Worldcrunch
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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!
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 […]
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.
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.
(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 […]
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 […]
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!
French yé-yé, American jazz, Scottish punk, Irish accoustic, Portuguese metal and Brit pop… It’s this weekend’s Worldcrunch staff playlist.
U.S., UK HACKED SIM CARD PROVIDERThe NSA and its British counterpart GCHQ illegally hacked into the internal computer network of Gemalto, the world’s largest SIM card manufacturer, and stole encryption keys to facilitate eavesdropping on global cellular communications, The Intercept reports. The documents, leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden, show that intelligence agencies have therefore been […]
CARACAS — Protests erupted in the Venezuelan capital Thursday night, after the city’s Mayor Antonio Ledezma was hauled away by camouflaged police, who also smashed into opposition leader’s office. A CCTV image of the police entering the office made El Nacional“s front page Friday. Opposition supporters began making as much noise across the city as […]
My wife Claudine was taking a break from the vigorous April sun, resting under the lush azaleas bording the steps that lead to the top of Rome“s Capitoline Hill.
Happy Chinese New Year! 2015 is the Year of Goat, or Sheep, since in Chinese people use the same character for both. Check out our quick tour of how people are celebrating Chinese New Year around the world. It’s part of our new video series The Babel…
In a livestreamed press conference on their Facebook page Thursday, Blur announced the release of a surprise new album on April 27, their first since Think Tank in 2003. Their eighth studio album will be called The Magic Whip and is set to include the following tracklist: The Magic Whip was partly recorded in Hong […]
On Saturdays, the whole town of Otavalo becomes a gigantic market famous for its textiles, handicrafts, leather goods and spices. It draws people — and pigs — from the whole country and, together with the capital Quito and the Galapagos Islands, is one of Ecuador’s most popular tourist destinations.
CALL FOR PEACEKEEPERS RANKLES RUSSIARussia reacted strongly to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s call yesterday for UN peacekeepers to be deployed in eastern Ukraine. Russian UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin said it “raises suspicions that he wants to destroy the Minsk accords,” the BBC reports. Pro-Russian rebels encircling the town of Debaltseve had refused to lay down […]
Nigeria’s rescheduled March 28 presidential elections should be able to take place despite disruption threats made Tuesday by Boko Haram. But the country’s security services, such as the military, the Service Chiefs and the National Security Adviser, will have to “guarantee the sanctity of the rescheduled polls in view of the security challenges facing the […]
Are you team Beck or team Kanye? If it ever really mattered at all, it doesn’t now: Arcade Fire’s Win Butler, a.k.a. Dj Windows 98 on Soundcloud, uploaded a mashup of the former’s “Loser” and the latter’s “Jesus Walks”. The result is rather interesting, even though he was far from being the first to come […]
UKRAINIAN FORCES PULL BACKUkraine’s government forces began withdrawing today from the eastern and key strategic city of Debaltseve, which has been under siege from pro-Russian separatists, Reuters reports. Semen Semenchenko, who heads the Ukrainian paramilitary battalion, wrote on Facebook that “the withdrawal of forces from Debaltseve is taking place in a planned and organized way.” […]
I like Don Quixote enough to dress as him for Carnival. But unlike Miguel de Cervantes’ character, I don’t go about attacking windmills, which is lucky, considering we’ve encountered quite a few during our travels.
The Cairo regime is facing criticism after the ISIS beheading in Libya of 21 Coptic Christians from Egypt. Too many poor Egyptians risk it all in search of work across the border.
It’s Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, so our song of the day is this impressive “Pancake Rap” by Mac Lethal.
Balinese woodcarvings are exquisitely refined. I brought one back from the village of Mas, in southern Indonesia, and hung it in my study.
UKRAINE PARTIES REFUSE PULLBACKPhoto: Donetsk airport — Source: Sokolov Mikhail/TASS/ZUMAGovernment forces and pro-Russian rebels have failed to withdraw heavy weapons from the front line despite today’s agreed deadline, The Guardian reports. Fighting has stopped in most areas since a ceasefire began three days ago, but not in the city of Debaltseve where a Ukrainian military […]
The surreal flight of the Portela, O Globo, Feb. 17, 2015 Carnival celebrations in Rio de Janeiro are famous for being spectacular, but this year’s parades are special because they coincide with the city’s 450th anniversary. In yesterday’s parades, one of Rio’s most famous samba schools, GRES Portela, stunned the public with its traditional eagle, […]
The French trip hop singer Siska has released “Unconditional Rebel”, the first single from her upcoming EP, set to be released on March 2. For the clip, the French director Guillaume Panariello performed quite the technical prowess: in a car driving in a straight line at 50 km/h (31 mph), he shot a five-second scene […]
SOME AREAS IGNORE UKRAINE CEASEFIREThe ceasefire in eastern Ukraine was still broadly observed this morning, but sporadic fighting persisted in some areas, especially in the city of Debaltseve, which is encircled by pro-Russian rebels, the BBC reports. A Ukraine army official said five troops had been killed and 22 wounded since the ceasefire went into […]
“We Are Danish” — Libération, Feb. 16, 2015 One month after the shootings in Paris that killed 17 people, a similar terror attack left two dead and five wounded in the Danish capital Copenhagen over the weekend. In the same way the world honored the victims and the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo with the “Je […]
(March 21 to April 19) Venus and Mars arrive triumphantly in your sign for what is going to be one of the most intense and interesting periods of this year. At work there are still highs and lows, but now is the time to get involved without ifs and buts. In love, it’s impossible to […]
Though it’s closer to the Italian Peninsula, the island of Corsica belongs to France. But the words that come to my mind when I look at this panorama are in Italian: Che pace! (“Such peace!”)
A group calling itself “Defenders of Jerusalem” is throwing its lot in with ISIS, making the battle between Cairo and Islamists ever more since the army ousted the Muslim Brotherhood.
Last week in Albuquerque, New Mexico, several people formed a heart to raise awareness on heart diseases — Photo: Marla Brose/Albuquerque Journal/ZUMA Our staff playlist this weekend is love-themed, obviously. Because this Saturday, like every Feb. 14 since the year 842, the world will remember the Oaths of Strasbourg, in which Louis the German, ruler […]
PESHAWAR MOSQUE ATTACKEDAt least 22 worshipers were killed and 60 injured after gunmen attacked a Shia mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan, during Friday prayers. Three gunmen reportedly opened fire on worshipers after three explosions were heard inside the building. The BBC quotes officials as saying that one militant blew himself up, one was arrested and another […]
The owners of these bicycles were having a picnic nearby, enjoying the view of the famous 19 windmills at Kinderdijk. The place was still pretty quiet in 1964, some 33 years before it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.