In the Middle East, water is more than just a precious commodity — it’s a serious sticking point in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. After a French politician denounced Israel’s policy as “water apartheid,” a deeper l
Author: Worldcrunch
If you like Banksy, the now rich and famous UK street artist and activist, you’ll love P183, the Russian graffiti and guerrilla artist. A member of no party, whose identity remains a mystery, P183 is emblematic of the country’s growing a
A bus crash in Switzerland has killed 28 Belgian and Dutch tourists, 22 of them children, as they returned from a ski trip.
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Santorum wins Alabama, Mississippi
Rick Santorum marches forward to the next GOP primary battle with wins in Alabama and Mississippi, throwing cold water on rival Mitt Romney’s prediction that his campaign was reaching a “desperate end.”
A bomb attack has killed three people including the suicide bomber inside a government compound in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu.
Global demand for lithium is on the rise thanks to its use in electric car batteries. That could mean big business for Chile, which has near 23% of the world’s reserves. A leftover dictatorship-era statute, however, threatens to stand in the way.
Professor Giulio Fanti has spent much of his life in search of a scientific explanation for the Shroud of Turin, the linen cloth that purports to bear the image of the crucified Jesus of Nazareth. He has now arrived at his best conclusion, which may requi
In most Chinese cities, retail sales peak between Christmas and Chinese New Year. In Beijing, however, the spike tends to occur in March – at least as far as luxury brands are concerned. Could it be the effect of a certain annual event always held this mo
A court in Guatemala has sentenced a former soldier to 6,060 years in prison for his role in the massacre of 201 people during the civil war.
Taliban militants opened fire and killed one Afghan soldier who was part of a government delegation visiting one of the two villages where a U.S. soldier is suspected of killing 16 civilians.
A ferry packed with about 200 people capsized in a river in southern Bangladesh, killing at least 31 people and leaving dozens more missing.
The mayor of Cousolre, a small village in northern France, was recently sentenced by a court for slapping a wisecracking teenager. The verdict led to an outpouring of support for the 63-year-old “disciplinarian,” and has even entered the French president
Brazil is expecting huge crowds when it hosts the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games. In fact the country’s tourism industry is already heating up – especially in Rio, home to the soon-to-be refurbished Gloria Hotel, and more and more economic alternat
Accelerated by the financial crisis, Europe has seen a trend for small businesses looking to make more cashless exchanges. Nantes is becoming Europe’s first major city to experiment with a virtual currency that can be used both businesses and ind
Mega-selling tabloid Bild has bumped buxom “dream girls” from the front page. Readers will now have to dig deeper into the daily to find the signature images, which enjoyed top billing for 28 years. All that’s left on page one a
Authorities have completed the initial selection of crew members for China’s first manned space docking mission, and the roster includes female astronauts.
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Syria: ‘Many dead’ in latest Homs attacks
Activists believe as many as 47 people have been killed in an attack by pro-government militia in the embattled Syrian city of Homs.
Afghan Taliban fighters say they will seek revenge after 16 people were left dead when an American soldier went on a house-to-house shooting rampage in two villages.
Op-Ed: New measures have been announced in China to require authorities to inform families of anyone arrested. It is a small sign of progress, but caveats in the law mean that secret arrests are sure to continue. What is the regime afraid of?
Analysis: Because it’s not making news anymore, people think the problem of under-capitalization of big banks in the West has been taken care of. Not so. Indeed, big banks continue to behave like companies who cause environmental damage. We all must cover
Multinationals like Canada’s Barrick Gold are making money hand over fist in mineral-rich South America. Proponents say the mines provide jobs and tax revenue. Many local communities, however, oppose the mega-projects on environmental grounds.
More and more Western governments have outlawed the methods required to fatten geese for the production of foie gras. Meanwhile, China turns out 1,000 tons a year, and is set to open the world’s biggest production facility of the rich delicacy.
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Why German Presidents Don’t Have Dogs
Essay: In the United States, a president without a pooch would be as unthinkable as Thanksgiving without turkey. But in Germany, “first dogs” have been the exception since World War II. History may offer an explanation.
While some cities take a bigger-is-better approach to high-rise construction, Moscow is looking to curb enthusiasm for skyscrapers in much the same way as Saint Petersburg. Proposed regulations would impose a 75-meter height limit for most of the historic
Whether they realize it or not, French fans of Philip Roth and John Irving know the work of Josée Kamoun as well. The Parisian woman has translated novels by more than a dozen writers. The work is “painstaking and solitary” but fulfils a
President Giorgio Napolitano demanded an explanation for Britain’s failure to inform Italy before launching a botched raid in which an Italian and British hostage were killed in Nigeria
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Kofi Annan’s Syria statement sparks anger
Syrian opposition activists angrily reject calls by Kofi Annan, the UN and Arab League envoy to Syria, for dialogue with the government.
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Supply-Side Economics, Chinese-Style
Op-Ed: The latest Chinese government plan to tax the rich to bridge the income divide will have the opposite effect. In China — perhaps even more than the West — markets must be free, taxes low and Leviathan reigned in to increase and share wealth acros
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Inflation slows dramatically in China
Consumer prices rose 3.2% from a year ago, a steep slowdown from a 4.5% inflation rate in January.
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And If The Internet Went Black?
Hacker network Anonymous has vowed to take down the world wide web on March 31 to protest a U.S. anti-piracy bill. Though chances are low they could pull it off, it’s worth considering how far-reaching the effect an Internet blackout would be. It
Op-Ed: In its renewed push for sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, Argentina is making some major waves three decades after its disastrous 1982 invasion of the British territory. But if it wants something, Buenos Aires must offer benefits — or be prep
Authorities in Bavaria want more severe laws to punish teachers found guilty of sex with teen students. In one recent case, a 34-year-old substitute teacher kept up a five-month relationship with his 14-year-old student — and got off scot-free.
The finer things in life sometimes just need a twist to be shared by everyone. The authentic coffee-and-steamed-milk recipe for cappuccino will now be available in Italian caffès for those who are lactose intolerant. The capriccino recipe replaces cow&
At the University Hospital in Liège, Belgium, a group of scientists is making great progress in determining the true conscious state of supposed comatose patients. It gives new hopes to loved ones, though won’t make decisions about life support a
The Earth is currently being battered by a storm of charged particles from the Sun, the largest in five years, which could disrupt power grids, satellite navigation and plane routes.
While the world celebrates International Women’s Day, a helpless woman has attempted suicide after her husband abandoned her on a highway in Kashmir.
“Terra” potato chips, a popular Swiss brand, has gotten people talking about its latest flavor options. How? By having consumers come up with the new recipes themselves. But the real novelty is that the “inventors” of the winning flavors get a nice little
Shelling and explosions have rocked several Syrian cities, leaving at least eight dead, a day after a high-ranking official apparently resigned to join the “revolution.”
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Mitt Romney, The French Years
From 1966-1968, Romney spread “the word of Jesus,” door-to-door from Bordeaux to Paris, as a Mormon missionary. It was a tumultuous period, both politically and personally for young Mitt. Indeed, some say his French tribulations are the source of his ambi
A clothing brand popular with Neo-Nazis has caused outrage once again. In Chemnitz, Germany, Thor Steinar has just opened a new outlet called “Brevik,” a name alluding to the infamous author of last year’s Norwegian massacre.