Worldcrunch
Analysis: Western euphoria about the popular uprisings in the Arab world is dissipating – and being replaced by fatalism. The Western powers clearly have no master plan to take the reins of the situation, and in the end, Iran may end up benefiting the mos
Essay: The aftermath of revolution can carry society toward democracy or facism. Understanding where Egypt will wind up means listening to the words used to describe the conflicts that erupt.
Prora, a 4 km-long monster of a building on the Baltic Sea island of Rügen, was originally a Nazi project. Now the bizarre structure – which is arguably more moderne than National Socialist — is part youth hostel, part tourist attraction.
The Chinese mega-city has grown so fast that it has built seven peripheral roads, but has also become surrounded by rings of garbage dumps. A journey to the depths of Beijing’s sprawling, unregulated trash dumps.
The Venezuelan government is on a “mission” to set millions of poor Venezuelans up with public housing. The plan is kindling hope among some Caracas slum dwellers. Critics, however, say Chávez’ housing scheme is more than a little far-fetched.
A R A B I C A ارابيكا ESTONIAN HOSTAGESLebanon’s An-Nahar daily features several articles examining the release of seven Estonian tourists who were kidnapped at gunpoint in the Bekaa Valley on March 23rd. While the circumstances surrounding the release are not clear, the Estonian Foreign Minister Uramas Paet is quoted as saying it happened […]
Though the market for butlers is centered in the UK and Arab countries, the super-rich everywhere are hiring. It is a job that requires very special training.
Though no widespread risk had been identified since the release of the Gardasil vaccine, several young French women have suffered what they say are brutal side effects from what was supposed to protect them from cervical cancer.
What does Sarajevo look like today? Nearly two decades after a devastating siege, the city’s reconstruction tells the story of both renewal and a troubled history not quite healed.
Op-Ed: Facing territorial disputes with its neighbors and deep uncertainties on the home front, China’s newfound strength also requires stability that only the U.S. can help provide. A Chinese bet on the G2 alliance.
Buttes-Chaumont, one of Paris’ hidden gems, is a leafy urban oasis for residents in the French capital’s eastern arrondissements. For the past several weeks, it has also been home to Karim, a 27-year-old immigrant from Tunisia, and three of his f
Massive fishing ships from virtually all the major world powers are draining a way of life from the local fishing-based economy. It could also presage larger geopolitical battles to come.
A R A B I C A ارابيكا WHAT IS THE LIMIT?A Turkish grassroots campaign to “welcome our Syrian brothers to our country” is organizing a caravan to transport citizens from Istanbul on July 16th to the Turkish-Syrian border where refugees are staying. Calling the effort “For Syria – we will go to the limit” […]
Just a month after 20 people were killed in northern Italy when a low-flying American military jet clipped a gondola line, the U.S. had already concluded that the crew and their supervisors were at fault. The pilot was later acquitted of manslaugher charg
Children growing up near nuclear power plants are not at higher risk of developing leukemia, Swiss researchers concluded this week.
Breast enlargement? Botox alternative? Nestlé is expanding investment in anti-wrinkle creams, injectible gels and a breast augmentation product Macrolane that is a source of profit – but also controversy – for the Swiss food giant.
Some of contemporary art’s biggest names have lent their talent to what is essentially an advertising object. A new book shows how the result, time and again, has been art of the highest order.
As many as 1,200 Somali refugees per day are crossing over to Kenya to escape violence and drought. The UN is sounding the alarm about the effects of drought, two years after its Refugee Agency and other humanitarian groups were forced out of Somalia by t
A report has resurfaced that says radioactive waste from World War II was brought in1967 to a storage facility in Asse, in northern Germany, raising old questions about Hitler’s quest for an atomic bomb. But historians dispute that Nazi scientist
With Elie Saab as their leader, Rabih Kayrouz, Zuhair Murad, Georges Hobeika and Georges Chakra round out the “Fab Five” of Lebanon’s high-end design world.
Taking off from Sicily, a reporter chronicles a night of airborne surveillance of movements on the ground in Libya, and coordination of strikes against Gaddafi-controlled targets.
Latin America lost one of its most beloved folk musicians this past weekend, when unidentified gunmen in Guatemala shot and killed Facundo Cabral of Argentina. Overun by gangs and mafia groups, Guatemala has one of the highest homicide rates in the world.
Zhang Xiaobai learned the hard way just how difficult it can be to live openly as a homosexual in China. Being honest about his sexual orientation allowed Zhang to embrace his true identity, but cost him custody of his son and sparked a cold war with his
A new law designed to crack down on NGOs is one of several signs that Cambodia is edging back toward authoritarianism nearly two decades after the UN stepped in following brutal civil wars. The international community, by turning a blind eye to government
The head of Switzerland’s FDP-Frauen party is baring more than her soul in an effort to promote women’s rights. Some of Switzerland’s male politicians have make similarly revealing pitches.
Op-Ed: Though politicians from all corners have declared their desire for a new Constitution, they all slip back into outdated rhetoric when it comes time to hash out the words to help build Turkey’s future.
Op-Ed: The United States has little reason to celebrate the end of its 30-year-old space shuttle program, according to France’s Le Monde. The 1970s-era space ships accomplished little and cost far too much – both in terms of dollars and human lives.
As President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei quarrel, the guardians of the Islamic Revolution are growing stronger.
An Italian mobster is on trial for allegedly killing his ex-wife. Their teenage daughter, hoping to “re-start her life,” will take the witness stand — testifying not only against her father, but also against a pair of gangster uncles an
Swiss winemakers Gérald and Patricia Besse have watched their daughter Sarah prepare for the family business since middle school. After a period of doubt, she has now immersed herself in the “art” and hard work required to continue the s
Scientists working for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are researching the many different ways human waste can be put to good use — such as powering electrical current with human excrement, or purifying urine into drinking water.
Taiwanese President Ma Ying-Jeou has made good relations with China a cornerstone of his administration, but suspicions still simmer on either side of the Taiwan Strait.
Hailing from Guadeloupe, the 30-year-old Yohann Gène’s presence in the Tour de France is a watershed, challenging a competitive cycling world described as “homogeneous” and even prone to racism.
As South Sudan declares its independence, its capital city Juba is a complicated and fast- growing metropolis, teeming with prostitutes, adventurers, refugees and NGOs
With major doubts about the reliability of the alleged victim, France is buzzing again with conspiracy theories around the Dominique Strauss-Kahn case. The latest focuses on the Sofitel hotel, site of alleged act.
Original Pablo Picasso ceramics made between 1947 and 1973 – the year the famous Spanish painter died – are sold at quite reasonable prices: between 500 and 8000 euros a piece.
Since the beginning of protests in Yemen, women there have not only been taking off their veils, they’ve been giving speeches and confronting Islamists.
A R A B I C A ارابيكا ONE DEATH*As the English-language media reports the latest death toll out of the central Syrian city of Hama with figures varying from 11 to 22 dead, the Arabic media and social networks are focusing on the death of one man in Hama named Ibrahim Qashoush. Qashoush, a […]
Egyptions are wary that US financial aid to government and civil society programs is Washington’s way of whitewashing its past support for Mubarak – and laying the groundwork for future meddling.
A Russian submarine provides a rare expedition to the bottom of Switzerland’s largest lake to view the wreck of a 19th century lake steamer, and a peek into a forgotten tragedy.