie Topalian, French Essaï Altounian, Australian Mary-Jean O’Doherty Basmadjian and Armenian Inga Arshakyan. They will perform “Face the shadow,” a song […]
FINAL MOMENTS FOR NUCLEAR DEALIran and six world powers (United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China) are trying to overcome their remaining differences and agree to a framework deal on Iran’s nuclear program. They are gathered in Lausanne, where their self-imposed deadline will come tonight. AIRSTRIKES IN YEMEN CONTINUEA Saudi-led coalition carried out airstrikes […]
The ISIS terror group has devoted the cover of its official propaganda magazine Dabiq to its ambitions in Africa — Tunisia in particular, as the photo of Tunis’ Great Mosque of Kairouan suggests. In the magazine’s eighth issue, entitled “Shari’ah alone will rule Africa,” the jihadist organization once again claims responsibility for the March 18 […]
The hard-packed sand at Daytona Beach makes it easy for cars to ride on the beach — something of a Florida tradition that started long ago, with horses and buggies. I had just the perfect view from my hotel room of some of the modern riders, who now have to pay for the shoreline cruise.
The 60th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, that annual European musical event that no one really understands, will take place on May 23 in Vienna, Austria. This year, 40 countries will participate, including, for the first time that country down in the extreme southeastern corner of Europe: Australia. (organizers cite “strong cultural ties” to […]
YEMEN AIRSTRIKES MOVE INTO DAY FIVEWarplanes from the Saudi Arabia-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen destroyed arms depots overnight in day five of its offensive, Saudi website Al Arabiya reports. This comes after the weekend’s Arab summit in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh, where Sunni nations agreed to form what The Washington Times describes as a […]
This beautiful Sun in your sign will embrace Uranus’ unpredictability and bring unexpected revolutions. Singles will suddenly fall in love, couples will make important decisions, and there will be changes of scenery in your professional life. Revolutions, however positive they may be, are asking you to break with routine — which could cause a bit […]
Thousands of protesters, including French President Francois Hollande, took to the streets of Tunis Sunday for an anti-terrorism march in response to the March 18 attack at Tunis’ Bardo Museum that left 22 dead. On its front page Monday, the Tunisian daily Attounissia features a picture of Hollande demonstrating alongside Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi, […]
Before you can behold Petra“s Khazneh (Treasury), you need to walk — or ride a camel — for about one kilometer in the extremely narrow gorge they call the Siq. It’s the perfecty theatrical entrance to this truly awe-inspiring temple.
BOGOTA — Colombian authorities released two ocelots back into the wild on March 25, after they were nurtured for six years in a rehab center designed to resemble their natural habitat, El Espectador reported. The 8-year old cats were set free in the Monquentiva reserve outside the town of Guatavita northeast of Bogota, as a […]
Andreas Lubitz, the 27-year-old German co-pilot who authorities believe deliberately crashed the Germanwings Airbus A320 Tuesday in the French Alps, had been treated for a “major depressive episode” in 2009, the German daily Bild reported Friday. Quoting internal Lufthansa documents and sources, the German tabloid reports that Lubitz went through an 18-month psychiatric treatment and […]
This week I’m traveling to Paris for a family reunion with my daughter, my grandchildren and great-grandchildren. It has been a good 20 years since I set foot in the capital, but some things never change: Notre-Dame and the bouquinistes nearby are still there, like in 1960.
ALLIES CONSIDER GROUND TROOPS IN YEMENAirstrikes against Shia Houthi rebels in Yemen from a Saudi Arabia-led coalition have continued for a second day. At least 39 civilians have been killed in the strikes, according to AFP. Yesterday, Egypt said it was ready to send its navy and ground troops to Yemen to fight the Houthi […]