Dirk Nowitzki has earned himself some Facebook flack over a television commercial he did in his native Germany. Vegetarians are up in arms over the ad, in which the NBA all star makes an open plug for a national delicacy… sausage!
Author: Worldcrunch
Essay: Jin Xing, one of China’s greatest modern dancers, has divided public opinion after she was barred from being a television show judge because censors thought she was a bad influence on teenagers. A close-up look at a unique role model in mo
Though proud of their food and wine, French don’t have a reputation for flag waving on the industrial front. But a movement to label all products “Made in France” – complete with a tiny tri-color flag – has begun to catch on. Will it have the sam
Questions about controversial foreign exchange transactions cost Philipp Hildebrand his job as president of the Swiss National Bank. Swiss leaders are eager to put the affair behind them. But the damage to the country’s financial credibility may already b
The candidates hoping to take on President Obama in November’s US presidential election fight it out in New Hampshire, in part two of the battle for the Republican nomination.
A bomb has killed at least 29 people and wounded 37 after it exploded near a bus terminal in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber region, one of the restive tribal areas where insurgents are battling government forces
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Syria’s president says he won’t leave power
In his first speech since June, Syrian President Bashar Assad has refused to step down, insisting he still has his people’s support. He continues to claim that a foreign conspiracy and terrorists are behind the country’s unrest.
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A New Threat Of Civil War In Nigeria
Op-ed: Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, is also one of the continent’s most promising. But it has become synonymous with danger. The oil giant, which has already proven its ability to sink into terrible ethnic and religious wars, appears once agai
Considered by many to be the greatest long-distance solo sailor, Giovanni Soldini now leads an Italian crew in a quest to break the speed record for crossing the Atlantic. The challenge coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Titanic sinking in the sa
Analysis: In some way, one full year after the Jan. 25 revolution began, the same standoff is at play between a military-led establishment and a grassroots popular movement. And controlling the message, and the media, is as central as ever to each camp.
By all accounts, Carina Lämmle is the youngest college lecturer in Germany. She also happens to teach a discipline so advanced, few have ever heard of it, and most can barely pronounce it. Still, she may study something else when it’s time to ret
Security breach by ‘hacktivists’ reveals email addresses of 221 British military staff and 242 Nato officials.
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Iran sentences American to death in spy case
Iran’s Revolutionary Court has convicted American Mirzaei Hekmati of working for the CIA and sentenced him to death.
A court has acquitted Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on sodomy charges, signaling a new era for conservative Malaysia.
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Do Old Dads Make For Unhealthy Kids?
As more older men become fathers, researchers are focusing on potential health effects of their children. Initial studies show a link between older fathers and children with various genetic defects. But some caution that more research is needed before dra
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How To Catch A Chinese Millionaire
In Beijing, women take classes to learn how to charm wealthy men. Millionaires go crazy for participants, who pay over 2,000 euros for the course. A worthwhile investment all around?
Recent vows by Beijing to eliminate child begging by next year show that though Chinese may care about society’s most vulnerable, they don’t yet know how to really help them.
Essay: The small tragedies of the economic crisis have begun to creep into the daily headlines. Reading about a business owner’s suicide, an Italian columnist learns it’s not always easy to find the right way to speak — and write — abo
Located near Zurich, the upscale Küsnacht Practice has two goals: to treat their clients’ alcohol and drug problems, and make sure the experience is as comfortable as humanly possible. For those with the money to afford it, the establishment can arrange “
Rising foreign investment and steady growth have created a real need in Brazil for qualified executives. Foreigners – even those with less-than-stellar Portuguese skills – are encouraged to apply.
A civilian court orders the arrest of Turkey’s former head of the army, the highest-ranking officer so far to be charged with leadership of an illegal network accused of seeking to overthrow the government.
Ahead of the New Hampshire primary, the nearby Boston Globe endorses the former US ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, a slap to former Massachusetts Governor Romney.
A presumed terrorist explosion strikes a neighborhood in Damascus, state media said Friday, killing and injuring dozens.
Since its invention, photography has helped researchers understand clouds. Now, Switzerland’s Fotomuseum Winterthur explores the link between the science and symphony of clouds.
On the stump, the Republican candidate says what America needs is tax reform, spending cuts and fewer bureaucratic regulations. When talking to a European reporter he says one thing it doesn’t need to do is bail out the struggling euro zone.
Year-end totals are in for the number of 2011 visitors for the Egyptian capital and its top seaside resort Sharm el-Sheikh. Not surprisingly, hotels were largely empty as protests in the streets surged.
Once a must-stop for the European jet set, Rome’s Café de Paris on the via Veneto fell under the grip of the powerful Calabrian mob. But after a criminal investigation three years ago put the locale under state control, managers are now serving &
A fight among inmates armed with makeshift knives, clubs and stones has left 31 people dead and 13 injured in a prison in a drug-plagued state in northern Mexico.
A series of bombings in Baghdad leaves 27 people dead and dozens wounded, intensifying fears of increased violence following the recent U.S. troop withdrawal.
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Euro drops after French bond auction
The euro has dropped to its lowest rate against the dollar in 16 months after France sold 8bn euros ($10.3bn, £6.6bn) of bonds at an auction.
La Stampa’s election correspondent catches up with the Italian-American senator from Pennsylvania, the breakthrough Republican candidate, whose standard stump speech includes an immigrant’s tale of the American dream.
“Warm, sexy and always a little different,” is how perfumer Alberto Morillas describes oud, a pricey oil made from agar wood and its resin. Used for centuries in Arab countries, the perfume ingredient is now also a hit in Europe. If you
The Irish-German actor is now on everyone’s A-list, with a healthy dose of charisma and limitless range, from brainy films to major blockbusters. But it may be the current film “Shame” that consecrates him at the first top of hi
Physically allergic to the electro-magnetic waves of wi-fi coming from mobile phones and high-tension wires, two “electro-hypersensitive” women find refuge deep inside a cave tucked in southeastern France. A dark tale of a very modern ai
In the southern town of Oria, a shiny new “mini” soccer field and gym facilities have been built over the precious remains of 15 Messapian tombs dating from the Third Century B.C. The mayor defends the choice of youth activity over ancie
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Mass Grave Found in Afghan Army Compound
Grave containing at least 10 human skulls is discovered in northern Afghanistan by construction workers digging the earth to build a car park in an army compound.
The French and Swiss firms have a longstanding presence in China, but are still outstripped by local competitors. Add to that rising land and labor costs, and foreign food giants must recalibrate their strategies in the world’s No. 2 economy.
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is handing over power to Vice President Amado Boudou until January 24, as she undergoes thyroid cancer surgery.
Mitt Romney wins Tuesday night’s Iowa caucuses, beating rival Rick Santorum by just 8 votes in the closest presidential GOP contest in U.S. history.
Fukushima raised serious questions about nuclear safety and prompted a global building freeze on new atomic power plants. But as 2012 begins, it is becoming clear that the freeze is beginning to thaw. And the BRICS nations will lead the way.